Is My Vegan Diet Messing up my Period?

Q   I’ve been vegan for one year and one month. I am 32 years old now and want to plan a baby at the end of the year. The last three or so months I have started to notice that my periods are three weeks apart. ie: period 1 starts april 30th, period 2 starts May 20th. I’m worried about my menstruation as I’ve always (since 13 years old) been exactly 28 days – do you think there would be a connection with my vegan diet? I eat a lot of seitan and soy and take no real vitamins – as I am still not really sure what I should and shouldn’t be taking. Please can you help? Thank you so much.

A  Since I am not a doctor nor a menstruation expert, it’s hard to answer your question. There are many factors that can influence your period, how long it is, how heavy and how often it occurs. I recommend that you discuss this with your doctor, especially in light of the fact that you want to get pregnant.

I recommend that you make sure that your diet is nutritionally adequate. This would be a good time to start taking a multivitamin with 100 percent of the RDA. Once you are pregnant, your doctor will likely recommend that you take a prenatal vitamin.

All nutrients are important but especially iron, Folic Acid, other B vitamins, Zinc and Omega 3 fatty acids, found in hemp, chia, walnuts and flax.

Preconception nutrition, for both the woman and man, makes a difference in the health outcome of the baby so this is a great time to be sure that you are in good health. Speak to your doctor about your periods and speak to a Registered Dietitian about your nutrition status.

Good luck.