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Female cycle
& fertility

Female cycle 
& fertility

What affects your menstrual cycle - Environment and lifestyle

Our minds and bodies are closely connected, and each can affect the other. Modern life can be overwhelming sometimes, and that can have an effect on our physical as well as our mental wellbeing – and that includes the menstrual cycle.

Every part of our lives has an impact on others, and it’s rarely one specific thing that leads to a disrupted menstrual cycle.

Can stress affect your period?

Stress can contribute to the disruption of your periods. When we’re under stress, be it physical, emotional or mental, we release more of the stress hormones like cortisol. The stress response is something all animals and humans share, and we evolved with this response to alert us to danger and deal with it by either fighting or running away.

But while cortisol is great for getting us out of a tricky situation like facing a sabre-toothed tiger, it’s not a lot of use to us today – especially if you’re chronically stressed, day in, day out. Stress hormones divert the body’s focus from normal functioning to enable us to act fast and decisively (like whack the tiger with a stick or run away from it), so when we’re under stress all our body’s everyday functions like digesting or menstruating are put on hold. This interferes with your natural menstrual cycle.

So what can we do about stress?

Sadly it’s not always possible to remove ourselves from a stressful situation, such as work or family pressures. That said, there are ways of bringing more harmony into our everyday lives to support our all-round wellbeing.

Self-care
Eat nutritious food, take time for yourself and do something that makes you feel good

Exercise
Getting moving can help to relieve anxiety and stress

Singing
Singing is a great way to relieve stress, release tension, control your breathing and focus your mind

Meditation
There are lots of mindfulness apps around with guided meditations of varying lengths to help you find an oasis of mental calm whenever you need it

Sleep
Disordered sleep makes everything seem worse. Make sure you regularly get to bed at a reasonable time, stay away from your phone for a good hour or two before bed, and reduce caffeine, especially in the afternoon

Talk
Whether it’s with a trained counsellor or a good friend, open and honest communication can help you feel more connected and supported

Self-care
Eat nutritious food, take time for yourself and do something that makes you feel good
Exercise
Getting moving can help to relieve anxiety and stress
Singing
Singing is a great way to relieve stress, release tension, control your breathing and focus your mind
Meditation
There are lots of mindfulness apps around with guided meditations of varying lengths to help you find an oasis of mental calm whenever you need it
Sleep
Disordered sleep makes everything seem worse. Make sure you regularly get to bed at a reasonable time, stay away from your phone for a good hour or two before bed, and reduce caffeine, especially in the afternoon
Talk
Whether it’s with a trained counsellor or a good friend, open and honest communication can help you feel more connected and supported

Work and money

Money doesn’t affect your menstrual cycle – but worrying about it can. If money is stressing you out, it might be a good idea to talk to an advisor who can help you work out a budget and make it all seem more manageable.

Your work environment, on the other hand, can have a major effect on your cycle. You might be exposed to workplace toxins or ‘substances hazardous to health’ like industrial cleaning fluids. If your job is very physical, this can build muscle and reduce your body fat percentage, which can have a direct effect on how your ovaries function.

Studies show that shift work is linked to a higher risk of menstrual problems and lower fertility. The most common menstrual issues seen in these studies were irregular cycles and painful periods, and researchers also found that women who work shifts were more likely to have an early menopause.

Life and lifestyle

Being overweight or underweight, smoking or vaping, over-exercise, drinking too much and having a crazy pace of life puts a lot of strain on your body. If you’re finding that your cycle is becoming less predictable or your periods more problematic, it might be time to slow down a little and look at your lifestyle. Is there anything you can do to improve your health overall?

The world around you

One surprising factor influencing your menstrual cycle is the air you breathe. Living somewhere with high pollution (cities, industrial areas) can shorten the luteal phase of your cycle: this is the time between ovulating and your next period.

Of course, you can’t choose what air you breathe, but if the air quality where you live is not great, you can limit your exposure to pollution by:

  • Staying indoors with the windows closed
  • Going outside earlier in the day (air quality tends to get worse over the course of the day with all the traffic)
  • Finding walking routes that have less traffic around, like back streets, low-emission zones and parks
What affects your menstrual cycle -
Environment and lifestyle

Our minds and bodies are closely connected, and each can affect the other. Modern life can be overwhelming sometimes, and that can have an effect on our physical as well as our mental wellbeing – and that includes the menstrual cycle.

Every part of our lives has an impact on others, and it’s rarely one specific thing that leads to a disrupted menstrual cycle.

Can stress affect your period?

Stress can contribute to the disruption of your periods. When we’re under stress, be it physical, emotional or mental, we release more of the stress hormones like cortisol. The stress response is something all animals and humans share, and we evolved with this response to alert us to danger and deal with it by either fighting or running away.
But while cortisol is great for getting us out of a tricky situation like facing a sabre-toothed tiger, it’s not a lot of use to us today – especially if you’re chronically stressed, day in, day out. Stress hormones divert the body’s focus from normal functioning to enable us to act fast and decisively (like whack the tiger with a stick or run away from it), so when we’re under stress all our body’s everyday functions like digesting or menstruating are put on hold. This interferes with your natural menstrual cycle.

So what can we do about stress?

Sadly it’s not always possible to remove ourselves from a stressful situation, such as work or family pressures. That said, there are ways of bringing more harmony into our everyday lives to support our all-round wellbeing.
Self-care
Eat nutritious food, take time for yourself and do something that makes you feel good
Exercise
Getting moving can help to relieve anxiety and stress
Singing
Singing is a great way to relieve stress, release tension, control your breathing and focus your mind
Meditation
There are lots of mindfulness apps around with guided meditations of varying lengths to help you find an oasis of mental calm whenever you need it
Sleep
Disordered sleep makes everything seem worse. Make sure you regularly get to bed at a reasonable time, stay away from your phone for a good hour or two before bed, and reduce caffeine, especially in the afternoon
Talk
Whether it’s with a trained counsellor or a good friend, open and honest communication can help you feel more connected and supported

Work and money

Money doesn’t affect your menstrual cycle – but worrying about it can. If money is stressing you out, it might be a good idea to talk to an advisor who can help you work out a budget and make it all seem more manageable.
Your work environment, on the other hand, can have a major effect on your cycle. You might be exposed to workplace toxins or ‘substances hazardous to health’ like industrial cleaning fluids. If your job is very physical, this can build muscle and reduce your body fat percentage, which can have a direct effect on how your ovaries function.
Studies show that shift work is linked to a higher risk of menstrual problems and lower fertility. The most common menstrual issues seen in these studies were irregular cycles and painful periods, and researchers also found that women who work shifts were more likely to have an early menopause.

Life and lifestyle

Being overweight or underweight, smoking or vaping, over-exercise, drinking too much and having a crazy pace of life puts a lot of strain on your body. If you’re finding that your cycle is becoming less predictable or your periods more problematic, it might be time to slow down a little and look at your lifestyle. Is there anything you can do to improve your health overall?

The world around you

One surprising factor influencing your menstrual cycle is the air you breathe. Living somewhere with high pollution (cities, industrial areas) can shorten the luteal phase of your cycle: this is the time between ovulating and your next period.
Of course, you can’t choose what air you breathe, but if the air quality where you live is not great, you can limit your exposure to pollution by:
  • Staying indoors with the windows closed
  • Going outside earlier in the day (air quality tends to get worse over the course of the day with all the traffic)
  • Finding walking routes that have less traffic around, like back streets, low-emission zones and parks

Fertility Age

Calculator

How does age affect your fertility?

References

  • Associates in Women’s Healthcare. Can anxiety affect your period? Available at: https://www.associatesinwomenshealthcare.net/blog/menstruation-anxiety/. Last accessed: July 2024.
  • Asthma + Lung UK. Lowering your risk from air pollution. Available at: https://www.asthmaandlung.org.uk/living-with/air-pollution/lower-risk. Last accessed: July 2024.
  • Hart RJ. Physiological aspects of female fertility: role of the environment, modern lifestyle and genetics. Physiol Rev. 2016;96:873-909.
  • Hu F, et al. Shift work and menstruation: a meta-analysis study. SSM Population Health. 2023;24:101542.
  • Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust. Patient information leaflet: vaping and the effect on fertility. Available at: https://mft.nhs.uk/app/uploads/2023/12/SMPIL-23-016-Vaping.pdf. Last accessed: July 2024.
  • Merklinger-Gruchala. Effect of air pollution on menstrual cycle length – a prognostic factor of women’s reproductive health. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2017;14(7):816-842.
  • Song S, et al. Factors associated with regularity and length of menstrual cycle: Korea Nurses’ Health Study. BMC Women’s Health. 2022;22:361-372.
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