Dietary Modifications

• Eat a well-balanced diet. Whether you eat a lot of fast food or miss meals and diet constantly, your body is not getting the proper nutrition it needs to function properly. Poor nutrition can physically alter the proteins in the brain, damaging their ability to send signals that trigger normal ovulation. You can prevent this from happening by making simple changes to your diet. If you are overweight, try decreasing your intake of carbohydrates. If you are underweight, try not to skip meals and focus on eating a more balanced diet.
  
  In addition, women should take medical grade multivitamins that contain calcium and magnesium, as well as a fish oil supplement. These will supplement any nutrients that are lacking in your diet and can also help balance your hormones.
  
  

Reduce Stress

• When the body is under stress, your adrenal glands secrete the hormone cortisol. Cortisol impacts the sex hormones estrogen, progesterone and DHEA and can cause an irregular menstrual cycle. Stress can be relieved through moderate exercise and relaxation techniques. According to the Mayo Clinic, the goal of any relaxation technique is to refocus your attention to something calming and increase awareness of your body. Some common relaxation methods include yoga, tai chi, meditation, hypnosis and massage.
  
  

Birth Control Pills

• If you are suffering from anovulation (lack of ovulation), or are in the transitional phase before menopause called perimenopause, a doctor may prescribe birth control pills to regulate your menstrual cycle. Birth control pills provide the body with normal amounts of estrogen. This will help regulate the menstrual cycle to every 28 days, and can also help reduce the amount and length of the menstrual period.
  
  While birth control pills are generally successful in treating an irregular menstrual cycle, there are often several side effects. Those side effects include irregular bleeding, nausea, weight gain, mood changes or tender breasts. Fortunately, these side effects typically only occur as the body adjusts to the hormonal changes created by the pill, and should disappear after two or three cycles on the pill.