Menstruation, for women, is a regular visit from a “relative,” but this “relative” is not always welcomed. The discomfort during menstruation is almost an unavoidable experience for most women, and the irregularity of the menstrual cycle—whether early or late—is a common phenomenon. Does this imply that there are hidden health risks?
The menstrual cycle generally lasts around 28 days, with significant individual differences. However, if the cycle fluctuates about a week before or after the expected time, it is still considered normal. Therefore, there is no need to overly worry if one’s cycle differs from others as long as it is relatively stable.
An early arrival of menstruation is often related to two factors: one is unhealthy lifestyle habits, especially staying up late, which not only harms overall health but also disrupts hormonal balance, affecting menstrual regularity; the other is medication side effects, as certain drugs may have adverse effects on the female physiological cycle, leading to early menstruation, particularly caution is needed when using medications without medical advice.
As for a delayed menstruation, it may be due to three situations: firstly, improper weight loss methods, such as excessive dieting, can cause nutritional imbalance, disrupting normal hormonal function; secondly, immense mental stress, as women are naturally sensitive and prone to significant emotional fluctuations, long-term psychological burden can lead to menstrual delays; furthermore, gynecological diseases are also a major reason, especially when menstrual delays are abnormal, prompt medical examination is necessary to prevent delaying the condition.
Whether menstruation is stable or not directly affects women’s daily life and work status. Maintaining a positive attitude, avoiding excessive anxiety about daily trivial matters; focusing on iron-rich diet, such as moderate consumption of pig liver and beef; reducing intake of cold drinks to protect the body from cold invasions; ensuring sufficient sleep, soaking feet before bed helps relax the body and mind, improves sleep quality, these are effective lifestyle strategies to deal with irregular menstruation.
