June 20th, 2012 by Hasham

Menstrual Problems

Everyone knows the teen years can be difficult — for both teens and parents. All those physical changes during puberty can make adolescents feel awkward and unsure of themselves.

This is particularly true for girls when it comes to menstruation. For a girl, getting her first period is a physical milestone and a sign of becoming a woman. But it can also be confusing and scary, particularly if she encounters certain problems like irregular periods or premenstrual syndrome (PMS).
Common Menstrual Problems

Most issues teens confront when they start menstruating are completely normal. In fact, many girls and women have had to deal with one or more of them at one time or another:
Premenstrual Syndrome (PMS)

PMS includes both physical and emotional symptoms that many females get right before their periods, such as:

acne
bloating
fatigue
backaches
sore breasts
headaches
constipation
diarrhea
food cravings
depression or feeling blue
irritability
difficulty concentrating
difficulty handling stress
feeling tense or anxious

Different girls may have some or all of these symptoms in varying combinations. PMS is usually at its worst during the 7 days before the period starts and disappears soon after it begins. But girls usually don’t develop symptoms associated with PMS until several years after menstruation starts — if ever.

Although the exact cause of PMS is unknown, it seems to occur because of changing hormone levels in the body, and changing chemical levels in the brain. During the second half of the menstrual cycle, the amount of progesterone in the body increases. Then, about 7 days before the period starts, levels of both progesterone and estrogen start to drop.

Some girls’ bodies seem to be more sensitive to these hormone changes than others. Talk to your daughter’s doctor if her symptoms are severe or interfere with her normal activities.

Early Menstrual Period

Most women will probably suffer Early Menstrual Periods at some point in their lifetime. A woman’s life can be significantly disturbed by Early Menstrual Periods, and it can even get worse if not given the necessary attention. Therefore, take your time to read the article below in which you’ll find useful and important information about Early Menstrual Periods.

What are Early Menstrual Periods?

Women normally maintain a period pattern, yet no one is completely regular. Periods can vary from 23 to 35 days, but they are classed as regular if your periods occur at roughly the same date each month. At certain age, the frequency between periods start fluctuating considerably, making them extremely difficult or even impossible to track.

Early Menstrual Periods are also known as anovulatory periods. It means that women do not properly develop and release a mature egg every month as they should normally. Because women respond differently, Early Menstrual Periods adopt different types too.

    What is Early Menstrual Cycle?

A normal menstrual cycle varies from 23 to 35 days between period cycle start days. An early menstrual cycle is a cycle that starts less than 23 days from the last cycle start day. Early menstrual cycles are also known as anovulatory cycles, because the reason they occur is that an egg is not properly developed, so it does not mature and is not released during the cycle.
    Types of Irregular Menstrual Cycles

There are several different types of irregular menstrual cycles classified with early menstrual cycles.
Polymenorrhea is when the frequency of periods is 21 days or less.
Oligomenorrhea is infrequent periods that occur more that 35 days apart. Those with oligomenorrhea also have short cycles, lasting three days or less.
Amenorrhea is the complete absence of a menstrual cycle for more than 60 days. This condition usually occurs during pregnancy or breast-feeding but can also occur in other women.
    Psychological Causes

Psychological factors causing early menstrual cycles are rare but can occur. Anxiety, daily stress and fatigue can affect the physical well-being of the body and change the balance of chemicals, including hormones. These factors can produce physical factors that can lead to early menstrual cycles. Experiencing early menstrual cycles can cause more emotional distress, which causes early menstrual cycles, ending in a continuous disruptive cycle. Women must pay attention to these signs and make an effort to change the stress factors in their lives.
    Physical Causes

Menstrual cycles are dependent on hormone levels, including estrogen and progesterone. Both of these hormones regulate ovulation, which affects the length of the menstrual cycle. When these hormones become unbalanced, ovulation is disrupted and early menstrual cycles occur.
    Treatments

There are several treatment options available to help regulate and prevent early menstrual cycles. The best approach may be a combination of the following options:
Lifestyle changes—If a woman is experiencing early menstrual cycles due to psychological reasons such as stress and fatigue, then lifestyle changes are very important. Adding regular exercise as part of your routine can also help, especially stress-reducing exercises such as tai chi or yoga. Changes to diet can also help regulate hormones. Foods such as soy, apples, cherries, rice, wheat and yams all are known to promote estrogen production.
Alternative medicines—There are two types of herbal supplements that can help restore a balance of hormones. Phytoestrogenic herbs, such as black cohosh, contain plant-derived estrogenic compounds. Although these herbs can initially help to balance hormones, be cautious because using these for too long can cause the body to stop producing estrogen, therefore causing long-term problems. Non-estrogenic herbs do not contain any estrogen compounds, but some like Macafem can nourish the pituitary and endocrine glands, stimulating them to naturally produce hormones.
Prescription drugs—In extreme cases, hormone replacement therapy may be necessary to balance hormone levels. The downfall of this course of action is that there are many side effects that can be more troublesome than the early menstrual cycles.
What are the Causes of Early Periods

Early menstrual period reasons happen when hormonal signals are thrown out of sync. Your body produces hormones such as estrogen and progesterone. These hormones are found in the pituitary gland, the hypothalamus and the ovaries. They send signals to one another to trigger menstruation and ovulation. When the hormonal signals are deregulated, it can cause an early (or irregular) menstrual cycle.

Here are some reasons that cause the change in hormonal levels:

Stress: Fatigue, too much worrying, and anxiousness can cause the hormonal imbalance.
Diet: Extreme weight loss or weight gain, or basically a poor diet greatly affects the hormones.
Exercise: Intense exercise can cause havoc on the body and thereby could be a reason for an early period.

Menstrual Complications

Early menstrual period by itself does not generally indicate any major complication. Most women would have regular menstrual cycle and periods later on. There are instances when some underlying complications are the reason for what causes early periods. If in the course of a menstrual period, you observe something different, which is consistent like excess flow or scanty flow of blood, severe cramping and headache, nausea or fainting, then you should seek medical attention right away.