What are Irregular Periods and How to Identify Them

Posted by Singapore Gynaecologist on March 12th, 2020

You may be in your mid-to-late 20s and your period suddenly stops behaving like clockwork after having regular cycles for more than a decade. You're not pregnant and you are not reaching menopause yet, so what's the deal?

Between those periods, consistently irregular cycles may indicate an issue that needs to be addressed with your gynaecologist. Behaviors, lifestyle, and environment can also cause irregular cycles. These may also be caused by the medical conditions that affect your hormones or your reproductive structural tract. Often those disorders go undiagnosed and untreated.

What is an irregular period?

A duration is considered clinically irregular when several periods are out of control in the preceding six months. People with irregular cycles can note that their phases occur occasionally, frequently or are very unpredictable.

Irregular period may be considered if: 

• Your cycle comes on more often than 21 days

• Your period go between cycle 35 days or more

• The length of your cycles varies greatly (though usually within the usual 21 to 35 days range).

Why do irregular periods happen?

According to the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), there are a number of reasons why a woman has irregular periods. When a girl starts menstruating for the first time, it might take some time before her cycles become regular. And cycles will cease to be natural until eight years before menopause. Common causes of irregular periods include:

• Uncontrolled diabetes - Women with unmonitored diabetes may have irregular periods because the relationship between blood sugar levels and hormones will interfere with the menstrual cycle of a woman.

• Eating disorders - Women with conditions such as anorexia or bulimia may have irregular or missing cycles because their bodies do not produce enough hormones and circulate enough to regulate the menstrual cycle.

• Hyperprolactinemia - Women may have irregular periods if they have too much protein hormone called prolactin in their blood.

• Medications - Certain medications such as antiepileptics and antipsychotics may also cause irregular periods.

• Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is triggered by imbalanced sex hormones that can interrupt normal menstruation.

• Premature ovarian failure - According to National Institutes of Health, female ovaries with premature ovarian failure stop working before age 40. However, some women with this disorder still tend to have cycles.

• Pregnancy or breastfeeding - A missed period can be a symptom of early pregnancy and breast-feeding usually delays menstrual return following pregnancy.

• Pelvic Inflammatory Disease (PID) - This reproductive organ infection can cause irregular menstrual periods. 

• Fibroids to the uterine - The uterine fibroids are non-cancerous growth of the uterine. These can cause heavy periods and prolonged periods.

How can I track my menstrual cycle?

Start keeping a record of your menstrual cycle on a calendar to find out what's normal for you. Start by monitoring your start date in a row for several months per month to assess the regularity of your periods. If you are worried about your periods, then note the following every month as well:

• End date - How long, usually, does your period last? Is this longer than usual, or shorter? 

• Flow - Note how strong your flow is. Does it seem lighter than normal, or heavier? How often do you need to change your sanitary pad? Have you ever been through any blood clots? 

• Abnormal bleeding - Are you bleeding in times between?

• Unusual pain - Describe any pain relating to your period. Does the pain actually feel worse than usual? 

• Other changes - Did you experience any mood or behavioral changes? Has anything new happened in your cycles around the time of the change?

When you're concerned about your reproductive health, speak to your doctor about whether your periods are normal or not. It is easier to inquire and get reassurance that all is good than overlooking a possible issue or refusing to disclose a warning symptom that could help your doctor make a diagnosis.