11 Reasons for a Short Period
Your period is a vital sign of what is going on with your overall health & hormones.
Let’s talk about short periods. A short period is one that lasts for less than 3 days. You could also be experiencing a short cycle (time from your period until your next period). A short cycle would be less than 21 days. You could also see light pink blood instead of bright or dark red.
A normal period is 3-7 days and a normal cycle is 21-35 days (although I prefer to see it around 24-25 days).
So why could you be experiencing a short period?
It’s time to take a look into your estrogen and progesterone levels – these could be low if you are experiencing short periods.
Here are 11 possible reasons for a short period:
1. Low Estrogen
Estrogen is a growth hormone responsible for the development and maintenance of the female reproductive system. It is released in high amounts during the follicular phase of the menstrual cycle which is the first 2 weeks leading up to ovulation. Estrogen is released from the ovaries, fat tissue, and adrenal glands because it has a connection between fertility and body fat composition. The main functions include building up the uterine wall for the menstrual cycle, stimulating the growth of the egg follicle, developing breast tissue, stabilizing bone density, and controlling the metabolism of glucose and lipids. Low levels of estrogen can be harmful because it can cause weak bones, mood swings, hot flashes, loss of period, and fatigue. Low estrogen is one of the reasons for a short period because we need optimal levels of estrogen to its function to prepare for ovulation.
2. Low Progesterone
Progesterone is a sex hormone released from the ovaries that is vital for conceiving and maintaining a healthy pregnancy. The hormone can be broken down as, pro meaning before and gesterone meaning gestation or pregnancy. Progesterone has 2 different paths each month depending on fertilization. If your egg is fertilized, then progesterone rises after ovulation to help thicken the uterine lining for pregnancy. If your egg does not become fertilized after ovulation, then progesterone peaks and then declines, because you do not need to prepare for pregnancy. The uterine lining will shed and become a period. Progesterone is also involved in breast development and breastfeeding. Problems can arise when progesterone levels are too low and is one of the reasons for a short period. This is because if we don’t have enough progesterone, the body will not build up the endometrial lining thick enough to last a long time.
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3. Undereating
Undereating is one of the reasons for a short period because of its effect on hormone levels. Undereating refers to the decrease in your calorie intake below your energy output per day. If undereating is intentional to the point of starvation, then this can be a symptom of anorexia nervosa. Another form of food restriction comes from the binge and purge mentality stemming from bulimia. Though, every case is different, it is important to signal that these behaviors are possible cases for what causes low estrogen levels. These patterns put our body into a state of panic and stress because we are trying to survive at an energy level insufficient for our current size. From this stress, estrogen and progesterone levels decrease because we are not prepared for pregnancy. Our body fat percentage is most likely decreasing as well due to the under eating and therefore can be one of the reasons for a short period.
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4. Overexercising
In addition to undereating, over exercising puts a similar result on the body in terms of estrogen levels. Over exercising can be what causes low estrogen because of the high stress it puts on the body. Over exercising can be identified as any exercise performed at a high frequency and intensity during the week with minimal to no rest days. It is important to note that exercising in general is okay and actually beneficial for hormone levels, but it is the excessive nature of exercise that is harmful. The main issue with this is that our bodies need a stable body fat percentage to maintain a normal menstrual cycle, and estrogen levels will drop as body fat drops. As a rule of thumb, most females need at least 17% body fat to maintain a normal menstrual cycle to ovulate. Additionally, over exercising, especially in endurance athletes, puts a large stress on the body from the impact on our bones and the large energy output. If you are overexercising your body has a hard time recovering and will not prioritize a menstrual cycle or ovulation because those things require a lot of energy.
5. Stress
Stress can be another one of the reasons for a short period. When we are stressed we release high levels of cortisol, a stress hormone. In response to this, our body is trying to survive given threatening circumstances, so the body will pump the brakes to avoid pregnancy. This is because our body wouldn’t predict us to be healthy enough to survive a pregnancy under stressful conditions. Stress can be caused from a high pace job environment, family problems, too much exercise, and a common one is stress from the act of conceiving itself.
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6. Low Thyroid
Low thyroid or hypothyroidism, can be another reason as to what causes low progesterone levels. The thyroid is a gland in our throat that needs to release hormones to maintain a stable metabolism among other things. If these hormones are not released as frequently as they should, then this is called low thyroid or in more intense situations, hypothyroidism. As mentioned low thyroid and high prolactin have a connection to what causes low progesterone. Our body will try to stimulate more thyroid output, so additional hormones in the brain, specifically the hypothalamus, will be released to try to generate more thyroid hormones. These hormones, unfortunately, can also increase the prolactin production and will therefore decrease progesterone. Decreasing progesterone as we know will affect the build up of the endometrial lining and is one one of the reasons for a short period.
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7. Nutrient Deficiencies
Vitamin B6 deficiency may be one of the reasons for a short period for you because B6 is a vital water soluble nutrient necessary for ovulation and conception. Without the vitamin, it puts you at risk for developing an unhealthy pregnancy. Some of its main roles in pregnancy are healthy brain development, curing morning sickness, and immune function.
Zinc is another vital mineral for hormone production, so if levels are low it can be one of the reasons for a short period. It has been shown that low levels of zinc have been correlated with a longer time to conceive. A large function of zinc is its antioxidant function which can help reduce the internal stress response.
Magnesium deficiency can be another one of the reasons for a short period because magnesium is vital for the promotion of progesterone and estrogen levels. It is also a relaxant mineral that helps to soothe muscle contractions associated with cramping. Magnesium is also important for ovulation and conception.
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8. Anovulatory Cycles
Anovulatory cycles is when you are not ovulating meaning you are not releasing an egg from the follicle. You may bleed on an anovulatory cycle or you may not bleed. Usually, releasing the egg will stimulate progesterone to then promote the rest of the fertilization into pregnancy, but if the egg is not released then progesterone is low and you may still be bleeding. This is an anovulatory cycle, and usually if you are bleeding it will be heavy but short. Estrogen dominance can usually occur during this time which is why the anovulatory cycle is one of the reasons for a short period.
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9. Hormonal Birth Control
Hormonal birth control can be one of the reasons for a short period because it completely inhibits the body’s natural mechanism for producing hormones. While on birth control, estrogen and progesterone are administered to your body artificially in different doses every day to get you on a regular 28 schedule. The amounts of these hormones may not be the same amounts as if you weren’t on birth control so this can be one of the reasons for a short period. If you are coming off of hormonal birth control then you may have a short period due to lack of ovulation.
Source: 25681845 , Book on the Menstrual Cycle
10. Breastfeeding
If you are breastfeeding, this is another reason for a short period. This is because when you are breastfeeding, you are inhibiting ovulation because you just gave birth recently. Due to this your estrogen and progesterone levels will be low and you will find spotting more common and shorter periods because of this.
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11. Premature Ovarian Failure (POF)
Premature ovarian failure is when your ovaries fail to function properly before age 40. POF is one of the reasons for a short period because you don’t produce enough estrogen and progesterone for a healthy cycle. Other symptoms include hot flashes, irritability, and infertility. POF can be caused by genetic factors, recent chemotherapy, radiation, environmental toxins, or autoimmune conditions.
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