# anovulation can be related to weight changes, stress or excessive exercise > AUB-O can also be related to weight loss or weight gain, psychological stress, excessive exercise, or medications that affect dopamine metabolism.[[(Jones and Sung, 2022)#^6za78]] > What might cause disturbances in ovulation?[[(Prior, 2014)#^478xe]] > A woman must be in good emotional, nutritional and social health to regularly ovulate. It makes sense that a woman who is under emotional stress is less likely to ovulate > It also makes sense to not become pregnant if you are starving! Therefore, someone who is not starving but who is eating fewer calories than she burns will also have a subtle change in her menstrual cycle—she’ll have disturbed ovulation (5). If she is losing a lot of weight, the period may stop all together.[[(Prior, 2014)#^paut5]] > many “threats” such as being emotionally upset, not eating enough to cover our body’s energy needs, being ill or over-exercising (almost always along with inadequate caloric intake, +/- stress) can cause ovulation disturbances[[(Prior, 2014)#^o8x3s]] > Ovulation disturbances – meaning not ovulating or ovulating with too short a time from ovulation until the period (short luteal phase cycle) – are commonly caused by emotional, social, nutritional or physical stress (like illness or too much exercise for a woman’s adaptation or food intake)[[(Prior, 2014)#^0zm0f]]