Can I Treat Irregular Periods
For beginners, women should strive to start making lifestyle changes to promote optimal endocrine system health. An optimized diet and exercise along with wholesome habits can help women improve their overall health and cope with the changes they are experiencing. There are also alternative medicines available that can further boost the body’s efforts.
Click on the link to learn more about these natural and effective irregular period treatments, many of which can also be used to alleviate other bothersome menopause symptoms for optimal health far into one’s twilight years.
Drugs You Are Currently Taking
Preventing pregnancy may sometimes come with its side effects. Birth control pills are common both in the United Kingdom and the United States. A lot of women uses them for several reasons.
Sometimes, depending on whichever pills youre on, menstruation may cease from coming.
Traditionally, most pills require you take then for 21 days and a free 7 days where you are on placebo or no pill at all. This type of pills will not stop your period from coming for months.
However, the new kinds of birth control pills or inserts may end period for a long time. Seasonale contraceptivesare well-known around the world and can stop menstruation for about 84 days .
Before taking any medication, its important to know how they could affect your health. Talk to your doctor and ask many other questions as required.
On the other hand, not being compliant with your pills will not prevent pregnancy. These pills demand you take them every day and at the same time. If youve not been compliant, chances are, you may be pregnant.
Youre In Early Menopause
Early menopause, also known as premature ovarian failure, happens when your ovaries stop working before you turn 40.
When your ovaries arent working the way they should, they dont produce enough estrogen. As estrogen levels drop to all-time lows, you will begin to experience the symptoms of menopause.
Late or missed periods may be an early sign. You may also experience hot flashes, night sweats, and trouble sleeping.
Other signs of premature ovarian failure include:
- vaginal dryness
Recommended Reading: How To Calculate Due Date With Irregular Periods
Months Missed Period But Get A Negative Pregnancy Test
As a gynecologist, I find many patients who have 2 months missed period but get a negative pregnancy test. Usually, everyone knows missing her period is a sign of pregnancy. One of the common misconceptions about pregnancy is that.
But this idea is not entirely correct. Missing a period is just one of the symptoms of pregnancy. But that doesnt mean shes going to get pregnant. In todays article, I will discuss some of the possible causes of missed periods and pregnancy symptoms.
How To Regulate Your Menstrual Cycle
There are certain measures that can help to prevent delayed periods and regulate the menstrual cycle, like:
- A healthy lifestyle, with regular physical exercise and a healthy and varied diet, rich in fruits and vegetables
- Taking the contraceptive pill, as it can help to regulate the menstrual cycle
- Avoid extreme or restrictive diets, which, as well as doing harm to your health, end up making your menstrual cycle irregular
- Follow the indicated treatment if you have been diagnosed with Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome or thyroid disorders
- Maintain a healthy weight.
While these measures help to keep your cycles regular, you should still consult a doctor if you experience irregular periods.
Don’t Miss: What Happens If You Miss Your Period For 2 Months
Youve Upped Your Workout Intensity
A strenuous exercise regimen can also cause missed periods. This is most common in those who train for several hours a day. It happens because, whether intentionally or not, youre burning way more calories than you are taking in.
When you burn too many calories, your body doesnt have enough energy to keep all its systems running. This can lead to a hormonal imbalance that throws off your menstrual cycle, leading to missed or late periods.
Periods typically go back to normal as soon as you stop training so hard or increase your caloric intake.
Polycystic ovary syndrome is a set of symptoms caused by an imbalance of reproductive hormones. People with PCOS dont ovulate regularly. As a result, your periods may be lighter than normal, arrive at inconsistent times, or disappear altogether.
Other PCOS symptoms can include:
- excess or coarse facial and body hair
- acne on the face and body
- thinning hair
- weight gain or trouble losing weight
- dark patches of skin, often on the neck creases, groin, and underneath breasts
- skin tags in the armpits or neck
Ive Missed My Period For Four Months And Im Not Sexually Active Whats Going On
By | Aug. 2, 2011, 2:30 p.m.
Category:
Ive never missed a period before and Ive missed it for 4 months, & Im not sexually active or stressed/over/underweight/or on birth control. Im 16 & I cant ask my parents to take me to a gyno. Whats going on?
In the first few years of having your period, some changes in your menstrual cycle are normal. In addition, even if youre at a healthy weight, excessive exercise or changes in your weight can also cause you to skip a period. And your period can also be late or absent for no real reason at all.
If you continue to miss periods, you should see a health care provider. Six months or more of going without a period may indicate problems with hormones, the uterus, or the ovaries. So its important to get yourself checked out. A lot of teenagers are nervous to ask their parents about having a gynecological visit and exam, but chances are your parents are just as concerned as you are about your health. If, for whatever reason, you absolutely cant ask your parents to take you to a health care provider, you can go by yourself. Contact your local Planned Parenthood health center to find out about how you can do that.
Tags:missed periods, periods, pregnancy
Don’t Miss: Can You Still Get Period Cramps While Pregnant
You Have A Chronic Condition
Certain chronic health problems, especially celiac disease and diabetes, are sometimes associated with menstrual irregularities.
Celiac disease is an autoimmune disease that affects your digestive system. When people with celiac disease eat gluten, their immune system reacts by attacking the lining of the small intestine.
When the small intestine is damaged, it impairs the bodys ability to absorb nutrients from food. This can lead to malnourishment, which affects normal hormone production and leads to missed periods and other menstrual irregularities.
Those with type 1 and type 2 diabetes might also experience a missed period in rare cases. This tends to only happen when blood sugar levels are not managed.
The Basics Of Birth Control Pills
When you swallow birth control pills, youre ingesting one or more synthetic hormones. This could be a combination of estrogen and progestin, or just progestin, depending on the type of birth control that youre taking. These hormones work to prevent pregnancy in three different ways.
First, they work to prevent your ovaries from ovulating, or releasing an egg each month.
They also thicken the cervical mucus, which makes it harder for sperm to reach an egg if one is released. The hormones can thin the uterine lining, too. This means that if an egg does get fertilized, itll be difficult for it to attach to the uterine lining and develop.
Birth control pills are over 99 percent effective when used correctly. This means taking the pill at the same time every day. If you miss a day or youre late taking your pill, the efficacy can decrease. With typical use, the failure rate is about
Several different types of birth control pills are available.
Some are similar to the pill packs that were first made available in 1960. They included 21 days of pills with active hormones and seven placebo or inactive pills. When you take an inactive pill, it allows for bleeding that mimics normal menstruation.
There are also packs that allow for 24 days of active pills and a shorter menstrual-like bleeding period.
Extended-cycle or continuous regimens consist of a couple of months worth of active pills. They can either reduce the number of periods you have or eliminate your period entirely.
Also Check: What Would Cause My Period To Be Late
Missed Periods Intermittent Spotting Heavy Bleeding And Flooding
Changes in periods vary widely as hormones adjust. As mentioned in other parts of this site this is a time to really tune into your body and trust your instincts. As you can see from this list it’s hard to define what perimenopause periods are like:
Periods can disappear for a year and then return.
My Second Spring E-book
The Best Friends Guide: Anxiety – A Practical Toolkit For Moving Beyond Anxiety at Menopause – 12
Thanks Girls another great book ! Well done My Second Spring, the advice is practical, down to earth and Im already working on my toolkit. Thank you so much
Other Ways To Skip Your Period
Taking birth control pills arent the only way to skip your period. Other options include the progestin-releasing intrauterine device , progestin injection , progestin implant , and the combination NuvaRing or contraceptive patches.
The Mirena IUD works even better than pills to reduce overall bleeding, Dabney says. Many women on the Mirena IUD either get very light periods or no periods at all.
If you arent sure about the pill, speak with your doctor about your other options. Make sure you speak with your doctor before using a birth control patch to skip your period. Compared to birth controls pills, the patch has a slightly increased risk for blood clotting. However, the patch is the same general formulation as combination pills.
You May Like: Can You Swim On Your Period With A Pad
Home Urine Pregnancy Tests
- Home urine pregnancy tests do not cost very much. They are easy to use. Most drugstores sell these tests. No prescription is needed.
- Urine pregnancy tests are very accurate. They can turn positive as early as the first week after a missed period.
- It is best to do the pregnancy test first thing in the morning. Reason: hormone levels are higher in the morning urine.
- Sometimes, a home test is negative even if you think you might be pregnant. In this case, repeat the test. Do the repeat test in 3-5 days. You can also go to a doctor’s office for testing.
- A pregnancy testing fact sheet can be found at www.womenshealth.gov. Search “pregnancy tests.”
When To Visit The Doctor
While there are many factors that can affect the regularity of your periods, an occasional late period is often for no clear reason at all, according to Dr. Berman. But if it’s happening frequentlyor if you’re experiencing other symptomsspeak to a doctor.
“Many people will, for various reasons, occasionally not ovulate and this can cause an early or delayed menses,” he says. “Depending on history, it may require further testing to determine the cause.”
Make an appointment with your doctor if you can’t pinpoint the reasons for a late period your health care provider may want to check for certain health conditions. It’s also important to note that vaginal bleeding after a late period may not be the monthly visitor you were expecting.
“Anybody who experiences heavy bleeding and pain after a missed period and/or a positive pregnancy test should go to the doctor,” says Dr. McDonald. “All bleeding is not a period, especially in a setting where something is off.”
Don’t Miss: How To Stop Heavy Bleeding During Periods Home Remedies
A Change In Your Schedule
Changing schedules can throw off your body clock. If you frequently change work shifts from days to nights, or if your schedule is generally all over the place, your period can be fairly unpredictable.
A change in your schedule shouldn’t cause you to completely miss your period, but it can cause your period to start earlier or later than expected. Your cycle can also change by a few days if you experience jet lag.
Treatments For A Late Period And Pregnancy
In general, if youve missed a period and you know youre not pregnant, you dont need specific treatment or care. However, if you were having a regular cycle and youve stopped, if youre experiencing bleeding at unexpected times, if its been more than 45 days since your last period, and if you have additional symptoms that point to other concerns, your doctor will likely look into treatment options. Depending on the cause, your doctor may prescribe hormone therapy like birth control pills or other medication, or they might be able to suggest lifestyle changes to help you have a regular period cycle.
If your late period is a sign of pregnancy, your doctor can help you come up with a treatment plan to be sure you receive the proper care and regular checkups throughout your pregnancy.
Read Also: Is There A Pill That Will Stop Your Period
Why Am I Not Getting My Period At All
The medical term for absent periods is amenorrhea, and is considered to occur when a woman who has previously had normal periods stops menstruating for six months or more. Many of the causes of amenorrhea are the same as those for a skipped period. Your period can be absent for a number of reasons:
Pregnancy
The most common reason to not get your period is because you are pregnant. A home pregnancy test can quickly tell you if that is the reason.
Menopause
Most women stop getting their periods in their late 40s or early 50s. The average age is 51 years old.
Breastfeeding
If you breastfeed frequently, including at night-time, you may not get a period for many months. Be aware that you will ovulate prior to getting your period back, so birth control is important if you are not ready to be pregnant again.
Stress
While a sudden stressful life event can result in a single missed period, ongoing, high level stress and anxiety can cause your period to stop altogether. Managing stress though self-care, counselling, changing your life circumstances, medication, or other strategies can help you return to having normal periods.
Weight loss
Ongoing, dramatic weight loss, from low intake, excessive exercise, gastric bypass surgery, or eating disorders such as anorexia or bulimia can stop your period. This happens because the hormones required for ovulation are not produced.
Underweight
Obesity
High levels of prolactin
Ashermans syndrome
Absent uterus
Premature ovarian failure
Thank You Second Springers For Commenting
Have a read of the very useful comments and discussions below to gain an understanding of the variety of women’s’ experiences of periods around the time of perimenopause. Many thanks to these fabulous Second Spring women for taking the time to comment and share their experiences. We all learn so much from each other. This menopause conversation needs to be louder and clearer to stop women from suffering in silence and feeling very isolated.
My Second Spring E-book
The Silk PIllowcase
Luxury mulberry silk, 19 momme, the ideal weight for a pillowcase. Eco-friendly, anti-bacterial, luxurious feel. Generous envelope closure for easy tucking and smooth finish. Gift box contains one silk pillowcase. Size: Queen/Standard 51cm x 75cm Colour: Ivory
Don’t Miss: My Period Is 6 Days Late
Missed Periods And Pregnancy
If youve had unprotected sex, you may have missed your period because youre pregnant. You may want to rule out pregnancy first by taking a pregnancy test, or you can see if you need to take a test with our .
Keep an eye out for any , like:
- tender breasts
These symptoms coupled with a missed period could mean you are pregnant
Menopause Symptoms Can Feel Like Pms
Some women develop symptoms of Premenstrual Syndrome for the first time or have more acute levels of their normal PMS. These symptoms can be physical, psychological, or emotional. Most of us will have had some level of PMS during the second half of the monthly cycle over the years. Symptoms may have been getting stronger during your 30s and 40s, approaching menopause. Most common symptoms are irritability, aggression, tearfulness, mood swings, breast pain and fluid retention.
My Second Spring E-book
Read Also: What Will Help Period Cramps Go Away
If You Are Having Very Difficult Symptoms Of Menopause Including Irregular Periods You Should Consider Some Changes To Your Lifestyle As Necessary
Please visit our Treatments page and Lifestyle pages for some information and inspiration on a wide variety of topics from Nutrition to Exercise, Sex and your changing home and wardrobe at midlife. Here at My Second Spring, we’re interested in chatting to you about all things midlife not just the pesky symptoms of menopause. We hope you’ll find lots of cool articles to read there and also on our blog.
What Are Irregular Periods
Even though girls get their periods on a cycle, that cycle can take different amounts of time each month. For example, a girl might get her period after 24 days one month and after 42 days the next. These are called irregular periods.
Irregular periods are very common, especially in a girl’s first few years of getting her period.
Also Check: Why Am I Bleeding 2 Weeks After My Last Period
Is It Normal To Miss A Period
There are several times in a persons life when irregular periods are expected: when a person first starts having periods , during breastfeeding, and at the beginning of perimenopause . On average, most people get their periods every 28 days. But a healthy persons menstrual cycle can last from 21 to 35 days. Apart from puberty, menopause, and pregnancy, a missed period may indicate a health issue.