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Topics: Sex and Relationships, Women's Health, Health, Periods
Jen Thomas
Topics: Sex and Relationships, Women's Health, Health, Periods
There's nothing worse than when Mother Nature decides to switch things up and make your period come early - and why is it always when you're wearing white?
If this has been happening to you, there's one surprising NSFW act that might be the culprit for throwing your cycle out of whack.
Just when you think you've figured out the schedule and sorted a routine of what happens and when, our bodies can sometimes surprise us.
You might think it's just penetrative sex that could, er, get things moving quicker, but there's also a different kind of intimacy that could see you reaching for the tampons earlier than planned.
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So if you've got an important holiday, wedding, or birthday celebration coming up, you might want to avoid this to make sure there aren't any unwanted surprises ruining the perfect outfit you've spent months sorting just for the occasion.
According to Metro, oral sex can actually make your period arrive earlier.
Dr Shirin Lakhani specialises in hormone health and menopause, and she shared the details of exactly why this can happen, so you're not caught unawares.
"Penetrative sex won’t cause your period, however it can make it start sooner if it was already about to begin," she says, as the stimulation and pressure can cause the uterus to start contracting, which will shed the lining quicker.
It's reaching a climax that can have the biggest impact, though, she warns: "Orgasms can cause uterine contractions, and semen contains prostaglandins, which are hormone-like chemicals that can encourage the uterus to contract."
That's why oral sex can also lead to earlier periods too: "Orgasms can cause uterine contractions and increased pelvic blood flow, which can possibly help shed the uterine lining slightly earlier."
Intimacy isn't the only thing to blame though - if it keeps coming early, you might want to look at other lifestyle factors.
This could include things like recently starting or stopping contraception, or pesky stress.
Dr Lakhani advises: "Stress can also influence our menstrual cycle, causing hormonal imbalances due to our fight or flight response.
"Illness, diet, sleep and weight changes can also influence our hormones and menstrual cycle."
The irony is, that intimacy and orgasms is also one of the best ways of reducing stress.
Either way, the expert stresses that it should only make it slightly earlier - if it's weeks out regularly, you might want to see a GP to get things checked.