very irregular periods

[kinkstarr.livejournal.com]

Okay well I got my period when I was around 15 (I'm 18 now), and ever since then it's been very irregular. The length of it is about the same (6-ish days), but the occurrence is the problem. It can come regularly for two months, then not come for 3 - 4 months, then come once and not show up for another 3 - 4 months, then come regularly ... you get the idea. I've had my period at all times of the month, shortest time between them was around 2 - 3 weeks, longest about 4 - 5 months.

When I was almost 17 my mom took me to the gyno to get checked, and I had a pelvic ultrasound done, and the gyno couldn't find anything wrong; he said it would probably sort itself out in a year or so (I was a competitive swimmer and I trained a lot). But in the last two years I've stopped training intensively and the erratic pattern, if you can even call it that, hasn't stopped. The last time I had my period was in April, and before that in February.

I'm not on birth control or any medication, I exercise quite regularly (though not intensively), and according to the gyno I have no conditions like endometriosis.

Should I be worried about this?

Comments

[jennifer0246.livejournal.com]

Well, sometimes periods are just wonky. There're lots of reasons for that, and I'm sure your doctor could elaborate for you. Because it's concerning to you, I'd say to go ahead and have your physician re-check things to reassure you. If you're sexually active (you don't say here), you should be having regular pelvic exams and pap smears anyhow. Good luck to you! :)

[jocelina.livejournal.com]

I would not worry about it if I were you. :)

I started my period at fifteen too (which is probably unrelated, but kind of interesting nonetheless) and my periods didn't really become predictably regular until I was twenty-four or so (I'm twenty-six now).

I think they may have started becoming more regular a little earlier, but I didn't really notice until I started charting my cycle. I used The Cycles Page (http://www.cyclespage.com/), but there are many other similar sites around -- most offer their basic service for free, too. One of the other ones I've heard of/seen is MyMonthlyCycles.com (http://www.mymonthlycycles.com), but I haven't used that one myself.

I don't know if that's something you'd be interested in doing, but if it sounds at all intriguing to you I definitely recommend giving it a try. :) I actually found it really fun, and now that I'm on hormonal birth control I kind of miss doing it.

[br0ken_dolly]

i started at 13 and didnt get it again until i was 15. i was *so* irregular... i think i "averaged" 45 days, but that was like a range of 21-65 days or something. it was *such* a hassle. i just put up with it until i was old enough to get myself on depo (which stopped them altogether) and then the pill (which regulated them, and they were fake periods anyway). there was a brief period in college (when i was about 22) when i wasn't on anything, and they had seemed to have regulated themselves a bit (my cycle range was like 30-40 days at that time) and then i went back on bc.

i'm 28 now and just got off bcpills. i got a depo shot but once that's done, i'm going to go without hormones and see what happens. i feel like my body's *finally* matured so i'm hoping that means i'll have a regular cycle.

if your cycle's annoying you, and if you have the option to go on hormonal bc, i do recommend it-- i didn't like taking the hormones and taking *another* pill, but the fact that my cycle was so predictable was *so* nice (especially after all the "inconveniences" i had before).

i'm guessing that it just takes several years for our bodies to fully adjust to doing the menstruation/maturing thing. when i was 21-22, i had a *huge* growth spurt where i grew 2 inches and went up a cup size (no weight change). so if *that* happened, the girly bits were probably changing, too.

[kinkstarr.livejournal.com]

yeah it is inconvenient... i don't swim as much now but i still compete, and it's awful to compete with your period.

i was thinking of going on birth control but my mother being who she is (and it doesn't help that most of my friends are boys) would probably jump to the wrong assumption and eh.
not to mention, i've heard that birth control can make you gain/lose quite a bit and have mood swings and such :\

[br0ken_dolly]

i know what you mean.

it's too bad your mother wouldn't just understand how much of a pain it is to not know when your period is coming when you're an active person!

as far as the side effects to bc go, everyone's different. my weight actually never changed on bc, but after several years, my moods did start to bother me. don't let that deter you, just keep in mind you may have to try a few different flavors of pills :)

i understand where youre coming from tho.

[born-deprived.livejournal.com]

I have a similar situation. My period only comes about every six months. When I was 15 or 16 (i'm 21 now) I went to the doctor, and just like you, nothing was wrong. He told me I probably had low estrogen, and that everything was working, just at a slower pace. He said it wouldn't matter until I wanted to have a baby. Later, however, another doctor told me it is unhealthy to have fewer than 4 periods a year. If you're really concerned about it, you should consider going on HBC.

[bflygirl.livejournal.com]

I started my period when I was 16. Then for about 3 years I had irregular periods like you, sometimes once a month and sometimes not for up to 6 months. It was annoying not to know when my period would come, so at 19 I went on BC to make my periods regular. I use a low hormone BC and it works well...no mood changes and no weight changes. I am now 25 and this year I went off the BC for about 6 months and my period only came once so it is still irregular, so I went back on the bc. My doc says that it is ok, just due to my being an athlete and a little below ideal weight for my height. I would say to go on BC if it really bothers you. Going on BC has made me much more comfortable with my period cause I know when it will come and how long it will last.