Dr. Marjorie Greenfield
Specializing in pregnancy and birth.
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 Ask Dr. Greenfield
Irregular Periods | | | QUESTION | | | Dear Dr. Greenfield,
I am 35 years old, and my menstrual cycle is irregular to the extent that I have only had a period every 40 to 50 days for the past six months. However it has now been 72 days since my last period, and I am concerned that I might be pregnant. What are the chances of getting pregnant with such an irregular cycle? Even at my age, I am scared to go and find out what's wrong with me.
— Worried in UK | | | ANSWER |
May 23, 2001 | | | Dear Worried,
We often get so used to regular periods being a sign that "everything is working properly" that when the cycles are off, it can feel quite disconcerting. In reality, there are only a few likely causes of your problem, none of which are life threatening.
There are a few different reasons that your periods may be irregular. Of course, pregnancy is always a possibility, but a home pregnancy test will answer that question. Irregular ovulation (when you only ovulate sometimes) and a hormonal imbalance called anovulation (when you do not ovulate at all) are also pretty common.
The first question to ask is: what you want? If you wanted to get pregnant, you might need medications to help you conceive. Assuming that you don't want to be pregnant, a few simple blood tests will usually establish the cause of the problem and then, if necessary, you can take medications that will regulate your periods.
The biggest problem with irregular periods, if you do have a hormonal imbalance, is that your body's hormone state may not be good for you in the long run. Untreated anovulatory cycles can lead to excessively heavy bleeding and (over decades) cancer of the uterus. If your doctor diagnoses anovulation, you may be prescribed hormone pills (such as a progestin or a birth control pill) to rectify the hormonal imbalance.
The good news is, while I strongly recommend that you see your doctor about the problem, it is very unlikely that your irregular periods are caused by a serious medical condition. But an evaluation and a few preventative measures now may save you from lots of problems later. Take care!— by Marjorie Greenfield, M.D. |
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