Everyone must have experienced stress. Some of the causes are very diverse, ranging from daily problems, work problems, to romance. 

Stress itself is a condition where the body shows a reaction to events that occur daily. Stress is divided into two categories, namely mild stress and severe stress. If someone experiences mild stress, usually it tends to be positive, because with that, someone can learn something. Mild stress is still in the category of easy to control and handle. Meanwhile, severe stress, usually quite worrying. Severe stress will usually have an impact on the health of the body. 

When compared between men and women, it is usually women who experience stress quite often. This is because women use their emotional side more than men. 

Stressful conditions that occur quite frequently, even over a long period of time, can interfere with the body's health, especially in the menstrual cycle. Some women may not understand that stress can affect menstruation. 

Then how can stress affect the menstrual cycle? 

How Does Stress Affect Menstruation? 

A smooth menstrual cycle can describe menstruation that occurs regularly every month. A normal menstrual cycle generally occurs between 28 to 32 days. However, some women have different cycles, it all depends on the condition of their respective bodies. 

There are various factors that make the menstrual cycle not smooth, one of which is stress. Maybe we've heard that menstrual cycles that are not smooth are often associated with high levels of stress. 

How could that be? 

When stress occurs, the body experiences an imbalance. This is because, when stressed, the body can produce the hormone cortisol, and this hormone is what causes the imbalance. The hormone cortisol can affect the ovaries, causing shorter menstrual cycles. 

Summarizing from an Everyday Health article, stress has a role to suppress the hypothalamus. The hypothalamus is a gland in the brain that controls the pituitary hormone system. The pituitary is a gland in the body that controls the thyroid, adrenal, and ovary glands. 

In this condition, the first thing that happens is that the ovaries experience dysfunction, which causes estrogen production, ovulation, and other reproductive processes. In this case the hormone estrogen is the most important part. That's because the hormone estrogen helps the female body to build the lining of the uterus and prepares the body for pregnancy. And if the ovaries don't function properly, it will have many impacts on a woman's body, such as a menstrual cycle that doesn't go smoothly. 

Other Causes of Abnormal Menstruation 

Apart from being caused by high levels of stress, it turns out that there are several things that cause menstruation to not run smoothly. Some of these things are as follows: 

• Obesity 
• Use of contraceptives 
• Extreme weight loss 
• Do some pretty extreme sports 

It's not easy to know one hundred percent whether stress can affect menstruation. However, stress is not a positive condition. If someone is experiencing stress, then don't let the feelings or thoughts of stress drag on. 

Stress that occurs over a long period of time can have a negative impact on health, one of which is an abnormal menstrual cycle. If you have a history of reproductive disorders and others, then immediately communicate with a doctor you trust. 

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