Getting to the Root Cause of Irregular Cycles

As a Woman

Natalie Crawford

Health & Fitness, Medicine

4.8 • 1.1K Ratings

🗓️ 16 September 2025

⏱️ 28 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Dr. Natalie Crawford, board-certified OBGYN and REI, discusses what could be the root cause of your irregular cycles. Your period is more than a monthly inconvenience. It's a vital sign. And when your cycles are not regular, your body is sending a signal that something deeper is going on. In this episode, we're unpacking what actually defines a normal cycle and what your irregular cycle really means. 1. Your Cycle: More Than Just a Period - What makes a cycle "normal" - Red flags to watch for - Why tracking matters 2. Understanding your hormones - The brain-body hormone conversation - How stress impacts your cycle - Signals your body sends during irregular periods 3. Common Cycle Disruptors - Hormonal conditions explained - Lifestyle factors that throw things off - When to seek professional help 4. Empowering Your Hormonal Journey - Questions to ask your healthcare provider - Tools for understanding your body - Taking proactive steps toward hormonal regularity Pre-order Dr. Crawford's debut book, The Fertility Formula, now! ⁠https://www.nataliecrawfordmd.com/book⁠ Want to receive my weekly newsletter? Sign up at ⁠⁠⁠⁠nataliecrawfordmd.com/newsletter⁠⁠⁠⁠ to receive updates, Q&A, special content, and freebies If you haven’t already, please rate, review, and follow the podcast to be notified of new episodes every Tuesday. Plus, be sure to follow along on Instagram ⁠⁠⁠⁠@nataliecrawfordmd,⁠⁠⁠⁠ check out Natalie’s YouTube channel Natalie Crawford MD⁠⁠⁠⁠, and if you're interested in becoming a patient, check out ⁠⁠⁠⁠Fora Fertility. Join the Learn at Pinnacle app ⁠to earn FREE CE Credit for listening to this episode! This episode is brought to you by The Pinnacle Podcast Network! Learn more about Pinnacle at learnatpinnacle.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	If your cycles are irregular, I know this can be so frustrating and so often I hear patients say,
0:06.4	this is just how my periods are. So what defines a normal cycle? So your cycle should occur at a
0:13.6	set interval where you're able to look at a calendar and put your finger on the map about when this
0:17.5	is occurring with some degree of accuracy, really only being off by a couple of days.
0:22.6	In general, we don't like cycles that are less than 21 days or longer than 35 days.
0:27.6	If you have these very short or very long cycles, these are a sign that you have some ovulatory dysfunction.
0:34.6	Some of the most obvious is not having cycles at all or having very irregular
0:39.1	cycles. But some of the more subtle ones, such as a really long or short cycle or a short
0:45.0	luteal phase, may be things that you do not really realize are happening unless you are tracking
0:50.0	your cycle. Welcome back to the As a Woman podcast.
0:56.4	I'm your host, Dr. Natalie Crawford, and today we're addressing a symptom I see every single
1:00.8	day in my practice, irregular cycles.
1:03.7	Your period is more than a monthly inconvenience.
1:06.4	It's a vital sign.
1:07.7	And when your cycles are not regular, your body is sending a signal that something
1:12.0	deeper is going on. So in this episode, we're unpacking what actually defines a normal cycle
1:18.1	and what your irregular cycle really means. The most common causes of irregular cycles from PCOS
1:24.2	to thyroid dysfunction and how to start asking the right questions to get the real answers.
1:29.3	So whether your cycles have always been unpredictable or they've recently changed,
1:34.3	this episode is going to help you understand your body and take the next step towards better hormonal health.
1:40.3	So let's dive in.
1:42.3	If your cycles are irregular, I know this can be so
	...

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