Another worrying effect of climate change has surfaced after research published in a scientific journal has found a link between high levels of air pollution and women who experienceirregular periods.

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The study was carried out by scientists at Boston University Medical Campus and Harvard School of Public Health and took into account data from 34,832 women exposed to varying levels of air pollution in their high-school years.

The research concluded that pollution – which is already known for being one of the leading causes of premature death – also has a detrimental effect on the regularity of a woman’s menstrual cycle.

The scary news is that researchers still don’t fully understand *why* climate change affects the quality of air, but have suggested that irregular periods could become more widespread as climate change worsens.

"The menstrual cycle is responsive to hormonal regulation,” the study, published in journal Human Reproduction, explained. “Particulate matter air pollution has demonstrated hormonal activity."

We already know that pollutants can wreak havac on our bodies – with changes in metabolism and increased stress being two factors that are affectedwhen a person is exposed to polluted air for a long period of time.

All in all, this is just one more reminder that we need to start paying more attention to our planet.