Traveling can affect a lot of things in a woman’s life, including their monthly period. Many women find that their normal menstrual cycle stops or changes while they are on the road. Keep reading if you can relate to this as the following article will tell you how traveling affects your period.
Similar to other lifestyle change, traveling could have an affect your monthly period because your normal routine is disrupted, even though it’s a temporary occurrence.
You could have problems such as delayed and missed periods because of stress, eating habits and more since the menstrual cycle hormones can be very sensitive to new things. International travel will have a greater effect as your body would undergo more of a shock.
How Traveling Affects Your Period
In general, your body, as well as its normal functions and rhythms, is dependent on or involved with your environment and situation. For this reason, you are going to see noticeable effects when you are on the go or in a new place.
When you are traveling, especially to a faraway city or overseas, the time change will interfere with your normal internal biological clock or circadian rhythm. This is what is referred to as jet lag, and rapid air travel across various time zones can lead to a number of problems. It can cause many problems, from exhaustion, irritability, and fatigue to stomach problems and lack of appetite.
A study was conducted on this, and it indicated that women have sleep disturbances seventy percent of the time after they cross a time zone. This is another example of how a major disruption in the circadian rhythm could have a huge effect on your period. As a matter of fact, the same study shows the well-documented fact that female flight attendants are commonly affected by irregular menstrual cycles.
Hormone release and various other vital bodily functions are influenced by your circadian rhythm. Whenever it’s off, your hormones such as progesterone and estrogen, which play an important role in your menstrual and ovulation, will be thrown off. Estrogen could spike to trigger ovulation or the spike might be delayed because of changes in your rhythm and cause your period to come later than normal.
Here are some other things that could change and affect your period when you are traveling:
Stress: Your menstrual cycle is very sensitive to stressful situations. Even though traveling can be fun, it can be stressful on your body. From the frenzy of deciding what to pack, leaving home to reach your location to the time that you should arrive at the airport, traveling comes with loads of stress.
Exercise: Lack of or not doing enough physical activities often causes changes in the body during travels. Like most people, you might have a set routine for exercising at home, but this could change when you are on the road. On the other hand, traveling might involve walking for long hours on unfamiliar streets or climbing mountains, and these things can jumpstart your system. Your periods could stop or you may have missed cycles because of increased exercise routines and weight loss. The same thing can also happen if you gain weight.
Diet: You will have many different places to explore when traveling, so it is highly likely that you are going to change your eating habits. It is not only the fluctuation in calorie intake that could affect your monthly period while you are eating everything around the world or you start to forget breakfast suddenly. You will be in new locations with new ingredients and menus that switches up the nutrients that you normally eat, so all these things are going to have an effect on how your body functions and feels.
Schedule: The lack of a nine to five routine or new sleeping schedules can have an effect on your body’s clockwork. In fact, a shakeup in your schedule could be another stressor that puts a strain on your body. Whenever you are not on a regular schedule, your period could also act the same way.
Bear in mind that these factors will affect different females in different ways. Your period might remain constant even though you are traveling all over the place or it could go completely out of whack.
The key is to take care of your body while on the road. It might feel difficult, but you should try to eat healthy, do some exercises as well as get enough sleep and relax.
This will not guarantee that your period is going to remain unchanged, but you are sure to feel better and be less vulnerable to PMS symptoms that are more difficult to predict on irregular cycles.
Now that you know how traveling affects your period, you don’t have to worry too much, especially if you are always on the road. Just remember that jet lag, change in eating habits and stress are things that come with traveling and can cause a delayed or missed period.
Hi, my period was supposed to start the day I started my road trip, but it hasn’t. I’ve been on the road for 3 days, sleeping in my car while crossing from the UK to Spain and my period is currently 9 days late, I’m on my day 47 of my cycle and usually my cycle lasts between 30 and 34 days. I did a HPT and came back negative, and the last time I had sex was at the beginning of September… I’ve never missed a period so I’m freaked out. Also my vaginally discharges have been changing over this last week from sticky to watery to dry and back to paste-like in just a week… Should I be worried or just forget about it and wait for my system to “restart” its normal cycle?
Hi Eva, it could be the stress of the road trip, changes in the environment as well. Our bodies can be sensitive to changes and stress so I would wait until your body gets back into sync. It might take until you are relaxed from your road trip. As long as the pregnancy test comes back negative you should be good.
Hi, I reached out tk my doctor about my missed period and they said medically I could wait 3 months?! Weird answer. I came back from Africa to the US after 2 weeks of travel and my cycle is delayed by 14 days. The HPT is negative. I did not have intercourse one day during my travel but did several times once I got back. I figured It was not my fertile days so no problem at all. How long does it take for the body to normalize?
Hi Maggie, every body is different so it could take some time to normalize. If your pregnancy tests are coming back negative then you should be fine, however if you aren’t trying to get pregnant and since you won’t be sure when you are ovulating until you actually get your period I would take other precautions.
I recently traveled to Asia from the US for almost two weeks. My period is two days late but I’ve been spotting for the past few days. The spotting is a brownish color. Took a HPT and it was negative. Not certain if my light brown spotting is my actual period or perhaps it’s still coming. Does this seem normal?
Hi Nikki, travel can affect our periods, changes in environment, stress, etc. Give it a few more days and see what’s happening then, if nothing then take another test.
I had my period 1week before our family 7day Cruise and the day after we returned home I’m having my period all over again. Is this normal?
Hi Elizabeth, it could be the travel, it could be ovulation bleeding. But yes, sometimes the stress of traveling can cause changes to our cycles by either causing spotting or breakthrough bleeding.
I missed my period after flying across 9 time zones and back again in two weeks…then I missed a second period. I’m over 40 but never had any menopause symptoms – it seems weird that my periods would just stop without warning. Is it possible for travel to have effects on periods lasting more than a month?
HI Elanore, it could be, stress on the body can affect your period. However even if you have had no symptoms of menopause, this could be your symptom, missing your period. Give your body a chance to reaclimate to time zones and relaxation and then see if it comes back. If not, make an appointment with your doctor to test your hormonal levels.
Last time I had my period was in May. And in June during the time of my period, I went to Africa. My period was a few days late and then I got spotting and I still haven’t gotten my period. I’m on day 67 on my cycle and usually my cycle is like 30 days. I’m very stressed about this currently. I can’t be pregnant because I’ve never had sex, but like I’m extremely confused. And in another 4 days I go back to America and I’m nervous I will never get my period. I can’t be pregnant right? Do you have any tips for me? Thank you!
Hi Mila, It could be because of the traveling and the spotting could have been your period. If you haven’t had sex then I wouldn’t recommend a pregnancy test. If you are concerned, make an appointment with your doctor when you get back. Stress can have an affect on your period so that could also be a factor.
Thank you so much! If I don’t get my period soon I’ll defiently contact my doctor.
I finished my period seven days ago and just got it again but now it’s abnormally heavy. I have large blood clots and I’m changing my pad every 2 hours. This has been going on for 4 days now. I am in a Country with high altitude. Is this normal?
Hi Stacey, I would see a doctor asap, especially if it hasn’t subsided.
I recently went on vacation and on that week it was my fertile week. My LMP was May 5th and today I am 5 days late. I took a HPT last week and it was Negative. Should I take one today because I am having symptoms of pregnancy sore and tender breast, nausea, burping and eating a whole lot. I am a little confused now?
Hi Mari, yes I would. Sometimes it take a little longer to show up on an HPT because of hormone levels. Good luck!
My menses has been coming perfectly this year , I had sex in early March , but after I got my menses afterwards perfectly ,, so I travelled from an African country to the United States , when I got here the following day it came ,, and now I’m waiting for the second menses but I’m 6 days late .. what does it mean ?😭 is it the weather or what ? This hasn’t happened which I can’t recall
Hello Riri, yes this could be as a result of you travelling. Please read below:
https://womanjunction.com/traveling-affects-period/
I just got back 3 days ago from travelling to another city for 2 weeks, and I am already late for 5 days from my period prediction even though i’ve had my PMS symptoms. I’m already concerned about this but this article matches all what I’m going through so it calmed my stress down!!! Thank you so much!!!
You are most welcome Rachel.