Almost none of the adults realize how detrimental to the body the state of stress and chronic fatigue. In fact, regular lack of sleep, nervousness, irritability, conflicts at work and in the family smoothly and imperceptibly, but inevitably lead to the development of diseases. One of the first "bells" is a delay in menstruation due to stress. Usually this pathology is easily reversible, but you will have to make an effort and change your lifestyle to resume the menstrual cycle.
Causes of amenorrhea - delay and complete absence of menstruation
Among the most common causes of missed periods in a relatively he althy woman are the following:
- hormonal failure due to severe nervous shock;
- amenorrhea due to strict diet or fasting;
- failure to produce sex hormones;
- chronic prolonged stress, lack of sleep;
- depression oradvanced anxiety disorder.
It doesn't make sense to say that any one reason prevails. The body of each woman is individual, and the quality and presence of menstruation is a direct consequence of the hormonal balance in the woman's body. So it can be difficult for even an experienced doctor to determine if a missed period is due to stress, or the cause is some more serious chronic disease.
You can't diagnose yourself. If a woman suspects that severe stress and delayed menstruation are interrelated, then you should express your assumptions at a consultation with a gynecologist. And sitting and waiting for the cycle to recover can be simply dangerous, since at this time some really unfavorable process can develop in the body that threatens all life.
What can be a source of chronic stress
In order to roughly imagine the state of chronic stress, you should be aware of the criteria that psychiatrists use when making such a diagnosis:
- lack of regular he althy sleep for more than one month;
- conflicts at work and in the family that bring a woman to a state that is accompanied by a nervous tic, convulsions, and other physical manifestations of psycho-emotional discomfort;
- rapid weight loss - if a woman refuses to eat due to psycho-emotional overload, then BMI may fall below 17 points, inresulting in amenorrhea may come simply from exhaustion;
- hard physical work with insufficient sleep and poor nutrition is almost guaranteed to lead to serious mental and nervous overload;
- A woman who is regularly bullied or believes her life may be in danger is also chronically stressed.
Effect of fatigue and stress on women's he alth
It is worth noting that chronic fatigue and stress have an extremely negative impact not only on women's he alth, but also on men's. Not only the reproductive system suffers, but also the nervous, cardiovascular. These damages, in turn, lead to diseases and dysfunction of other organs.
In order to recognize for sure whether a delay in menstruation has occurred due to stress or for other reasons, you should contact an experienced gynecologist. About the timing and when exactly it is time to run to the doctor, see below.
How to understand that the reason for the delay is precisely the stressful condition
It is believed that due to nervous overwork and stress, a delay of about five days may occur. A delay in menstruation after severe stress, as a rule, cannot bring down the cycle completely. Menstruation should come, but this will happen after about a week from the usual date.
At the same time, the nature of menstruation does not change. That is, if the discharge was plentiful even before severe stress, they will remain so even after the fact that menstruation is delayed due to stress. But ifthe nature of the discharge has changed - they have become painful, excessively thick or plentiful - this is an occasion to consult a doctor as soon as possible and undergo an examination.
Can stress delay periods longer than a week? No, this is extremely rare. For example, if a woman did not eat against the background of fatigue and nervousness, amenorrhea may come from exhaustion, in which case the cycle may not recover for many months. But if there was a delay in menstruation due to stress, and this is the only reason, then menstruation, as a rule, occurs 4-5 days after the expected date.
It is worth repeating that the female body is an extremely unpredictable device. Therefore, even an experienced gynecologist will definitely not be able to answer the question "how long can there be a delay in menstruation under stress". The average delay due to stress is 4 to 7 days. If menstruation has not appeared, this is a reason to worry about your he alth, urgently take a pregnancy test and come for an examination to a gynecologist.
How to normalize the menstrual cycle in conditions of chronic stress
If it became known for sure that there was no pregnancy, hormones were normal, no chronic diseases of the genitourinary system were found, then it becomes obvious that the reason for the delay in menstruation is due to stress. What to do in such a situation? Of course, you should not immediately run to see a psychiatrist. You can completely normalize your psycho-emotional state without a visit to the doctor, the main thing is to want this andchange your lifestyle.
The first task is to get rid of the traumatic factor. To do this, you need to analyze your lifestyle. Maybe you need to change jobs or end relationships that make you nervous? Often girls suffer from unrequited love or live with an abusive husband for years, which causes a severe psycho-emotional state, and in some cases even mental disorders. If you can’t break the vicious circle on your own, then you can seek the advice of a psychotherapist. Sessions with a competent specialist will help restore peace in the soul, as a result, physical he alth will improve, and the cycle will normalize.
You can resort to the help of special herbal preparations that will help maintain nervous he alth.
"Fitosedan" - a drug based on natural herbs to restore the psycho-emotional state
This is a great sleep and stress reliever that can be used regularly to help restore your cycle. If the reason for the delay in menstruation is stress, and in addition, all other he alth factors are normal, then the next period should come on time.
"Fitosedan" is a package containing 20 filter bags. They should be brewed like regular tea and taken half a glass before each meal.
The composition of the drug includes the following active ingredients:
- roots of valerian officinalis,
- grass of oregano,
- melilot grass,
- creeping thyme grass,
- herb motherwort.
This drug does not cause any drug or psychological dependence. You can safely take it to people with sleep disorders, since insomnia is one of the direct indications for taking Fitosedan.
Should I take hormonal drugs if there was a delay in menstruation due to stress
Most girls are very impressionable and even with a slight delay they start looking for a hormonal drug. In fact, there is no point in treating a delay due to stress with such serious drugs.
Hormones are a very delicate balance, and if it is violated, you can expect really serious consequences, up to the appearance of neoplasms. In order not to upset the balance, in no case should you arbitrarily take drugs of this kind. Even hormonal contraceptives should be prescribed by an experienced doctor, there can be no question of any independent intake.
Is it justified to take antidepressants for chronic stress
Antidepressants are drugs that can quickly bring a woman's psycho-emotional state to a full or relative norm. However, you can only buy these pills with a prescription from a neurologist or psychiatrist.
If the degree of stress has reached the critical point at which amenorrhea has set in, this is a signal that you can no longer let your psychological state take its course. Of course, the thought of coming to the receptionto the psychiatrist many seem blasphemous. However, if there is a need to take antidepressants, then consultation with a specialist cannot be avoided. The most effective and popular drugs of this kind are Prozac (and its cheap analogue Fluoxetine), Paroxetine and many others. Self-administration is prohibited, however, if such pills are prescribed by a doctor, then the result of treatment may exceed all expectations.
How to restore your psycho-emotional state without the use of medications
You can do without pills if you follow the simple rules of psychological "hygiene":
- get at least 8 hours of sleep regularly;
- do yoga, swimming and other relaxing activities;
- give up bad habits - smoking and alcohol abuse, as this lifestyle is detrimental to the cells of the nervous system and can lead to psycho-emotional exhaustion.
Will physical education and sports help relieve psycho-emotional stress
There is a common misconception that physical education and sports will help you get out of a state of chronic stress and, as a result, normalize hormonal levels. However, in most cases, intensive sports only deplete the nervous system, especially if there is no normal nutrition and he althy sleep.
To restore the psycho-emotional state, yoga is recommended,swimming, Pilates and other gentle activities.
