Are there ways to regulate my period?

A period isn’t the surprise guest we’re all looking for. It’s a lot easier to deal with when you know it’s coming. Even if you’re not actively trying to get pregnant right now, not having a regular period can not only be inconvenient, but it may indicate something that’s not going right with how your body and brain are communicating. I’d consider a regular period to be somewhere between 26 and 35 days. Outside of that range, and I start to think that something is amiss.

The parts of the brain that control your reproductive system, mainly your hypothalamus and pituitary gland, send signals to your ovaries to grow follicles, which lead to ovulation, which in turn leads to either a period or pregnancy. We call this the HPO axis. Here are some of my favorite ways to help get the HPO axis to function the way it’s supposed to.

Acupuncture
Acupuncture for menstrual regulation is like taking the brain and the ovaries to couples counseling. Lots of studies have shown that acupuncture can make that communication between the brain and the ovaries work better.  One study showed that women were 60% more likely to ovulate after a 2 month course of acupuncture which means a more timely cycle. There are many styles of acupuncture that have been shown to work so options abound. If you can’t find a good one near you, I’ve even developed a method of doing ‘virtual’ acupuncture with mini stick-on needles that could be just as effective.

Myo-Inositol
Taking inositols (myo and d-chiro) may also help regulate the menstrual cycle. There is some good evidence in women with PCOS, especially those with insulin resistance, that adding the supplement for a few months can lead to greater ovulation in women who normally don’t ovulate at all. There are lots of varieties out there and I can guide you on the best one for you.

Chinese Herbal Medicine
Thousands of years practice makes for some amazingly effective concoctions. Chinese herbalists like myself can combine a number of different herbs to really individualize a formula to what’s going on with the whole you. Having irregular cycles are usually just one part of the picture. If your brain and reproductive system aren’t chatting there are lots of other things that could be off that we’d want to get to the heart of. Literally hundreds of studies in China and the west have shown some of these formulas to be effective at regulating cycles when used right.

Rest
Seriously? Yes, managing stress and, more importantly, sleep can have a part to play. It may be hard to determine if the thing that causes insomnia is also what’s causing the irregular cycle or if it’s the other way around. Either way I can walk you through how to create good sleep habits by adding things like quick meditations or exercises, or if needed to take the right supplements that could help make your resting time effective for your body.