Some persons would have intrusive thoughts or an obsession and they would feel the need to do certain actions repeatedly. By this, they would be able to get some relief from the distress caused by obsession. This is known as OCD or Obsessive Compulsive Disorder and it is a mental and behavioural disorder. Both men as well as women can get OCD.

Various important symptoms of OCD are cleaning and hand washing repeatedly, fear of misplacing something, aggressive thoughts towards others etc.

In females, worries due to OCD could become extreme during menstruation or periods. Mood swings during periods could affect OCD and it would make it worse. Women with OCD could find it harder to deal with the stress during their periods. Therefore, it is a 2 way process.

Ways by which OCD could affect menstruation or periods are

Hormonal fluctuation:

Point is that OCD symptoms could get worsened by hormonal changes during the menstrual cycle. Stress and anxiety could become more due to the low levels of estrogen and progesterone and this would trigger obsessions etc So, please take care.

Increased stress:

Women would have more stress during their periods if they have OCD in them. That is because they would worry more about cleanliness during their periods.

Pregnancy and childbirth:

During pregnancy, the lifestyle of the woman would be different and these changes could impact OCD symptoms. Point is that the postpartum period would be challenging for new mothers. Symptoms of OCD could get triggered also.

Compulsive behaviour:

Women with OCD would repeatedly check her blood flow during their periods and avoid doing certain activities etc.

Body image concerns:

Women would get skin based issues like acne and digestive issues like bloating etc during periods. Worries related to body image could get worsened by these issues. Point is that body image worries could be related to both OCD and menstruation.