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Main article: Causes of Irregular Periods
Key Points:
- Drinking alcohol causes irregular periods for some women.
- The actual impact of alcohol on the menstrual cycle varies greatly according to the amount of alcohol and when it is consumed.
The fact is up to one-third of will women experience irregular periods during their reproductive years.
Irregular periods is defined as having regular cycles less than every 21 days (polymenorrhea) and or more than every 35 days (oligomenorrhea).
Although a large change in blood loss during menstruation, or duration of period, is also considered irregular.
Some studies report that drinking alcohol is significantly linked to heavier menstrual bleeding (i.e. more period flow) in a dose-dependent manner.
This finding is supported by indirect studies. Firstly, the endometrium is a dynamic multicellular tissue that is highly responsive to estradiol. However, consumption of alcohol temporarily alters female sex hormones (especially estradiol) significantly.
The exact timing of alcohol consumption, according to the menstrual cycle, has different effects. During the proliferative phase, excessive drinking increases the thickness of the endometrium and the diameter of spiral arteries. During menstruation, drinking alcohol interferes with the bodies normal blood clotting system. Therefore, excessive drinking anytime during your cycle is very likely to cause heavier menstrual bleeding.
Regular heavy menstrual bleeding causes iron deficiency anemia.
Source: Pita-Rodríguez G M, et al. (2023)
Why am I Spotting After Drinking Alcohol
Some women will experience light spotting (abnormal uterine bleeding) after drinking alcohol due to alcohols blood thinning effect. This temporarily disables the bodies normal blood clotting (coagulation) system and may indicate an underlying condition (e.g. infection, polyps, fibroids, adenomyosis or endometriosis).
Does Drinking on Your Period Make You Bleed More
Yes, drinking alcohol on your period thins the blood making a woman bleed more than usual.
The endometrium relies on a normal functioning coagulation system (hemostasis) to regulate menstrual bleeding correctly during the shedding process.
However, alcohol interferes with the bodies normal blood clotting (coagulation) system. Therefore, consuming alcohol just prior to any type of injury (including menstruation) delays the natural healing process and increases blood loss.
For this reason, experts recommend women do not drink more than one standard drink of alcohol per meal during their period.
Does Alcohol Affect Your Period Cramps
Alcohol increases prostaglandins levels and causes dehydration which worsens your period cramps.
Prostaglandins play an important role during menstruation helping to expel that cycles endometrial growth (functional) layer. Su et al. demonstrated that excessive levels of prostaglandins significantly restricts blood flow to the uterus (ischemia) and causes painful menstrual cramps.
Like prostaglandins, arginine vasopressin (AVP) also controls blood flood. However, a slight deficit in water quickly activates AVP to conserve water use by the kidneys. This then causes a constriction of blood flow and an increase in pain sensitivity irrespective of menstrual phase (follicular, luteal). Prospective studies clearly show hydration levels in women has a direct impact on the pain experienced during menstruation.
Does Alcohol Make Your Periods Come Faster
There is some evidence that moderate drinking of alcohol can shorten the luteal phase (luteal phase deficiency) and make your period happen several days earlier than expected.
This will generally happen when a woman fails to ovulate which increases progesterone levels and supports the luteal phase development of the endometrium.
However, any signs that your period is about to start a week or more earlier is most likely to be just spotting (intermenstrual bleeding) which can also be caused by alcohol indirectly.
Does Alcohol Make Your Period Come Late
Alcohol can make your period come late (7+ days) if you constantly drink too much for an extended length of time (defined as alcohol abusers).
Conflicting studies suggest this is only likely to happen in women with an underlying condition (e.g., ovulatory dysfunction, endometriosis).
On the other hand, moderate drinking of alcohol does not delay your period and make it start later than expected.
Why Does My Period Stop When I Drink Alcohol
Drinking alcohol can stop your period earlier than expected because of alcohols effect on your hormones (especially estradiol).
Shortly after the start of menstruation while the endometrium is still shedding estradiol, produced by the growing follicles, starts to stimulate the regeneration of the endometrial surface. Adequate estradiol levels causes prolonged vasoconstriction of the endometrial vessels allowing the formation of a clot.
However, drinking alcohol also increases estradiol levels meaning during your period drinking alcohol could speed up menstruation and make your period shorter.
A Final Word from Fertility SCIENCE
Like most things in life, drinking alcohol in moderation (≤ 3 standard drinks) with a meal every so often before menses starts is unlikely to have a noticeable effect on your period.
This usually means women that notice spotting or changes to their period and drank responsibly that cycle should see their doctor for a general check-up and peace of mind.
There are numerous causes of irregular periods. Most are not serious but some are including potential side effects.
References
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Mitsuhashi R, et al. (2022). Factors Associated with the Prevalence and Severity of Menstrual-Related Symptoms: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20010569
Tan B, et al. (2022). Hypohydration but not menstrual phase influences pain perception in healthy women. https://doi.org/10.1152/japplphysiol.00402.2021
Torkan B, et al. (2021). The role of water intake in the severity of pain and menstrual distress among females suffering from primary dysmenorrhea: a semi-experimental study. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12905-021-01184-w
Zeru A B, et al. (2021). Magnitude and associated factors of menstrual irregularity among undergraduate students of Debre Berhan University, Ethiopia. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12978-021-01156-1
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