Irregular periods? How a Chiropractor Can Help Your Menstrual Health
Did you know that your MENSTRUAL HEALTH is directly related to your NERVOUS SYSTEM?!
Your menstrual cycle and your hormones move together! During each phase (week) of your menstrual cycle, your hormone levels rise and fall. That shift in hormones is the root cause of the physical changes and mood fluctuations that happen during the month. As hormone levels shift, your body is working overtime to maintain a balance that will keep you feeling your best.
The delicate balancing act is controlled by your nervous system. The intricate system of nerves not only controls muscle movement and reaction, but it also is the communication pathway between your brain and involuntary body functions – like your menstrual cycle. As your nervous system picks up the signals that hormone levels are fluctuating, it tells the body to react appropriately. Your nervous system should adapt to each phase. During menstruation, your body should release the thickened uterine wall. During ovulation, your body should prepare to host sperm.
But what happens when the signals from your body don’t make it all the way to your brain?
Sometimes your nervous system has roadblocks – that we call subluxations. These blocks in the communication pathway stop some signals from reaching your brain. Since the brain is not receiving the signal, it cannot react appropriately. Super science-y, right? Here’s a real life example. We are going to compare “Suzy” who has a lovely period week and “Jessica” who wishes she could fast-forward the dreadful week.
When Jessica enters the menstrual phase of her cycle she experiences a HUGE mood swing. She often feels out of control of her emotions and lashes out. On the day that she begins bleeding, she experiences very painful cramping and symptoms similar to IBS. Her period is full of clots and did we mention, painful?
Suzy, on the other hand, often does not even know her period is coming – she may track it on an app but she experiences no physical symptoms. She bleeds lightly and her cramping is minimal – if at all. Her period does not interfere with her life as Jessica’s does.
Why is Suzy so “lucky”? Her nervous system is able to adapt to each phase of her menstrual cycle. It receives every signal that the body sends and reacts the right way. Her body will say “hey, our period is starting soon, can you make sure your uterine wall is ready to slough off?” and the brain says “Yes! I will make it happen!”
While in Jessica’s case, there is a block somewhere in her nervous system, and when her body says “hey, our period is starting soon, can you make sure your uterine wall is ready to slough off?” the brain literally does not get the memo so it has no way to prepare her uterus to do the work. So when it’s time for Jessica’s uterine wall to slough, her hormone levels are off and it is incredibly painful.
Chiropractic Adjustments for Menstrual Health
At Blossom Family Chiropractic, our focus is your nervous system. We base all of our adjustments on the health and adaptability of your nervous system, which we are able to measure through state-of-the-art equipment.
Meaning, we can look at the scans and measurements and see when your nervous system has those roadblocks that would make your menstrual cycle abnormal.
Each adjustment helps remove those blocks – subluxations – from your nervous system, which allows the signals to flow freely to your brain. When your brain receives all the correct signals, it can respond in all the right ways!
So, if you want a cycle like Suzy, routine chiropractic adjustments will most definitely help!
Blossom Family Chiropractic – Family Chiropractor in St. Pete, Florida
As a practice with a focus on pregnancy and children, we work with women who are ready to support their body’s ability to adapt. Once the nervous system is supported, we often see resolution of infertility struggles – which are directly related to nervous system health.
If you are in St. Petersburg, Florida or surrounding areas and you are struggling with your menstrual health, let’s see if chiropractic care is the missing link! reach out to book an appointment with us!
