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You do not get your period for months on end. You go on a holiday one day and surprise! You end up with a stain on your favorite dress or miss that fun outdoor activity you have been planning for months. 

I get you! Irregular periods are a pain. It is like waiting for a dam to break and the unpredictable flood to swallow your fun plans. Wish you had a flood warning system?

How will you know if your periods are irregular?

The average length of the normal menstrual cycle is 28 days. Regular cycles which are longer or shorter than 21 to 40 days, are normal. Below are two cases of irregular periods

• You get your periods in less than 21 days and it happens frequently 
• If you go 35 days or more between two consecutive period cycles.     

Reasons why you might have irregular periods

• Stress
• Taking medications like anti-depressants, Thyroid medication, aspirin, or hormone replacement therapy. 
• Hormonal imbalance concern- Thyroid, PCOS, hyperthyroidism
• Endometriosis- painful disorder in which tissue similar to the tissue that normally lines the inside of your uterus, grows outside your uterus
• If the body weight is too high or too low and you are not consuming enough calories to nourish the body. 

How is this usually treated?

Birth control pills and hormonal replacement therapy are the most common ways induce periods when it does not happen naturally. 

Are there other ways to deal with this?

Yes. Through a proper and nutritious diet. Diet goes a long way to deal with hormonal imbalances and regulate periods.  Have you paid attention to your diet? If not attend to it right away. Try including the below foods that can help regulate periods like clockwork.   

What do all these foods do?

These foods help kick start your periods if you have not got it yet.  They make the blood flow to your pelvic area and the uterus to induce periods and some also help manage flow.

1. Gud or Jaggery

It helps initiating the flow of blood to the uterine walls.  Help with bleeding. 

Good old jaggery from your pantry. According to Ayurveda it induces heat in the body and 

How to include it in the diet?

• Eat a small piece or have a spoon of the powdered form every day as a dessert
• Chikki – Jaggery mixed with sesame seeds or peanuts 
• Add it to your coffee or tea instead of white sugar
• You can add it to sweeten any other dessert instead of white sugar

2. Sesame or Til seeds

Sesame seeds contain special components called lignans which can increase the heat in the body and help accelerate your menstrual cycle.

How to include it in the diet?

• You can have a spoon of it everyday
• Have a piece of the humble sesame Chikki for dessert or snack
• You can roast the sesame seeds and add it to you soups and salads
• Bread/ cake baked with sesame seeds in it
• This age-old remedy has personally worked for me every time – A teaspoon of Til seeds mixed with powdered Jaggery can be consumed. 

3. Spice up your foods or beverages with Ginger

Ginger/ Adhrak is a common ingredient in daily Indian cooking.  

It contains components like Gingerols which can reduce reducing heavy bleeding. 

How to include it in the diet?

• I always ginger to my daily chai. Apart from the above role ginger is good for digestion and adds to the flavor of the chai. 

Grate a thumb size piece of fresh ginger to 4 cups of water and let it boil with the 3-4 teaspoons of tea powder in a saucepan or kettle. Let the essence of the ginger seep into the tea. Add milk to the boiled tea. (You can also boil 2 to 3 pods of cardamom/ elaichi with the ginger)  

• Add cooked ginger to your soups, daal or subzis 

4. Ayurvedic Herb – Shatavari 

It is a herb known to nourish women in all stages of her life.

This sweet and bitter herb contains special components called Shatavarinin and Sarsapogenin which help the body make female sex hormones. It also helps balance hormones for regular period cycles. 

How to include it in the diet?

• Can be consumed as a powder, tablet, or liquid.  
• ½ to ¼ teaspoon of the powder can be mixed and consumed with honey or milk. This mixture can be taken after lunch and dinner.  

The above foods are commonly used in Indian cuisine. They are helpful only when consumed in-moderation.  These foods alone cannot regulate your periods.  Consume them in quantities recommended by your dietician/ physician. 

Apart from the above recommendations there are some life-style changes which can help balance hormones and regulate period cycles

• Make sure you consume a diet rich in fresh fruits and vegetables
• Exercise and meditate regularly to relieve stress
• Avoid junk food/ diet loaded with lots of simple carbs like white sugar and white bread on a regular basis
• Avoid smoking
• Limit the consumption of alcohol
• Prioritize sleep as it is required to balance hormones for regular periods
• Schedule at least one health screening visit to a gynecologist every year. Please do not shy away from this.
• Schedule a yearly physical exam including getting a blood draw for Thyroid profile, Iron, Vitamin D, Blood glucose levels and Cholesterol checked.

To help you regulate your periods, &Me has a solution for you! &Me Period Tea is a product that gives complete comfort during periods! It helps to get regular periods, better mood swings, reduce cramps, fatigue and bloating.

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