Today we are discussing very common disease commonly seen in the woman. We are talking about Irregular periods. Both married as well as the unmarried woman suffers from this problem. This commonly includes the absence of menses, excess menses, scanty menses etc. If you are seeing irregular periods since long then you should see a doctor.
Every woman period cycle is different. A normal menstrual cycle occurs every 24 to 38 days and lasts about 2 to 8 days.
What’s an irregular Period?
Irregular periods occur when the duration of the cycle either increases or decrease or absent. When heavy or scanty bleeding occurs.
Causes of Irregular Periods
There are many possible causes of irregular periods. The most common cause is the change in hormone level. The two hormones that regulate the menstrual cycle are estrogen and progesterone.
- Puberty – In adolescence stage periods might be irregular like Puberty Menorrhagia.
- At the onset of the menopause
- An early stage of Pregnancy
- Use of contraception – such as the contraceptive pill or IUD
- Sudden weight loss or weight gain
- Medical conditions – such as polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) or hyperthyroidism or hypothyroidism
- Too much exercise
- breastfeeding
- Stress
- Uterine fibroids
Symptoms
Regular menstruation, predictable pattern. The fluctuation in the duration of period and the amount of bloodshed is known as irregular menstruation. The various forms of irregular menses are:
- Oligomenorrhoea – Scanty menstrual periods
- Amenorrhoea – Absence of menstrual periods for more than 3 consecutive menstrual cycles.
- Dysmenorrhoea – Severe period cramps
- Menorrhagia – Heavy and prolonged menstrual bleeding
- Polymenorrhea: Too frequent menstruation.
- Oligomenorrhea: Infrequent or light menstrual cycles
- Metrorrhagia: Bleeding which occurs in between menstrual periods
Complications
Irregular periods can be an indication of a health problem like Polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS), Cancer of the uterus or the cervix, Fibroid in the uterus, thyroid disorder, Endometriosis or Pelvic inflammatory disease (PID).
When to visit your Doctor
There are many conditions when you require medical treatment. You should see your doctor if:
- your periods are absent for more than 3 months and you’re not pregnant
- your periods are irregular
- your period duration has increased (more than 7 days) or decreased (less than 1 days)
- you need more than one pad in 1-2hrs
- you develop severe period cramps
- your period’s cycle increased (less than 21 days) or decreased (more than 35 days)
- you experience bleeding in between periods
Medical tests to diagnose the cause of Irregular Periods:
- a pelvic examination
- blood tests
- abdominal ultrasound
- pelvic and transvaginal ultrasound
- CT scan
- MRI
Treatment of Irregular Periods:
1) Healthy lifestyle: Follow a healthy lifestyle, via regular exercise, sleep on time, reduce stress, follow a healthy diet and avoid junks.
2) Medicine Therapy: Consult your healthcare provider for Irregular periods. They will rule out the cause and start treatment accordingly.
Reference: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1934056/ https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/178635.php D.C Dutta textbook of obstetrics. Disclosure: The views expressed in the blog content are independent and unbiased views of solely the blogger. DISCLAIMER: The content in this post is purely meant for educational purpose only and not to be substituted for professional medical advice. One should consult the expert for any related information
Very informative and useful post that are least discussed. It is going to create awareness among women and girls.
Mujjh to kabhi ye problem nahi hui, bas hysterectomy hua hai to fursat bhi hai
Lakin ye bahut hi acchi awareness post hai, sabko is barey me pata hona hi chaiye ??
Thanks for useful post
Thanks for sharing this , I am too suffering from PCO and having problem in my menstrual period
Such a helpful post! Loved it
Periods may be painful and annoying, but paying attention to them is important. Very nice and informative post..
Very informative post and helpful. I feel the points for when one definitely needs to go see the doctor are so important.
So well explained ..actually I too feel sometimes its irregular and visited doc ..it’s best to take medical advice.
When i was younger i believed that if i did not get periods, its a good thing but soon enough problems like PCOD nad thyroid plagued me. Very informative post!
Painful menstruation is one of the most common problems in women, and most of us take it very lightly. There are chances that it’s just not as normal as we take it, hence expert care is advise is needed.
A much needed topic for raising awareness .Its better to consult a doctor on time
This is so informative post, i do not know that weight gain or loss can also be one of the reason.
So crisp and informative article! it’s amazing, thank you for sharing this information 🙂
I have PCOD and I dont get regular periods. After my pregnancy everything was smooth but now for the last 5 – 6 months, I am facing same problem. I thought heavy flow can cause cancer.
The causes behind irregular periods is quite varied and it needs attention. One of my friend delayed it and then later had problems in conceiving, as she had PCOS. Very informative post
I didnt know much about irregular periods. I have PCOD so thanks for all your infos. Its going to help me a lot.
I have regular periods but my bestie suffers from irregular periods… Sometimes it is gone for months and sometimes she bleeds for weeks.. i need to show this to her!
My best friend is trying to get pregnant and her Gynae asked her to take Folic acid which she has been taking for past few months. She also got tested for egg development and her husband got checked for sperm count as well. What do u suggest Bushra?
Read this article yesterday and that has me thinking. So my question is that I still breastfeed my daughter and my periods are irregular. Plus I have had a history of pcod. What do you suggest ma’am? Are both the factors responsible for irregular chums or is breastfeeding doing the nasty job there?
This is a very informative post, i have suffered from irregular periods and was under medication for sometime.
Women need to pay attention to this , it’s not something to be ignored. I get regular ones but a lot of people I know doesn’t and they need to read this!
Stress, PCOS are the most common reasons of getting irregular periods. But there are many remedies and syrup for irregular menstruation that treat it without any side-effects.