Menstruation, irregular cycles
January 20 2016

Menstruation is a woman's monthly bleeding. It is also called menses, menstrual period, or period. When a woman has her period, she is menstruating. The menstrual blood is partly blood and partly tissue from the inside of the uterus (womb). It flows from the uterus through the small opening in the cervix, and passes out of the body through the vagina. Most menstrual periods last from three to five days.

Cause of irregular cycles
Quick and excessive weight gain or loss, eating disorders
Over-exercise or over-exertion, excess stress from any source
Poor nutrition (for instance a diet very high in simple carbohydrates)
Drug use or the side effects of medications
Polycystic ovarian syndrome / estrogen dominance
Uterine abnormalities such as fibroids / cysts / polyps / endometriosis
Hormonal imbalance related to perimenopause
Recent childbirth, miscarriage, or D&C
Breastfeeding
Excessive alcohol use (interfering with how the liver metabolizes estrogen and progesterone)

Hum Reprod. 2014. Moderate alcohol intake and menstrual cycle characteristics. Does moderate alcohol intake affect menstrual cycle characteristics among women in the Danish population? Levels of alcohol exposure as seen in this study do not substantially affect the menstrual cycle. Animal studies indicate alcohol-induced disruptions of the reproductive system, but previous epidemiological studies addressing the possible association between alcohol intake and the menstrual cycle are sparse. :The overall participation rate was 60% of the women invited. We found that a high weekly alcohol consumption was not associated with menstrual cycle disturbances. We observed higher odds of irregular and short cycles among abstainers when compared with women with a low weekly alcohol consumption, but found no trend of more cycle disturbances with higher alcohol consumption.

Other types of conditions that can be referred to by "irregular menstruation" include:

Metrorrhagia, which generally refers to vaginal bleeding that occurs between the expected menstrual periods.

Oligomenorrhea generally refers to infrequent menstruation,

Emails
I have done research in the past for supplements to bring on menstruation. My daughter goes without having a period. She has been placed on the almighty "birth control pill". Of course, that works but isn't something we want to put into our bodies. My daughter is 20 and has about 3 periods a year. Late bloomer, yada yada yada. She is a dancer, very active and attending school as a medical student, neonatalogist someday. We were hoping that you and/or your staff could make a suggestion for a supplement, such as kelp or other, to help bring on her monthly cycle. Any and all advice would be appreciated. I had the same menstruation situation as a teenager. My other daughter 18 is more normal.
   It's not easy to give such a suggestion without a full history, medical and gynecological evaluation, and knowing the results of some basic blood tests.