There are several health conditions related to women's reproductive health, and irregular or missed period is one of the most predominant. This condition involves a missed or irregular monthly cycle of menstruation. Menstruation typically lasts four to seven days, occurring roughly every 28 days, but when it occurs in fewer than 21 days or more than 35 days apart, three or more periods are missed regularly with abnormal blood flow, it is known as an irregular period. This is one of the most common conditions regardless of age.
Females can experience menstrual irregularities for many reasons. Despite being one of the most common issues, missed periods can create serious concerns. This can signal underlying health conditions that may require immediate attention. This can lead to pain, heavier or lighter bleeding than usual, creating difficulties in achieving pregnancy in later time. This needs to be addressed on time by expert professionals to avoid complications.
An Overview of Irregular Periods
Generally, most women have their periods every 28 days, which can last for 4 to 7 days. Especially when this cycle is not followed every month and a period is delayed more than 35 days, or occurs earlier than 21 days, or is absent for months, which is also known as amenorrhea, it can be called irregular periods. Women with menstrual disorders can experience severe cramps, unusually heavy or light flow, nausea or vomiting, and often spotting between periods.
Irregular periods can result from several conditions, such as changes in hormonal level including estrogen and progesterone, and increased levels of androgen can also interfere with menstruation, causing conditions like PCOS (Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome), a common health condition related to women's reproductive health.
Common Causes of Irregular Periods
Menstrual disorder can be caused by multiple reasons, ranging from stress, hormonal changes, to underlying health conditions. To manage menstrual disorder, it requires understanding what experts like Dr. Prasenjit Kumar Roy say about the potential reasons for this condition, such as :
Endometriosis
According to experts, endometriosis is one of the major reasons for irregular menstrual cycles. This condition results from the growth of endometrial tissues resembling the uterine lining outside the uterus. It affects the reproductive organs like the uterus, fallopian tubes, cervix, and ovaries, causing abnormal bleeding, cramps, or severe pain before or during periods.
PID or Pelvic Inflammatory Disease
This condition involves bacterial infection, especially when an STI (Sexually Transmitted Infection) is left untreated, and the bacteria enter the vagina and spread to the uterus and genital tract. Women with PID can experience symptoms like heavy vaginal discharge with foul odour, irregular periods, and pelvic pain.
PCOS
Women suffering from PCOS (Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome) have ovaries producing large amounts of androgen or male hormones, leading to excessive hair growth in the mouth, neck, back or abdominal areas. These conditions cause the growth of several sac-filled cysts in the ovaries, causing a delay in ovulation, and this is one of the major reasons for irregular or missed periods where ovarian function is disrupted.
Uterine Polyps
These are non-cancerous growths or benign tumours in the uterus, which are known as uterine polyps. This condition affects the functioning of the uterus and causes irregular periods. Often, it can lead to difficulty in pregnancy, resulting in infertility.
Thyroid or Pituitary Gland Disorder
When thyroid hormone is underactive, it leads to hypothyroidism, and when thyroid hormone is overactive, it results in hyperthyroidism, and these disorders in the thyroid or pituitary glands affect hormonal balance. This leads to irregular or missed periods.
Primary Ovarian Insufficiency
When women under the age of 40 whose ovaries do not function as they should can lead to missed or irregular periods. Often it resulting into early menopause when the period stops completely. Insufficient ovarian function can be caused during cancer treatment, such as chemotherapy or radiation, or due to an autoimmune condition leading to irregular periods.
Lifestyle Factors
Certain lifestyle factors can lead to menstrual disorders, such as stress, eating junk or ultra-processed food, and lack of physical activity, which leads to unusual weight gain and weight loss, improper sleep schedule, resulting in hormonal changes.
Symptoms of Irregular Period
There are several factors responsible for irregular menstruation or missed periods. However, it is crucial to understand the symptoms that can signal a woman is having a menstrual disorder, allowing for timely medical intervention to avoid serious complications such as pelvic disorders, infertility, vaginal infections affecting their reproductive health.
The symptoms include:
- Changes in how long your period lasts and how often you menstruate. It can last fewer or more than four to seven days, not following a regular cycle each month.
- Significant changes in bleeding, causing heavier or lighter flow than usual, and spotting during periods
- Experiencing intense cramps and pain during periods
- Often, changes in vision
- Unusual growth of facial hair, which is known as hirsutism, is also noticed in the neck, back, and abdomen when suffering from irregular periods.
- Changes in mood causing extreme irritability, anxiety, or depression
- Unexplained fatigue, increasing growth of acne, headaches, feeling tired
- Obesity or gaining weight in significant amounts, or being underweight and losing weight without any obvious reasons.
- Having underdeveloped breasts
- Unusual milky discharge from breasts
- Difficulty in conceiving, delayed pregnancy, or infertility.
When Should You Consult a Doctor for Irregular Periods?
When you experience three or more missed periods and are not pregnant, bleeding between periods, and your cycle is inconsistent, shorter than 21 days, and longer than 35 days, you may require expert intervention. With irregular periods, you may experience unusually heavy bleeding, such as soaking through a sanitary pad, passing large clots, severe pain, a period lasting longer or shorter than seven days, vaginal bleeding, nausea or vomiting, diarrhea, and this requires professional care.
You can consult renowned gynaecologist and obstetrician doctors in Siliguri to address the concerns of irregular periods with timely care. Even if you think these symptoms can signal pregnancy, you should also see a healthcare provider.
How Are Irregular Periods Diagnosed?
If you notice changes in your menstrual cycle, keeping records of the timeline can significantly help the experts to evaluate the reasons for irregular periods. Being vigilant about the amount of flow, the intensity of cramping, bleeding between periods or passing large clots and sharing with the healthcare provider will help them diagnose the condition.
Expert professionals conduct some physical tests to identify causes of missed periods, such as :
Pelvic Ultrasound
The professionals perform a pelvic ultrasound, which creates images of pelvic organs such as the uterus and ovaries to detect ovarian cysts, fibroids, endometrial thickening, and tubal changes. These pictures are called sonograms, and they are a safe and quick imaging procedure that doctors use to examine menstrual disorders.
Endometrial Biopsy
The healthcare provider uses an endometrial biopsy, where they collect a sample of tissue from the lining of the uterus and examine it under a microscope. This procedure helps them diagnose endometriosis, hormonal imbalances or precancerous cells.
Hysteroscopy
This procedure allows the doctor to look inside your uterus to diagnose and treat the cause of abnormal bleeding. A diagnostic Hysteroscope involves a thin tube inserted into your vagina to examine the cervix and inside of your uterus.
Blood Tests
To detect hormonal imbalances or conditions like PCOS, healthcare professionals check hormone levels such as thyroid, prolactin, estrogen, and progesterone through blood tests.
Treatment Options for Irregular Periods
The treatment options your health care provider will provide for irregular periods depend on the underlying cause.
Possible options include:
Hormonal Birth Control Pill
You can be provided with oral or injectable contraceptives containing estrogen or progestin to regulate cycles and create a predictable period.
Tranexamic Acid
Your doctor may prescribe this medication to treat heavy menstrual bleeding before the cycle starts.
Hormonal Therapy
This can be a possible treatment option to help with perimenopause and other menopausal symptoms like hot flashes and vaginal dryness.
GnRH Agnostics
You can be prescribed these medications to treat conditions like endometriosis. It shrinks the size of uterine fibroids and regulates heavy bleeding.
Endometrial Ablation
You might undergo this surgical procedure that uses heat, cold or different types of energy to remove the uterus lining and control heavy bleeding.
Hysterectomy
In severe cases, such as when the uterus is severely damaged, doctors may perform a hysterectomy to remove excess endometrial tissue growing in the pelvis.
Myomectomy
This procedure is performed by the surgeons to remove uterine fibroids affecting menstrual health.
Prevention Tips for Healthy Menstrual Cycles
Here are some self-care recommendations for irregular periods:
- Try to follow a healthy lifestyle, such as eating nutritious foods and exercising moderately, daily.
- Make sure you get sufficient rest
- Practise stress management and relaxation techniques
- Limit prolonged exercise routines
- Take birth control pills
Follow up with your gynaecologist regularly
FAQs
1) What is defined as a “normal” cycle?
A typical menstrual cycle can last from 21 to 35 days; it is not strictly the same for everyone.
2) Is it normal to miss a period?
Occasionally, missing one or two periods is not concerning, especially during lifestyle changes, but if the cycle is persistently missed, it may require medical investigations.
3) Can irregular periods affect my ability to conceive?
Yes, it can lead to difficulties in pregnancy as they often mean irregular ovulation requiring early intervention.
Conclusion
Experiencing irregular periods and menstrual disorders can be caused by many reasons. Most of the causes of irregular periods are not serious and are often treatable with medication and lifestyle changes advised by a healthcare provider.
Noticing slight differences between cycles or the duration of the period is not always a matter of worry. Consulting an experienced gynaecologist like Dr. Prasenjit Kr Roy can help identify the underlying cause early and guide you toward appropriate care for long-term menstrual and reproductive health.
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