How Your Period Changes As You Age
Our menstrual cycle changes a lot throughout the years, and that’s completely normal. The life shifts we experience in our external world, combined with the normal age-related hormonal change are the reasons why our period varies as we age.
While shifts in our menstrual cycle are normal, it can still be concerning if you don’t know what to expect and what to look out for.
Along with that, having an idea of what to anticipate as our bodies evolve can also highlight what may actually be abnormal and gives us an opportunity to heal our body before it becomes an illness, a chronic condition, or undesirable pains and symptoms.
Think of it this way, you’re essentially setting your body up with the proper foundation to prevent conditions that are common amongst older women such as osteoporosis, heart conditions, or cognitive conditions like Alzheimer’s disease.
Research shows these conditions are a lot more prevalent amongst senior women, and our changing hormones have a lot to do with it.
Just take estrogen and progesterone for example – two very important hormones for women’s health.
Both estrogen and progesterone decrease significantly during perimenopause and menopause. Progesterone can decrease up to 75% and estrogen can decrease by 35%!
And just a reminder, progesterone is our “keep calm and carry on” hormone. It’s responsible for many things including our sleep, breast, heart, bone, thyroid, and cognitive health. While estrogen is key to women’s reproductive, bone, heart, and cognitive health.
So, making sure we properly tend to our body and hormones throughout our life stages can really help set up the foundation for preventative health measures.
Here’s what your period should look like through your menstrual cycle lifespan
TEENS
Menarche is the term describing a teen’s first menstrual bleeding or cycle. It signals fertility and development. Menarche can be experienced at different ages, but are most common around ages 12-13 years old.
The shift from anovulatory (no periods) to regular ovulation and periods is a lot for the body. That’s why, during this phase, cycles are erratic and irregular.
Cycles can be anywhere from 21-45 days long, there could be skipped periods, more frequent or heavy bleeding, etc. That’s because the reproductive system and hormones are trying to figure out their new role.
Cycles can take 6-8 years to regulate, which means it doesn’t often normalize until your mid-’20s. But oftentimes, women are placed on hormonal birth control before their period regulates and are prevented from fully growing into their own bodies, leading to greater risks of hormonal imbalances later on in life.
Ways to support your cycle during your teens
Allow space and time for teen bodies to grow and develop naturally.
Accept inconsistent cycles are normal, along with hair growth, acne, or other erratic symptoms.
Focus on eating well-rounded, nutrient-dense foods.
20’s
By your 20’s, cycles should start to regulate and normalize. Typical cycles should be between 21-35 days long, with bleeds about 3-7 days. Ovulation should also be consistently occurring every month too.
While cycles should regulate by this life stage, external factors can be really unstable. Life in your 20’s can be turbulent and unpredictable, with lots of changes in school, work, family, kids, and self-growth. And all these external stresses can really impact your reproductive health and hormones.
Additionally, women in their 20’s have often been on hormonal birth control for several years by this point – which can cause further hormonal imbalances.
Women often find they are still struggling with the same issues they experienced as a teenager and or additional period issues develop.
Ways to support your cycle during your 20’s
Focus on foundational support such as nutrient-dense foods and a balanced lifestyle.
Find ways to manage your stress.
Start tracking your period to pay attention to signs and symptoms, and to ensure ovulation occurs every month.
30’s
Your menstrual cycle in your 30’s should be relatively similar to your cycles in your 20’s. Consistent ovulation, with cycles between 21-35 days long and bleeding for about 3-7 days.
It isn’t until your late 30’s do your hormones naturally start to shift, especially with progesterone starting to decrease.
The change in progesterone levels can lead to cycles being shorter, heavier, and or increase acne breakouts. It can also go the other way, with lighter bleeds and even skipped periods.
One of the biggest impacts on your cycle during this phase is external factors such as stress, pregnancy, postpartum, and other chronic illnesses.
Ways to support your cycle during your 30’s
Find ways to manage your emotional and mental health, which could have cumulated throughout the years, and physical symptoms are beginning to emerge.
Focus on macronutrients, especially protein and healthy fats.
Prepare for internal hormonal shifts as you enter perimenopause.
40’s
Your 40’s tend to be when the body starts to enter perimenopause. Cycles start to decrease in length, being shorter than 25 days. Anovulatory cycles such as skipped periods or periods where ovulation doesn’t happen become more common.
And if ovulation does occur, it would be of lower quality than years before, as progesterone levels continue to decline.
During the beginning of this phase, signs of estrogen dominance can be apparent (with the declining progesterone levels), resulting in estrogen dominance symptoms of heavy or flooding periods, irregular period patterns, painful cramps, mood swings, etc.
However, the second phase of perimenopause can show signs of low estrogen levels, because estrogen would start to decline at this time as well. This is where symptoms such as hot flashes, night sweats, poor sleep, energy dips, mood changes, etc. can occur.
Ways to support your cycle during your 40’s
Pay attention to blood sugar and insulin levels, as the changing hormones can greatly impact these balances.
Consider adapting your eating habits to respond to changing blood sugar balances and insulin levels.
Find ways to manage external stresses.
50’s AND BEYOND
The beginning of your 50’s could be a continuation of your 40’s with fluctuating hormones and shortening cycles until menopause.
Menopause is when you stop having your period for 12 consecutive months. Menopause is also when your ovaries officially stop making progesterone and estrogen, and other parts of your body start taking over production for these hormones.
Your adrenal glands become the key progesterone producer. While DHEA and androstenedione (other hormones) become the key estrogen producers.
However, estrogen during your cycling years is not the same as estrogen during your menopause years. DHEA and androstenedione convert estrogen from fat tissues, especially abdominal fat tissues. And having high levels of this type of estrogen can increase the risk of many conditions such as breast and endometrial cancer, as well as increase insulin resistance.
Ways to support your cycle during your 50’s and beyond
Focus on balancing blood sugar and insulin resistance.
Manage external stress to support progesterone production.
Highlight movement to reduce the accumulation of fat tissue and weight training for bone health.