ask: Does cleansing affect the menstrual cycle, and how?

I did a yeast cleanse 2 years ago and have had problems with my menstrual cycle ever since. Although the cleanse did take care of my bloating and food-sensitivity problems, I ended up with many more issues. Prior to the cleanse, I did not have my period ever (I'm on the mini-pill). After the cleanse, I began to get extremely painful lemon-sized ovarian cysts, mostly on my left side, and bleeding for 2-3 months at a time. I have yet to find a doctor who can tell me why this happened or how to get it to stop. The only thing my OB/GYN says is to switch birth control, which is not the answer. Nevertheless, I was put on the depo shot (to supposedly deal with the cysts)...WORST decision ever!! That made the bleeding worse (2-3 months at a time) and I was still getting cysts. Plus, the depo lowered my testosterone and DHEA to virtually nonexistent levels and caused even more problems. I can't be on BC with estrogen in it, so I'm back to the mini-pill. I have no clue what the cleanse did to set off all of this, but I am insanely frustrated and have yet to find a solution.

Things I've tried, other than switching BC: multivitamins (did nothing), B-vitamins (did nothing), milk thistle (supposed to help with hormone imbalances by supporting liver function - did nothing), & ibuprofen (supposed to help lessen bleeding - maybe does a little).

It's nice to finally find others who have experienced the same thing. But, seriously, where are the answers/solutions?! And where are the doctors who can explain (and fix) this?!

I recently simply cut out caffeine and processed food products and also noticed spotting 7 days after my last period. I'm glad to hear others have experienced this as well!!

I am doing the master cleanse right now and started it the day after my normal period ended. A couple of days into the cleanse I started bleeding again and 7 days later I'm still on my "period". Similarly, I had a friend who recently started taking a large amount of vitamin/mineral/enzyme supplements before traveling overseas and complained of having a month long period. I've done some research, and from what I understand, menstruation is one of the body's natural methods of riding itself of toxins. So if you start a cleansing diet or add things to your body that speed up it's natural ability to rid itself of toxins, shedding of the lining of the uterus may begin as a way of detoxifying, even if the hormones present to trigger your period aren't present.

I actually had my first cleanse ever done today and experienced what your talking about above. I noticed I am having lite pink bleeding...not heaving by any means. Not sure why? I did have a little slight bleeding from the rectum right afterwards but that has since went away. I did ask why was I bleeding vaginally. The response was that sometimes the cleanse will encourage your period to come. The answer wasn't good enough that is why I am searching the internet to see if anyone else had experienced vaginal bleeding after a cleanse.

Dear Anonymous

Thank you for your question and welcome!

I have not seen any information that indicates a cleanse changing a person's menstrual cycle although we are learning more and more about cleanses every day.

I cannot imagine a doctor telling you that vaginal bleeding during or after a colon cleanse is natural. Since a colon cleanse is not even natural, why would vaginal bleeding during or afterward be?

Having a cleanse like this, every spring and fall may be excessive. Someone living with good exercise and a healthy, fresh diet should never need a cleanse although it's certainly your choice so that's not an issue here. But I do not think vaginal bleeding due to a colon cleanse is in any way normal. This cleanse (and the instruments used, assuming you are doing a colonic) may be damaging your reproductive organs, so please think about a second opinion about this.

Now that your period is late, are you worried about pregnancy? Have you had unprotected sex in the past few weeks?