Irregular Periods

Irregular Periods
I'm 20 years old and was very active in competitive swimming for four years. The summer before I started competition, at age 14, I had my first period. Since then, I haven't had a monthly period for longer than a four month span. Although I haven't swum competitively for almost a year, I haven't had a period for about nine months except for one stimulated by Provera. My doctor prescribed it to see if it would normalize my cycle but it didn't. All results for various tests proved normal. Can you give me some insight?

In natural medicine, a healthy, normal, and regular period is considered an important sign that the female hormones are balanced and functioning well. Thus, it is worrisome that your periods have stopped altogether. One cause can be intense athletic training and competition.

If you are missing your period or having irregular periods, it is essential to know if you are ovulating. Dr. Jerilynn Prior, a professor of endocrinology at the University of British Columbia, and other researchers, have found that irregular cycles, or cycles with no periods, may lead to bone loss from a deficiency of the female hormone progesterone.

One of her patients, a competitive runner developed stress fractures of the small bones of her feet after one year of no periods. Women can inexpensively find out if they are ovulating by measuring their basal temperature daily.

The good news is that you can regulate and balance your hormonal cycle and prevent bone loss, through the use of natural progesterone skin cream or oral capsules. Unlike the synthetic progesterone your doctor put you on (which is the correct conventional treatment) the natural progesterone has very few side effects. You will have to take the natural progesterone for six months to a year.

In addition there are many wonderful herbs that help you. Among them is dong quai which is a well known treatment in China for periods that have stopped altogether. (amenorrhea) Dong Quai root is famed in Chinese medicine for its affinity for the female constitution. It contains many natural plant estrogens and balances the amount of estrogen in the body. Take two capsules two or three times a day with meals. As a herbal tincture, use ten drops in one-quarter cup of water three times a day.

Another very useful herb is Vitex Agnus Castus, also known as chaste tree, which is a slow acting tonic for the female system. The usual dosage is twenty drops of the tincture twice a day for three to six months at a time.

Other important aspects of treatment include treatment of chronic yeast infection, herbs that support liver function, and nutritional supplements. You may also need the guidance of a skilled health care practitioner.

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