Delayed Periods: What’s Up With That?

How long has it been since you had a period? Three months? Six months? A year or more? I bet you’re super fucking DONE with not knowing when (or if!) it’s going to come and dealing with the PMS mood swings and weight gain that just don’t go away.

I hear you, I’ve been there. As you may be aware, I have Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome. Part of that issue means that my cycles were extremely irregular. When I first came off the birth control pill after seven years on the damn thing I didn’t get my first period for four months!!

I was extremely anxious, depressed, my weight shot up and my skin was breaking out like I was a thirteen year old girl again. Bonus: I was in nutrition school at the time. Not feeling ‘healthy’ enough to be there really sucked too.

After this, my periods came between every 45-65 days. The ‘PMS’ that many women experience maybe a week before their period was never ending in me. I bet it’s you too. There are many different reasons that your period may be delayed, and I’m outlining the top 7 of them below.

As always, get some tests done and check with your doc and your natural healthcare practitioner before beginning a protocol to deal with any of the following.

Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome {PCOS}

PCOS is a condition that is diagnosed on the following three criteria (at the time of writing):

Oligomenorrhea or anovulation
Clinical and/or biochemical signs of hyperandrogenism like cystic acne, hair loss (androgenic alopecia) and excessive body hair growth (hirsutism)
Cysts on the ovaries

All you need is two out of three! For me, it was the first two- my cycles were extremely irregular and I had many of the signs of hyperandrogenism like acne, facial/body hair and head hair loss.

The connection here to delayed periods lies in the first diagnostic criteria: oligomenorrhea or anovulatory cycles. If you cycles are longer than 35 days, it could be considered oligomenorrhea. The reason that cycles become so long is the lack of ovulation. Ovulation occurs (in a healthy cycle) fourteen days before the expected period. The means in a 28 day cycle, ovulation should occur on Day 14.

In women with PCOS, the constantly high levels of luteinizing hormone (LH), as well as high insulin and testosterone prevent the surge of LH which normally causes ovulation because levels of LH are consistently high all the time. No ovulation = no period. Some women may notice they get some spotting during their cycle, but this is not a true period. Rather it is known as breakthrough bleeding.

Balancing PCOS with natural methods is possible and I am living proof! If you have been diagnosed with PCOS, check with your doctor and a natural healthcare practitioner to make sure you get the best treatment for your needs.

Pregnancy

This is probably the most obvious reason for a delayed period. Sometimes accidents (or planned miracles!) happen. If you think you might be pregnant, take a pregnancy test!

Stress

The interesting thing about our stress and sex hormones is that they are made from the same starting molecule: cholesterol. Yes, that’s right! Cholesterol has gotten a seriously bad rap, because without it, you can’t make steroid hormones! Your body uses cholesterol to make a precursor to your sex and stress hormones first, known as pregnenolone. Then, depending on need, the pregnenolone will be used to make either stress hormones (cortisol, DHEA) or sex hormones (estrogen, progesterone, testosterone).

If you are someone who is chronically stressed, maybe you feel like you can’t even take another person cutting you off in traffic or another dirty dish in the sink, this section might be for you! When you are stressed out for a long period of time, cortisol will reign. Your body will be using most of the pregnenolone to make cortisol and other stress hormones, and saying a big “up yours” to sex hormones. Without the proper amounts of sex hormones like estrogen and progesterone at the right times, your period will be delayed.

My PCOS is mainly rooted in an adrenal androgen hormone known as DHEA. What this means for me is that if I want to balance myself and keep my cycles regular, I must manage my stress to the best of my ability. When I shifted my focus almost entirely to stress management rather than ‘PCOS management’, my cycles regulated. How about that!

Thyroid

The thyroid gland is intimately connected to both your state of stress (+ stress hormones) and your reproductive (sex hormone) virility. Generally it is an underactive thyroid gland (either from hypothyroidism or Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis) that reduces the frequency of menstruation rather than an overactive thyroid. If you are also experiencing dry skin, dry hair, extreme fatigue (like wanting to sleep 12-14 hours a day), hair and eyebrow thinning and unexplained weight gain, investigating your thyroid as the root cause could be worth your time!

Hormonal Birth Control

This includes the Pill, a hormonal IUD, the patch, the shot and anything else they come up with to stick synthetic hormones in our bodies! These medications put your body into a state of pseudo-pregnancy, essentially tricking it so you won’t become pregnant. This also means that you are not ovulating. No ovulation = no period. And as a loving FYI, the bleeding that you do experience on hormonal birth control isn’t a real period at all. It’s simply breakthrough bleeding. Many women do not experience bleeding at all while using these prescriptions as well.

If you have recently come off of hormonal birth control, it can take time for your body to balance itself out, potentially causing delayed periods. Depending on your individual body systems and the length of time you were on the drug will determine how long and the severity of your withdrawal.

Perimenopause

Are you over 40? Finding that you need a glass (or 5) of wine at night to unwind and have a good night’s sleep? Perhaps your flow has become heavier or lighter, or your cycles are longer? It could be perimenopause. What this means simply is that your body is getting ready for the final flow of your life. Menopause has officially happened when you haven’t had a period in over 12 months, and are of the right age.

Sometimes while your body is figuring all this out, cycles become delayed. There could be many reasons for this, including stress and low estrogen preventing ovulation.

Excessive Exercise or Weight Loss

This one is for the marathon runners and bootcamp addicts. If you are exercising very frequently (6-7 days per week) for long durations and at a high intensity, it can cause your body to delay or stop menstruation. This is because that type of exercise actually raises cortisol, and we’ve already talked about how stress can interfere with periods. Also, if your body fat percentage becomes radically low (from excessive exercise or dramatic weight loss), your body won’t have the necessary components (cholesterol, and others) to create the hormones in the first place.

As you can see, there are numerous reasons your period might be delayed. The big takeaway here is to relax. Destress yourself as much as possible, get the help and support you need, and I bet you’ll notice a difference in your cycles!

Let’s talk! How long are your cycles? Have you gotten to the bottom of the cause? Please share in the comments!

Time to Bust Myths About Healthy Sex, Sexuality and Libido

Guest Post with Kim Sedgwick.

Robyn: Welcome to the blog Kim! I’m so thrilled to have you here to share your expertise. Can you share with readers briefly how you came to be in the holistic sexuality business?

Kim: Growing up I was the “go-to” resource for my friends when they had a sex-related question. I was fortunate to have three older sisters (including Amy, who I now work with) who shared their stories and resources. I still have a well-worn copy of Our Bodies, Ourselves and I have fond memories of watching the Sunday Night Sex Show. Those positive experiences helped foster a sense of curiosity about sexuality, and eventually lead me to pursue a degree in Gender and Women’s Studies. Many of the books for my courses were available through the local sex shop, Venus Envy, in Halifax. I loved the concept of the business – combining feminist literature, menstrual products, and toys all in the same space. When I came back to Toronto after completing my degree I was talking to my sister who had just discovered the Justisse Method of Fertility Awareness. Her passion for natural birth control and reproductive health aligned beautifully with my own interests, so together we formed Red Tent Sisters in 2007. I’ve been working in the holistic sexuality field ever since.

Robyn: What are the biggest myths about female desire?

Kim: Unfortunately there are a number of myths. The one I hear most often is that women should be able to orgasm from vaginal penetration. We are given such limited representations of what sex looks like when it comes to the media. How often do you see a heterosexual couple have intercourse (usually in the missionary position) for less than five minutes and then they magically orgasm at exactly the same time? In reality, most women need some kind of clitoral stimulation in order to climax. In fact, research suggests that up to 70% of women have difficulty orgasming from intercourse alone.

I’d say the other big myth is that women should have “spontaneous” desire when in fact many experience “responsive” desire – meaning they get turned on in reaction to something arousing happening (their partner rubbing their shoulders, seeing an erotic image). This is huge because many women are being told they have “low libido” and are being prescribed medications when in fact there’s nothing wrong with their desire at all. Instead, there’s something wrong with our limited view of how we “should” experience desire.

Robyn: Low libido is a common complaint among women I work with and women with hormonal imbalances. How can women raise their libido naturally?

Kim: Great question. I don’t have to tell you or your community about the importance of nutrition! A clean diet will go a long way towards addressing hormonal imbalances that may be affecting libido. Stress also wreaks havoc on your sex life, so making sure you’ve got some self-care systems in place (meditation, exercise, journaling, etc.) is huge. Lastly, charting your menstrual cycle can help you to understand your natural ebbs and flows. It’s easier to embrace the “low” times in your cycle if you know it’s temporary. Rather than worrying that you’ve “lost your mojo” you’ll appreciate that it’s your body’s way of telling you to nurture other parts of yourself and/or your partnership.

Robyn: What is your #1 piece of advice for women trying to improve their sex life?

Kim: Let go of what you think your sex life should look like and invest in discovering what turns you on. I often find that women who are concerned about low libido are in fact not interested in sex because the kind of sex that’s on the menu isn’t really turning them on. It’s hard to be excited about something that’s not enjoyable! We live in a society that equates sex with intercourse, but there are LOTS of other ways to experience pleasure, both solo and with a partner. I love Ian Kerner’s idea of treating foreplay (manual stimulation, oral sex) as coreplay – the main event. If you’re looking for alternative scripts of what sex can look like, I suggest checking out some feminist erotica or instructional videos, like those by Erika Lust or Tristan Taormino. I also address these topics in my Confidence Building Secrets course.

Robyn: Sex can be a taboo subject, and sometimes causes guilt or shame in women. What are some of the things that hold women back from a happy, healthy sex life?

Kim: Despite living in a sex-saturated society, it’s rare to have honest, sex-positive conversations. As a result, I think a lot of women feel alone. That isolation can contribute to shame and fear, and holds so many people back from fully embracing the breadth of their desire. I really think that the key to a happier, healthier sex life is a willingness to be vulnerable – with our friends, our lovers, and ourselves. In the words of Brené Brown, “If you put shame in a Petri dish, it needs three things to grow exponentially: secrecy, silence and judgment. If you put the same amount of shame in a Petri dish and douse it with empathy, it can’t survive.”” That’s why I’m so passionate about creating safe spaces for people to share their stories – whether it’s in a group workshop, online, or in more intimate settings. It’s powerful to declare “this is what I want” and have that received with compassion. I dream of a day when we can all experience that acceptance and love.

Robyn: Confidence is a huge part of sexuality (and general wellness!). How can women improve their confidence in the bedroom?

Kim: I always say it’s hard to feel confident doing something you’ve never been taught how to do and sadly we’re not taught how to be great lovers. My sex education certainly didn’t include lessons on how to perform oral sex, or the best positions to maximize clitoral stimulation. That’s why I’m passionate about helping folks to get the sex class they never had – one that focuses on pleasure. So I teach a course called Confidence Building Secrets for Pleasuring Him and the companion course, Confidence Building Secrets for Pleasuring Her. There are also a number of great books and other resources that provide practical techniques so my suggestion is to find a format that feels right for you. I think the key is viewing sex like any other skill in life – one that you get better at through education, practice, and a willingness to experiment.

Despite living in a sex-saturated society, Kim feels that candid, honest conversations about sexuality are far too rare. It’s her mission to help change that! Through workshops and one-on-one coaching, she supports women who are ready to begin claiming and communicating their erotic desires. Kim is a co-founder, along with her sister Amy, of Red Tent Sisters – a business dedicated to women’s reproductive and sexual health. Her work has been featured in every major Canadian media outlet, including The Globe & Mail, The Huffington Post, The Toronto Star and Maclean’s. She’s also appeared on CTV, Rogers TV and Cosmo TV. You can connect with Kim at redtentsisters.com.

15 Best Healthy Salad Recipes for Balanced Hormones

Salads are a fantastic way to get in some more veggies! Vegetables provide us with nutrients like vitamins and minerals as well as fibre and other compounds to keep our hormones happy. The trouble is, that sad looking iceberg lettuce salad with bottled dressing not only is devoid of nutrients but it’s also boring.

The following is a list of some freaking awesome salad recipes from bloggers that I love. The recipes will both delight your taste buds and help you create Happy Hormones.

My Favourite Easy Kale Salad by The Hormone Diva

This kale salad started my love for raw kale. Kale contains tons of insulin-balancing fibre, mood balancing B vitamins and blood-building iron. Beets help your digestion, detox your liver and help your body excrete excess hormones. Pumpkin seeds are mineral powerhouses, especially zinc which is necessary for both healthy cycles and glowing skin.

Spinach Pomegranate Salad with Pomegranate Dressing by The Hormone Diva

Pomegranates can be used to help balance estrogen production in the body. Spinach is fibre-packed and loaded with beta-carotene, which is often converted to Vitamin A in the body which is good news if you have heavy menstrual flow! Pecans provide a little protein and some healthy fats to reduce inflammation and balance blood sugar.

alkalising buckwheat salad the luminous kitchen

Alkalising Buckwheat Salad by The Luminous Kitchen

Buckwheat is FULL of cycle-regulating inositol, which is especially helpful for women who have trouble ovulating or have PCOS. The greens and herbs provide vital nutrients for health periods like B vitamins and Magnesium. Lemon assists your liver to detox and your digestion to function well to reduce stress on your body.

broccoli slaw salad orange vinaigrette slimsanity

Broccoli Slaw Salad With Sweet Orange Vinaigrette by SlimSanity

Broccoli (and other cruciferous vegetables) contain both DIM and Sulforphane, two potent estrogen detoxifiers that help to balance your hormones and assist your liver in metabolizing hormones. Oranges don’t just have vitamin C- they’re also packed with mood, bone and cycle-regulating Calcium.

spicy shredded carrot salad kalyns kitchen

Spicy Shredded Carrot Salad by Kalyn’s Kitchen

Carrots are packed with beta-carotene, that Vitamin A precursor which could assist in reducing heavy menstrual flow. Carrots are also full of blood sugar-balancing fibre, and the specific fibre they contain helps to bind and excrete excess estrogen.

rainbow chopped salad with apples and avocados the lemon bowl

Rainbow Harvest Salad With Apples and Avocados by The Lemon Bowl

Avocados provide healthy monounsaturated fats and are known fertility helpers. They are also full of mood-balancing Magnesium. Apples contain estrogen-detoxing Calcium-D-glucarate, as well as pectin which helps with healthy poops. Celery if full of electrolytes (aka minerals) which help to provide energy.

festive winter cabbage slaw leelalicious

Winter Cabbage Slaw by Leelalicious

Cabbage is another cruciferous vegetable that contains estrogen-regulating DIM and sulforaphane. Cabbage is also fantastic for regulating digestion. Sunflower seeds are full of hormone-helping Vitamin E, blood sugar-balancing Manganese and mood-balancing vitamin B6 and Magnesium.

Walnut Broccoli Superblend Salad by Patricia and Carolyn

Walnuts are super high in anti-inflammatory omega3s, which can help with mood and decrease period pain. Broccoli of course is an estrogen detoxifier and full of bowel-regulating fibre.

black bean lentil salad the garden grazer

Black Bean Lentil Salad with Cumin Lime Dressing by The Garden Grazer

Both black beans and lentils have lots of fibre and plant-based protein. They also contain blood-building iron, glowing skin zinc and healthy pregnancy folate.

apple pecan arugula salad minimalist baker

Apple Pecan Arugula Salad by Minimalist Baker

Arugula is another cruciferous vegetable choice that helps with estrogen metabolism. Apples of course contain both fibre and estrogen-detoxing Calcium-d-glucarate. Pecans provide some mood-balancing healthy fats and protein.

spiralized sesame noodle salad inspiralized

Cold Spiralized Sesame Noodle Salad by Inspiralized

Cucumbers provide not only awesome nutrients but lots of water to keep your body hydrated. The sesame seeds contains loads of calcium to protect your bones, balance your moods and reduce period pain. Carrots provide fibre to detoxify estrogen and zucchini contains many minerals to provide energy.

7 shades of green spring qunoa salad maria ushakova

7 Shades of Green Spring Quinoa Salad by Maria Ushakova

The more greens the better! Greens give us much needed B vitamins and Magnesium- both helpful in reducing period pain and regulating cycles. Quinoa is a fantastic source of plant-based protein, and in fact isn’t really a grain at all! Pumpkin seeds are loaded with zinc for glowing skin, as well as healthy fats and fibre. Pumpkin seeds (and their oils) have also been used to help regulate sleep patterns.

Israeli Salad by Feasting At Home

Bell peppers are one of the highest sources of stress-regulating vitamin C out there. Lemon juice also provides vitamin C and helps your liver to detoxify excess hormones.

best kale summer salad the balanced berry

The Best Kale Summer Salad by The Balanced Berry

Kale is a wonder vegetable also part of the cruciferous vegetable family. Regulate your blood sugar, cycle and mood with this leafy green. Berries are a low-glycemic fruit choice and they are super anti-inflammatory and antioxidant. Protect your health and immunity with berries.

beet carrot quinoa salad cookie and kate

Colorful Beet Salad with Carrot, Quinoa and Spinach by Cookie and Kate

Beets contain betaine, an important component to making stomach acid for the digestion of these delicious recipes. Betaine also encourages your liver cells to release toxins. Beets also contain a fibre called pectin, which is important for taking toxins from your liver out of your body via some beet-coloured poops (don’t freak out- you’re not bleeding!!). Last but not least, beets are anti-inflammatory,

antioxidant & anti-cancer.

Conquer Your Hirsutism with These Natural Remedies

I am a beautiful, strong woman. I am a woman with PCOS. I have excess hair on my face, neck and other parts of my body. And that’s okay. It makes me feel really shitty sometimes. And that’s okay.

If you are like me and have excess hair on your body, especially in areas such as the face, neck, chest and abdomen, it is known as hirsutism. As women are supposed to have lower levels of androgen hormones like testosterone, the amount of body hair we have generally is much less than men. In women with PCOS, there are excess androgens, especially DHEAS, testosterone and dihydrotestosterone (DHT) which causes more (often darker) hair than we’d like, or typically see in women.

If you are wondering really how severe your hirsutism is, check out the Ferriman-Gallwey chart below, designed to help clarify the extent of your hirsutism.

Image Credit: http://bit.ly/1SAFGxP

Over the years of balancing my own PCOS and working with women who have PCOS, I have discovered that there are a few natural remedies to help you conquer (or at least reduce) your hirsutism. While there are more permanent solutions like electrolysis or laser hair removal, and there are prescription drugs for this issue like Spironolactone, we won’t be talking about those here.

Natural Remedies for Hirsutism

Diet

As with almost any health condition, maintaining a healthy diet is so, so important. When it comes to PCOS, we must think about regulating insulin and blood sugar, as insulin resistance is a big part of what aggravates PCOS.

Here are a few tips for a proper PCOS diet:

Eat green vegetables with at least 2 meals per day to help balance blood sugar and detoxify excess estrogens
Enjoy a low to moderate carbohydrate diet
Choose non-starchy vegetables and starchy vegetables instead of grains and baked goods like bread and crackers
Include at least 20g protein with every meal like chicken, fish, shellfish, some legumes, turkey
Make healthy fats a part of every meal and snack: think nuts/seeds, avocados, coconut oil, ghee, olive oil
Drink lots of fresh, filtered water between meals, about half your body weight in ounces per day

Reduce Stress

You may not know this, but our stress-managing adrenal glands make androgen hormones too. When we get really stressed, from kids, the commute, finances or anything else, we create more stress hormones. Stress hormones like cortisol negatively impact our blood sugar control in certain situations, and unmanaged stress could lead to an increase in androgens, especially DHEAS. Androgens like these can be converted into DHT, a more potent form of testosterone at the tissue level- inciting acne, hirsutism and hair loss.

For my personal health, I was absolutely not able to regulate my cycles, reduce my hirsutism and other high-androgen symptoms like acne until I made a conscious effort to reduce my stress in any way possible. Sure, you can’t always avoid stress, but how you react to stress matters.

Here is a sample of what I do to reduce my stress:

Daily yoga, meditation and walking outdoors (weather permitting)
Turning off all devices at least 1 hour before bed
Enjoying hot baths
Drinking calming teas like lavender, chamomile, lemon balm, tulsi and others
Journaling
Spending time in nature
Sex

For even more ideas on taking care of yourself to help your PCOS, check this out.

The Ultimate PCOS Checklist | The Hormone Diva

Balance Insulin

As I mentioned above, balancing insulin is super important for PCOS. A happy bonus is that it often leads to weight release!

Here’s how:

Enjoy a delicious plant-heavy diet like I outlined above
Reduce and manage your stress as much as you can
Move your body regularly
Try some insulin-sensitizing supplements, as I’ve outlined below
Try some of these other ideas

Supplements

There are many supplements out there that can help with PCOS and androgen symptoms like hirsutism. A whole book could be written on them! Below I’m focusing on 5 supplements that have some good science behind them and that I’ve seen helpful clinically in the women I work with.

NAC: N-acetyl Cysteine is an amino acid (protein building block) that has been shown many times over to be beneficial for PCOS. Specifically for hirsutism, one study showed that androgen levels in the body and corresponding symptoms like hirsutism were reduced after using NAC for only 5 days! The daily dose in this study was 1,200mg per day.

Green Tea: A delicious and highly antioxidant substance, green tea is one of my favourite beverages. The benefits of this tea are so numerous, and luckily supplement-makers have developed capsules so we can get loads of this great tea into our bodies. Green tea contains epigallocatechins, which may inhibit 5-alpha-reductaste, the enzyme that converts testosterone into DHT (the hirsute-making hormone).

Spearmint: While I’m more of a peppermint girl myself, the benefits of spearmint might outweigh the taste in my opinion. And for those like me, spearmint can also be found in capsule form. Spearmint has been shown to reduce levels of free testosterone in the blood (reducing the amount that could be converted into DHT) and perhaps for that reason increased the perceived quality of life in women with PCOS who were studied when drinking spearmint tea.

Licorice: Another common food item, licorice root has a huge history in herbal medicine as a remedy for many things, including menstrual cycle difficulties and signs of hyperandrogenism. It has been shown to reduce total testosterone in the blood, which could potentially be beneficial for hirsutism. Note that taking licorice is not recommended if you have high blood pressure. Clinically I find that a tincture (alcohol-based extract) of licorice works well.

Reishi: A mushroom with the latin name of ganoderma lucidum, reishi has many medicinal benefits. For hirsutism, it is believed that reishi reduces the activity of 5-alpha-reductase, like green tea, reducing the amount of testosterone that gets converted into DHT. I like to put some reishi mushroom powder into smoothies.

Have you tried any natural remedies like these for your PCOS hirsutism? What results have you seen? Please share in the comments!