Irregular Periods – Causes

Although irregular periods are something that is happening quite often, this doesn’t mean that they should not be taken seriously. It is very important to find out what is the background of such cycles and what is the message that your body is trying to deliver. Every woman will face an irregular menstruation at some point in her life and although in most cases these irregularities are not dangerous it is very important to understand what causes these problems. The following is the list of most common causes of irregular periods.

1.       Stress

Stress is one of the most common causes of irregular menstruation and something that modern women have to deal with every day. The stress hormone cortisol affects the production of estrogen and progesterone (sex hormones) in our body. In case you have too much cortisol in the body, your period may be irregular. So, try to avoid stressful situations and follow some relaxing techniques.

2.       Pregnancy

The woman’s body during pregnancy produces different levels of hormones that cause cessation of the periods. However, in some cases, women experience less bleeding or delayed menstruation before the cessation caused by pregnancy. It is really important to make a difference between these two situations.

3.       Exercising

It it is good to point out that the body needs energy during menstruation. If you are spending too much energy in the gym or on home exercises, your body will be left without energy for the days of the month when you are experiencing the effects of menstruation. This doesn’t mean that you have to stop with physical activity during these days, but make sure to decrease the intensity.

4.       Nutrition

The food you consume can also be the cause of absence or irregularities of periods, just like overall weight. If you are consuming too much unhealthy carbs or you have gained significant amount of weight in a short period of time, your body will start to produce different levels of certain hormones which will again start to change when you ovulate. The same goes for the women who lose rapid amounts of weight.

5.       Polycystic ovary syndrome

Although this syndrome is not uncommon, in some women this syndrome causes the formation of cysts on the ovaries and interferes with the normal process of ovulation. Other symptoms of this syndrome are weight gain, infertility and excessive hairiness.

6.       Birth control pills

The body sometimes need up to several months in order to become accustomed to the level of hormones produced by the body after taking birth control pills. This is the period when women can expect irregular periods.

7.       Alcohol abuse

The liver regulates the menstrual cycle by metabolizing estrogen and progesterone production. Too much alcohol can cause serious liver damage and interfere the process of metabolizing of the previously mentioned hormones.

8.       Taking other drugs

If you have recently been ill and you are taking prescribed medications, menstruation can also be a little bit late.

Depending on the cause of irregular periods, your doctor may offer several solutions. 

Safest Contraception Options: Combined Shots

How These Contraception Options Work

Combined injectable contraceptive, also known as CIC, birth control shot, or combined shot, is one of the safest contraception options. Combined injectable contraceptive means that a woman is given intramuscular injections in every four weeks or every three months. The injection contains progestin and synthetic estrogen. These hormones prevent the egg from leaving the ovaries (it prevents the process called ovulation). Combined injectable contraceptive also makes cervical mucus thicker, this way, the sperm is unable to reach the egg. CIC also makes the lining of the womb thinner. CIC works like combined oral contraceptives, however, it is their safer version, since CIC has a lower failure rate. CIC has another advantage over birth control pills: you do not have to take a pill every day, so there is no risk of forgetting it. Those who take birth control pills may forget to take a pill, which makes the method less effective. Ideally, you have to take a pill at the same time every day, even a couple of hours of difference can make these types of contraceptives less effective.

Types of Contraceptives: Availability

CIC is injected by a health care provider. It is injected in the muscles of the upper arm, buttocks, or thigh.

Cyclofem, Novafem, Mesigyna, Lunelle and Cyclo-Provera are combined injectable contraceptive brands. These types of contraceptives appeared in the United States in the early 2000’s, but they are not available anymore. They are still available in several countries of the world. These days, depot medroxyprogesterone acetate, also called DMPA or Depo-Provera, is the only combined injectable contraceptive that is available in the United States. You can get a shot once every three months.

When you get a combined shot, it elevates your hormone levels, which will slowly decrease during the following weeks. After three months (or one months, depending on the types of contraceptives), you are supposed to get another shot. Do not wait longer than 3 months (or one month, 33 days at most), because any delay has a negative impact on the effectiveness of the method.

Effectiveness of Contraception Options

Getting injections is a safe and discreet way to avoid pregnancy. There is no way to tell that you use such contraception options, so you can keep it secret if you want to.

CIC has a very low failure rate, only 0.2 %, which means that out of 500 women who use combined injectable contraceptives as a birth control method, only 1 gets pregnant. The failure rate might be higher if the woman waits longer than 3 months (or one month) between two injections.

CIC is a convenient way of birth control, since it is a long-acting contraception, it does not require lots of effort and time, and it has no unpleasant side-effects. Some other contraception options intervene with menstrual bleeding, they may cause pain, intense bleeding, or irregular cycles. 

On the other hand, these types of contraceptives can provide good cycle control. CIC may make your period easier and more predictable: you may experience lighter bleeding or less days of bleeding. Since menstrual bleeding is very unpleasant and leaves women tired and angry, many women are happy that CIC can reduce the days of menstruation or the intensity of bleeding. CIC may cause slight changes in your period, but these symptoms are minor and they stop within a few weeks, or, at least, when you quit taking injection. Combined injectable contraceptives do not cause a decline in your libido.

Once you stop taking the injection, you still will not get pregnant for about a month until the effect wears out. After 4 to 6 weeks, you will have your chance to get pregnant.

Safety

CIC is one of the contraception options that are safe for women who live with AIDS and use antiretroviral medicines. However, CIC does not offer any protection from sexually transmitted diseases. If you use such types of contraceptives, make sure that you use other forms of protection, for instance, condom.

You should not use combined injectable contraceptives when you are breastfeeding a child who is younger than 6 months. If you smoke and you are over 35, you should not choose such contraception options: just like oral contraceptives, CIC can contribute to cardiovascular diseases and blood clotting. If you have high blood pressure, cardiovascular diseases, or some types of cancer, or you are prone to blood clotting, then this method is not safe for you. Neither should you use combined injectable contraceptives if you have migraine. If you have diabetes, you live with depression, you are allergic to hormones, or you have any kind of liver disease, you should not get combined shots.

The side-effects of combined shots are minor. They may include headache, breast pain, weight gain, irregular bleeding, weakness and nausea. It may affect sexual health and cause sexual dysfunction.

CIC may cause a loss of bone density if you are using this method for more than two years in a row.

Before you decide to use CIC, you should consult with your gynecologist. Inform your doctor about any medication you take and any health issue you may have.

Birth Control: How Not to Get Pregnant

Thousands of women want to know how not to get pregnant against their will. Birth control and planned parenthood are amongst the most sensitive, most debated areas of sex and sexual health. Safe sex is part of your well-being. One occasion of carelessness is enough to turn your life upside down – so it is important to know how not to get pregnant. Always use protection.

Birth control includes all the methods that you can use to prevent pregnancy: birth control pills, condoms, intrauterine devices, vasectomy, tubal ligation, hysterecotomy (partial or radical).

How Not to Get Pregnant: Hormonal Contraception

Hormonal contraceptives are safe. If you want to know how not to get pregnant, read the following list of hormonal methods.

Combined oral contraceptives, commonly known as birth control pills, are amongst your safest choices. These pills contain hormones named progestin and estrogen. This method has a failure rate of 0.5 percent if used perfectly, its typical failure rate is 9%. It is important to follow your gynecologist’s advice and read the medicine label carefully. It is best if you take your pill at the very same time every single day, for instance, 10.05 p.m. The more accurate you are, the less risk you take.

Progestin only pill or minipill has a failure rate of 9%. It does not contain estrogen. Take the pills at the same time every single day.

An intrauterine device is a T-shaped contraceptive device that a doctor will insert in your womb. It is a long-term solution. It may cause menstrual bleeding that is heavier than usual, and it can cause other painful symptoms like cramps during your period. Its failure rate is low. A copper T intrauterine device can stay inserted in the womb for ten years, it has a failure rate of 0.8%. A hormonal IUD, known as levonorgesterel intrauterine system, LNG IUD, can stay within your womb for five years, its failure rate is 0.2%.

An implant is the safest solution, with a failure rate of 0.05%. Your doctor will insert it beneath your skin on your upper arm. The tiny device contains progestin, released in your body throughout 3 years.

Injections are safe, too, they contain the hormone progestin. You can get a shot every three months. The failure rate is 6 percent, somewhat lower than that of the pill.

Patch should be worn on your lower body – buttocks, abdomen – or upper body, except for the breasts. It releases progestin and estrogen into your system. Put on a new patch every week for three weeks, on the fourth week, you are supposed to have your period. Its failure rate is 9 %, for women over 200 pounds it is higher.

Hormonal vaginal contraceptive ring: you put it inside your vagina and wear it for three weeks. Remove it for a week to have your period, then use another ring. Its failure rate is nine percent.

Emergency contraception must not be used often. It is for cases when you did not use any protection or when protection failed. You can take emergency contraception pills up to 5 days after having sex unprotected.

Barrier Methods

Take your time to learn about methods of how not to get pregnant.

Barrier methods are much less safe than hormonal contraceptives. Do not use them if you want to avoid getting pregnant at any cost.

Diaphragms have a failure rate of 12 percent. Male condoms are good enough to protect you from sexually transmitted diseases, but when it comes to unwanted pregnancy, their failure rate is considerable, 18%. Female condoms have an even higher risk, a failure rate of 21 percent. Spermicides have a failure rate close to 30 percent, which means using them is never a safe option.

Permanent Methods of How Not To Get Pregnant

If you are sure that you do not want children, your best option of how not to get pregnant is contraceptive sterilization.

If you have a radical hysterecotomy or you just get your ovaries removed, you have no chance to get pregnant ever again. If you have a partial hysterecotomy, you leave your ovaries intact, but you get your whole womb removed, you cannot get pregnant. No risk is involved here.

Tubal ligation has a low failure rate, 0,1%. Transcervical sterilization is also safe, with a failure rate of 0,1%. Vasectomy has a similarly low failure rate.

Unsafe Ways

Hopefully you know that the rhythm method and interrupted coitus are absolutely unsafe ways of how to not get pregnant. Even the most vehement naturalists admit that time and again they “result in the births of wonderful children”.

Abortion

Abortion and abortion pill are emergency methods for birth control, only for cases when other protective methods have already failed. There are unfortunate situations in life when it can be an option.

Sex after a Stroke

Sexuality is really different after a stroke. There are some consequences and those who want to experience normal life after a stroke should be aware of them.

Strokes are responsible for over 15% of deaths in developed countries and the numbers are higher in undeveloped countries. 3 out of 10 patients that have experienced a stroke have permanent consequences although most of them don’t need help with their everyday activities. Around 20% of these patients need help with at least one daily activity and some of them need institutional help. More severe cases of stroke leave patients with severe disabilities.

Stroke (cerebrovascular accident (CVA)) is a disease that dramatically impacts the life of those who are suffering from it and also the lives of the people that leave with that person. In some cases it can destroy the balance between the partners that existed before. A stroke usually affects the walking, senses, emotional life and even mutual understanding between partners. All these things can significantly affect the sexual life.

When it comes to stroke and erectile dysfunction, nearly 8 in 10 men experience them but the good thing is that they usually disappear after few months (without any special treatment for sexual dysfunction). However, many couples have difficulties in their bed years after the stroke occurred. A special kind of problems can be caused by urinal difficulties that usually appear after a stroke.  Psychological factors such as low self-esteem can also impact the sex life and they are often caused by antidepressant intake. Sexuality and relationship with the partner can cause emotional difficulties and behavioral changes like apathy, explosiveness etc. Many people fear that being sexually active again could lead to another stroke and that’s why they avoid sexual intercourse. These fears are not based on facts and they are just irrational. In some cases partners have to find another way of communication. This is a factor that can really complicate sexuality after stroke because some people have difficulties to speak and even understand other people.

Stroke can hit different regions of the brain. In some cases, it may damage the area of sexuality. Stroke can also affect the hypothalamus, region of the brain that is managing the actions of the hormones. In rare cases this damage can lead to a reverse process where the stroke sufferer has increased sexual desire and it can even lead to unusual/inappropriate sexual behavior.

The biggest problem is the rejection of the current situation and a strong desire to return in the time before the stroke happened. By accepting the current situation, patients can have faster progress in their life. The fear that the stroke sufferer will be rejected by his or her partner is strong but the truth is that the other partner can more easily accept the physical changes compared to the psychological changes.

In some cases there is a link between pregnancy and stroke. Stroke can be a result of taking birth control pills. Women during pregnancy are facing three times higher risk of stroke. However this last claim is rejected by some researchers and this is an area that still needs to be explored.