So after a week of semi-fretting and wonder what was up... I finally got my...erm...endurance of womanhood. It came nearly a week late, without INCAPACITATING cramps...and so far it's been...well, lighter than normal.



I'm wondering if it's from change in diet (vegan for nearly two months now), stress, increase in exercise, or all of the above. I'm just relieved it's finally here! And it's awesome to me that I wasn't knocked on my a*s this month by the cramps... w00t



Cheers!

No doubt I'm gonna take some heat from this, Pseudo, but my, um, special days are late as a general rule when I have been eating a vegan diet. Having my period be on time is not a good justification for eating animal products, of course. The only solid explanation I've heard for this, and it's not very solid, is that the root chakra [at the base of your spine] is responsible for the downward flow of energy, of which menstruation is a part, and meat and animal foods are the foods related to this chakra.



I try to do some meditation or give myself Reiki if I want the old girl to kick in. Have some stews and rich warming foods, and sit around a lot. PMS makes me want to get up and freak out and run around yelling at everyone so that probably doesn't help the process in any way.

@ running around and screaming. Yes, that is correct



That's a very interesting theory...I mean, it's not like I was complaining it wasn't happening...I'd already taken a...*test*...and when that was negative I really didn't care what the reason was (I know that's irresponsible). But if it doesn't "even out" next month then I'll certainly keep this advice in mind and/or go to a doctor, if necessary. Thanks!



Cheers.

Stress can cause it to change. It can make it come earily or late. Changes can change something like that. It can be scary.

It could be potassium levels or some other sort of nutrient that is either out-of-balance or that you're lacking.



I'm at a healthy weight now, after being underweight for a really long time, and I got my period last month exactly 4 months after the last one I had, but this month, I'm about 2 weeks late, assuming I'm getting it at all. Can't say I miss it when I don't have it, though. ^_^;;

This is interesting, because I've been a vegetarian (ovo-lacto) my whole life, and I've NEVER had a regular period.



My OBY/GYN said that some women just don't have regular periods, it's not something *wrong* with me, it's just how it is for some people.



But now I wonder if it's diet related. Huh! Well, I'm not about to start eating meat, I'm trying hard enough as it is to quit the dairy. (Why oh why does cheddar cheese have to taste so GOOD??)

I'm not sure it's all diet, FWIW. Another aspect of the root chakra is money and survival...if you are anxious about these topics, that can impeded yer "flow"....I know for myself that when I'm worried about the bank balance I can delay my period by weeks if I'm not careful.



Those of us veg*n women who are very careful about our food and very empathetic towards animals [which I think you kind of HAVE to be, don't you think?] are devoting a lot of energy towards controlling what we buy and what we eat and how we live. Control isn't inherently a bad thing, but hanging on to abstract concepts prevents us from being grounded in our physical bodies [that downward energetic flow, again...in yogic physiology it's called "apana"...supposedly why you should not practice inverted yoga poses when menstruating. The PMS symptoms I experience are all too close to what happens when your energy just keeps going up and up and up and never lands...difficulty concentrating, binging on starchy foods, irritability, hard to GET to sleep and hard to wake up once asleep.



Once, in my callow youth, I was holding down a long-distance relationship and a vegan diet and my period wouldn't come and wouldn't come and I knew it wasn't because I was pregnant. I finally had too much red wine, freaked out, had a cheeseburger and slept with a friend of mine...and within hours, voila. Again, that is DEFINITELY not the recommended path but it was psychologically interesting.



Just a collection of random period thoughts....



Oh and send some grounding energy my way. I'd like the redcoats to start marching this week if possible.

Hey, don't blame me.

(Sorry, I couldn't resist).

My period was never regular until i started taking the pill. I didn't become veg until after taking the pill for quite some time. so I guess i'll never know if it would have helped or made it worse!