Struggling With Anovulation? Here Are 7 Common Reasons For Irregular Ovulation

Many factors can disrupt ovulation, leading to irregular cycles or anovulation (lack of ovulation). If you're not ovulating regularly, I’m sure it has been a frustrating and confusing experience, so I would like to help you!

In this article, I’ll go over seven of the most common reasons why ovulation might not be happening for you right now. And at the end of the article I’ll give some recommendations for what you can do to help fix this. ☺️

7 Reasons Why You May Not Be Ovulating:

1. Stress

Stress, whether physical or emotional, can significantly impact your menstrual cycle. When you're stressed, your body releases higher levels of cortisol. This elevated cortisol can interfere with the hypothalamus, the brain region responsible for regulating reproductive hormones like luteinizing hormone (LH) and follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH). As these two hormones are essential for ovulation, the high cortisol levels that chronic stress causes can disrupt this delicate hormonal balance, leading to irregular periods or anovulation.

Signs that stress is affecting your ovulation:

• Irregular menstrual cycles

• Missed periods

• Increased premenstrual symptoms

• Anxiety, depression, or sleep disturbances throughout the month

2. Excessive Exercise

While regular exercise is beneficial for overall health, excessive physical activity can lead to disruptions in your menstrual cycle. This is especially true for athletes or individuals engaging in high-intensity workouts without adequate rest or nutrition. Excessive exercise can lower estrogen levels, which are crucial for ovulation and maintaining a healthy menstrual cycle.

Signs that exercise is affecting your ovulation:

• Irregular or missed periods

• Low body fat percentage

• Fatigue and decreased performance

• Stress fractures or other injuries due to overuse

  
  

3. Extreme Weight Loss or Weight Gain

Significant weight loss or weight gain can have a profound effect on your menstrual cycle, as body fat plays a role in estrogen production. Low body fat can decrease estrogen, while excess body fat can lead to an overproduction of estrogen, both of which can interfere with the regularity of ovulation.

Signs that weight changes are affecting your ovulation:

• Changes in menstrual cycle length or frequency

• Amenorrhea (absence of menstruation)

• Difficulty maintaining a stable weight

4. Poor Diet and Nutritional Deficiencies

A diet lacking in essential nutrients can disrupt hormonal balance and affect ovulation. Specific deficiencies in vitamins and minerals, such as iron, vitamin D, and B vitamins, can impair your body's ability to produce the hormones needed for a healthy menstrual cycle. This is why it is essential that we prioritize eating a balanced diet, and also take a good multivitamin to help us fill in the gaps! In this article, I shared the healthiest multivitamin I have found. It is organic, non-GMO, vegan, soy free, gluten free, and tree-nut free! And it is specifically tailored to women’s health!

Signs that diet is affecting your ovulation:

• Irregular periods or changes in flow

• Fatigue or lack of energy

• Hair loss or brittle nails

• Frequent illness or a weakened immune system

5. Hormonal Birth Control

Hormonal birth control methods, such as pills, patches, injections, or intrauterine devices (IUDs), work by preventing ovulation as part of their function. While this is beneficial for contraception, it can also mean that it takes some time for ovulation to resume once you stop using these methods.

Signs that hormonal birth control is affecting your ovulation:

• Delayed return of regular periods after stopping birth control

• Spotting or irregular bleeding

• Hormonal imbalances such as acne or mood swings after discontinuation

6. Chronic Inflammation

Chronic inflammation, often caused by conditions such as endometriosis, autoimmune disorders, or persistent infections, can disrupt hormonal balance and affect ovulation. Inflammation can interfere with the communication between the brain and ovaries, impairing the release of eggs.

Signs that inflammation is affecting your ovulation:

• Painful periods or pelvic pain

• Fatigue and chronic pain

• Digestive issues such as bloating or irregular bowel movements

• Symptoms of autoimmune disorders like joint pain or skin rashes

7. High Levels of Androgens

High levels of androgens (like testosterone) are often seen in conditions like Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS). These hormones can interfere with the normal growth and release of eggs from the ovaries, leading to irregular or absent ovulation.

Signs that high androgens are affecting your ovulation:

• Irregular or missed periods

• Excess facial or body hair (hirsutism)

• Acne or oily skin

• Weight gain, especially around the abdomen

How can you fix this?

If you're struggling with anovulation, it's important to consult with a healthcare provider who can help you identify the underlying cause and guide you toward the best treatment options.

What if your doctor is not taking you seriously?

If you have explained to your doctor that you are not ovulating regularly, that you are experiencing irregular menstrual lengths or are missing periods entirely, and the only help that your doctor has given you is to tell you to “relax more” and that “it’s probably just anxiety,” well, I am not surprised. But I am so incredibly sorry that you have been dismissed like this.

While the heightened cortisol levels that stress causes is a big contributor for anovulation, only identifying that your body is under a lot of stress is not helpful. What is helpful?

• Learning which herbal supplements and vitamins/minerals can be used together to effectively reduce anxiety, help you get more restful sleep, and balance your hormones.

  
  

• Learning what foods could be causing chronic inflammation and stress in your body. Because external triggers are not the only things that make you stressed/heighten your cortisol levels. Many of our foods contain hormone disrupters, and eliminating these dietary triggers can reduce inflammation and help you to feel calmer in the situations that would currently make you feel overwhelmed and anxious.

• Learning which household items (such as feminine hygiene products, dental products, cookware, bedding, etc) have endocrine disrupting chemicals in them. You will want to avoid these so that you can lower your toxin burden.

Where can you learn this?

I can help you!

For years, I used to suffer with my menstrual cycle. I experienced missed periods, irregular periods, and extremely long periods (up to 14 days! 😭) - which were also extremely heavy in menstrual flow and filled with blood clots. And because my hormones were so imbalanced, I also suffered with chronic fatigue, debilitating cramps, cyst ruptures, chronic inflammation and bloating, gut issues that displayed as skin issues, and depression.

Despite having such a long list of symptoms, none of the doctors I saw took me seriously, though, and I ended up having to spend hundreds of hours learning how to holistically heal myself on my own.

It was an extremely stressful journey and took a lot of trial and error (and $$$), but I finally learned how to heal myself. And now, my periods are much shorter (typically 5 days, sometimes 7), my cycle is regular, my acne is completely gone, I no longer suffer with chronic inflammation and bloating, and I have my energy back! So there is hope for you as well!

If you’d like to learn how I balanced my hormones and holistically healed my gut and period, then my course Balance is for you!

I do not want you to have to continue suffering on your own, which is why I have created 27, easy-to-follow lessons which will teach you:

• 🧬 a foundational understanding of your hormones & how they work

  
  

• 🍒 what the four menstrual phases are and how they affect you

  
  

• 😣 how to reduce chronic inflammation so that you can start balancing your hormones and healing your gut

  
  

• 🤕 how to identify a histamine intolerance or allergy

  
  

• 💊 what type of probiotics and prebiotics to take

  
  

• 🍋 how to identify vitamin and mineral deficiencies

  
  

• 🌱 what herbal supplements I use to regulate my hormones and reduce pain so that I can treat my PMDD and endometriosis

  
  

• 💄 what hormone disrupting skincare and household products you should swap out and recommendations for what I think you should use instead

  
  

• 🦷 how oral health affects hormone health

  
  

• 🦠 how to cleanse properly and treat Candidiasis

  
  

& so much more!

Enroll in the Balance course today and you will also have access to these printables which I have created for you:

• My Daily Menstrual Cycle Journal

Using this daily can help you in getting proper diagnosis from your doctor as it tracks your emotional wellbeing, sleep quality, what you ate, supplements taken, skin health, and fitness. The pages help you keep a detailed tracking, but are also easy to fill out so if you have ADHD (like me!) you should not find them overwhelming.

• Cleanse Trackers

Cleansing is essential for healing, but only if done in a safe way. In the course I’ll help you learn how to cleanse safely and effectively, and these trackers will aid you in keeping track of your symptoms and progress!

• The Balance Workout Guide

Working out when you struggle with your health is incredibly difficult. Even on my good days, I used to experience severe headaches after working out to the point where I thought I was allergic to exercise. Turns out, cardio, heavy weightlifting, and crunches are just not good for me and I need to focus on specific strength training exercises that will not aggravate my body and spike my histamine levels. After a lot of trail and error, I have created a fantastic yoga and strength training routine that targets the entire body, without causing me to have headaches or pelvic pain afterwards. I may be biased 😉, but I love this routine and I am certain that you will love it as well!

• Affirmation Cards