Jess Battison
Alcohol can affect us all differently but let’s be honest, we can all unite in getting some degree of a hangover.
Yeah, yeah, you’re always ‘fine’ after drinking. Really though, hitting the booze can leave some of us drowsy, send some of us hypo and leave some of us with raging hangxiety.
And while alcohol can cause some awkward situations in the bedroom for men, a health expert has shared the serious impact it can have on women that ‘few people realise’.
Because just like there’s different things people with penises have to go through, there are things those of us with uteruses also have to put up with and it turns out, booze is one of the many things that plays into that too.
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Experts reckon the amount you drink can interfere with the balance and production of oestrogen and progesterone (the primary female sex hormones).
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Obviously, having the odd drink here and there is relatively harmless to most people.
However, health expert Mike Kocsis from Balance Hormones spoke to The Mirror about the effect of alcohol on menstrual cycles.
"It can have a profound effect on your mood stability and reproductive health, particularly younger women still in reproductive years, whose reproductive systems are still developing,” Kocsis explained.
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The expert went on to add how alcohol can also cause irregular periods, skipped periods, heavier or prolonged bleeding.
Kocsis added the ‘hormone imbalance’ can ‘worsen’ the symptoms of conditions like polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and endometriosis.
He also claimed: “Women who drink excessively throughout their life could even start menopause earlier than those who don't.”
Of course, alcohol is much of a no-go for women during pregnancy but apparently, it can also affect fertility and create difficulties when conceiving in the first place.
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The expert explained: “Alcohol affects the release of the hormones that regulate ovulation - luteinizing hormone (LH) and follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) – which can increase the risk of infertility."
Endometriosis UK explains in its pain management resources that alcohol is believed to affect the production oestrogen. And it’s thought this stimulates endometriosis, making symptoms even worse for many.
The NHS echoes claims that alcohol can cause irregular or skipped periods for women as well as hormonal imbalances.
As most of us know, the NHS recommendation for both men and women is to drink no more than 14 units of alcohol per week to keep health risks low.
If you have been affected by the contents of this article, please find more information and support via Endometriosis UK on their website, or call 0808 808 2227.