IMPACT OF WEIGHT ON MENSTURAL CYCLE

Today we will discuss an important topic that affects many women today which is how weight gain and weight loss can impact your menstrual cycle. Yes, you heard that right. Your weight can have a significant influence on your periods. Gaining weight or losing weight can have an impact on your menstrual cycle, either positive or negative. But first of all, what is a healthy weight?

Rather than looking at just the number on your scale, it's important to know your body mass index (BMI). BMI is a way to gauge how much body fat you have.
To determine your BMI, weigh yourself in kilograms and measure your height in meters. Then square it, multiply it by itself. After that, divide your weight by height squared. If you weigh 70 kilograms and are 1.73 meters, around 5 feet 8 inches tall, your BMI would be 23.41. That number then determines whether your weight is considered normal healthy, as opposed to underweight, overweight or obese. BMI is maybe an imperfect measure since it does not take into account factors such as body composition, lean body mass fat and bone density. ethnicity, sex, race and age.
BMI is still widely used in the medical community because it's an inexpensive and quick way to analyze a person's potential health status and outcomes being underweight or overweight can alter your menstrual cycle. The menstrual cycle is a result of complex interaction between your ovaries and your brain. Hormonal changes can cause a change in your ovulation and hence cause changes in your period. Anything that interferes with this interaction can stop your body from ovulating. If you don't ovulate, you'll skip a period.
Gaining weight can alter your menstrual cycle in the following ways:

1. Infrequent periods: Women who are normal weight and then gained enough pounds to become overweight can begin to have infrequent periods. Increasing your body's fat stores also known as adipose tissue leads to a hormonal imbalance that can stop ovulation. Your body produces extra estrogen that can hinder ovulation and cause missed periods. The excess estrogen associated with obesity can also increase your breast and uterine cancer risk. Losing weight will restore your regular periods and correct your estrogen excess. A common cause of missed periods in overweight women is polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). PCOS can hinder ovulation and cause you to miss periods. In addition, it causes the ovaries to produce excess androgens, a male sex hormone that interferes with the menstrual cycle. The greater your BMI, particularly in the obese range of over 35, the more likely you are to miss your period. It is even possible to stop bleeding altogether a condition known as secondary amenorrhea.
2. 2. heavier periods: Women who are obese more likely to experience heavy periods and abnormal uterine bleeding. This is likely because systemic inflammation from obesity can delay endometrial repair and increase menstrual blood loss. Heavy menstrual bleeding, menorrhagia is defined as bleeding that lasts longer than seven days or is very heavy. By definition, needing to change your tampon or pad after less than two hours or passing clots the size of a quarter or larger. Untreated heavy menstrual bleeding can lead to iron deficiency, anaemia, a common blood problem that causes fatigue and weakness. If you experience heavy periods, talk to your gynecologist.
3. Normal cycle: If you are underweight and not getting your period regularly, gaining weight can help to regulate your menstrual cycle. A low BMI is typically caused by calorie restriction, excessive exercise or illness. These stress your body and cause hormonal changes that interfere with ovulation. This also causes a very low estrogen level which is especially bad for your bone health. When you gain weight from a low BMI, you are reducing the stress on your body. This allows your body to ovulate again and as a result menstruate. It also restores your body's estrogen production and protects your bones. Women need at least 22 percent body fat to menstruate. Regularly having a BMI of 18.5 or under can impact your period.
Effects of weight loss on your period: Losing weight can alter your menstrual cycle in the following other ways:
1. Light and infrequent periods: The more weight you lose and the faster you lose, it the more likely your period will be affected. If you lose weight from significant calorie restriction and strenuous exercise, it may cause a stress response that alters your hormone levels, causing your periods to be lighter and less frequent.
2. Amenorrhea: If you lose too much weight, you may stop having periods altogether. When you do not have a period for three months and are not pregnant, it is known as amenorrhea. Being underweight causes a change in hormone levels including a drop in estrogen. This interrupts ovulation and causes you to miss your period. If you do not ovulate, you cannot get pregnant. In addition to causing infertility, lower estrogen levels are harmful to your bone health.

Other symptoms of amenorrhea include:
Acne: more likely in women with polycystic ovarian syndrome or PCOS
Excess facial hair: more likely with PCOS
Hair loss: More likely with PCOS
Headache
Pelvic pain
Vision changes

Having regular periods is a good indicator of relative hormonal balance in your body. Both the extremes of being very underweight or very overweight result in hormonal imbalances that stop your periods and over time can lead to serious health issues. If you experience abnormal menstrual bleeding, irregular cycles or have stopped getting your period altogether, talk to your gynecologist.