Extremely irregular periods - what can be done? If anything?

[Pinkflipflop]

I'm a little bit of a fraud as I'm not actually TTC yet, but hopefully will in the not too distant future!

Anyway does anyone know what can be done (if anything) for really irregular periods?
My cycles can vary in length from 35 days to 54 days and I am currently on 60 days since my last period.

I am definitely not pg! Just would like to look in to this before I TTC.

[ShowOfHands]

You need to see your GP.

With cycles that vary to that extent, there's probably an underlying cause and I'd hazard a guess at there being a good chance you aren't ovulating regularly.

The simple things that will be done first are hormone tests.

There are a lot of correctable reasons why your cycles may be irregular but the GP should be your first point of contact.

[ShowOfHands]

Anything else notable btw? Any weight issues, acne, loss of hair, increased amounts of hair on your body??

Any pain like period pain, mid-cycle pain?

Any dizziness, fatigue etc?

All the sorts of things that can narrow down possible causes and avenues to think about.

[chosenone]

yes see your GP to check. I had this longest cycle 60 days and they checked my thyroid, FSH and some other things! I was told all was fine but would need to keep sperm supplies regular. I tried to pinpoint Ov and rarely could ist time ttc apart from once. So DS took 11 months and we had sex every other day for 60 days!!!! Still doing every other day with nausea and breast tenderness, turned out already 5 weeks PG! Some people may suggest various herbal remedies or grapefruit juice but I think lots of sex and remember you always ov 14 days before your period so on a 35 day cycle ov happened around day 21! good luck. BTW DD took one month after the 11 months for DS and still not regular!

[FreeButtonBee]

I have found acupuncture has really helped regulate my cycle (TTC for 5 months - no luck yet) I had up to 50 odd days between periods and this has been much more in the 30-35 range since starting acupuncture. Still the odd left field 45 day-er. I am hoping that it was a one off last month.

I have PCOS which causes irregular periods and I don't always ovulate. I have been temping since Jan which is also helpful. It shows that some month I just don't ovulate at all - even if I do eventually have a period. Also on the shagging every other day from about day 16 here.

[ShowOfHands]

You don't always ovulate 14 days before your period. The average woman does.

If you are ovulating regularly, the time between when you ovulate and your period (your luteal phase) is generally pretty fixed and shouldn't vary by more than a couple of days. But a normal luteal phase is between 10 and 16 days and some women are outside of this even and still considered 'normal' or certainly fertile.

[Pinkflipflop]

No other symptoms that you list or that you would associate with pcos.

What will the gp do? I know this sounds feeble but I have a deep fear of being prodded (will deal with that later down the line if get pg)

[ShowOfHands]

To start with some blood tests. Do needles come under 'prodded'?

[PieMistress]

I can't speak from experience but I have read good things about Agnus Castus for helping to regulate cycles?

[Flickstar]

I have found that regular exercise (5/6 times a week) has worked wonders for regulating my cycles. If your blood tests are inconclusive then you will probably have to have an internal scan to see if your ovaries are cystic. It is much less scary than it sounds and is not painful at all.

[AttilaTheMeerkat]

Pink,

I would also get this problem looked at now before you actively start to ttc.
My periods were irregular very much like yours prior to ttc and in my case anyway the cause was PCOS. I had no real apparant symptoms apart from the irregular cycle (and also severe period pain which was due to endometriosis) and a couple of stray hairs.

Irregular cycles are often caused by hormonal imbalances. With cycles like this it is highly probable that you are not ovulating regularly if at all currently.
Ovulation is not an exact science, a woman can ovulate earlier, later or not at all in any cycle. It is certainly not always 14 days before the start of the next period!.

You need to find out what the underlying cause is of the irregular cycles; PCOS is one possibility, thyroid problems are yet another. Blood tests should be carried out by the GP to ascertain the cause (no, I would not call blood tests being prodded). You need a diagnosis first and foremost.

Do not self medicate with AC as it can make some hormonal imbalances worse. If you did want to go down this route (and I would strongly suggest you have the blood tests first to see what that picks up) use the services of a properly qualified medical herbalist.

[ShowOfHands]

Attila, I don't think of blood tests as being prodded either. But different people have different thresholds and I know that for some people the very idea of blood tests is terrifying.

But you always speak sense and I agree wholeheartedly. Things like herbal remedies, exercise, acupuncture etc may all be ways of tweaking and influencing mother nature but when you've got mother nature working against you for medical reasons, you must address that first.

[LadyShapes]

Hi - I have just got back from the doctors about my light and irregular periods - just like yours OP. It turns out I'm actually pregnant! I feel like a right wally! I was convinced I wasn't.

Anyway, because of my irregular periods me and DH were just shagging like normal, thinking I wasn't ovulating and there was no danger. And now here we are. I'm still in shock - but good shock I think. I have no idea how far along I am or anything. It's a weird feeling as we weren't TTC.

It's not really advice OP, but basically, it turns out it is possible even if you have a mad cycle.

[greenzebra]

I had irregular periods, the doctors did blood tests on me, found nothing but I wasnt satified so went back. Found out I had fibroids, which were giving me really heavy irreguler periods. Fibroids are common so were told nothing to worry about but to lose a bit of weight as it can have an effect. But it shouldnt stop us getting pregnant. So husband and I bought some ovulation tests as we were never sure when I was ovulating, we bought some really cheap ones on the internet, I think they were 6 quid for 100 tests. cant remember but just do a search for them coz the ones you buy in store are very expensive if you dont have a clue when you ovulate. So On the 14th day of my cycle I start to test, turns out I vary in ovulation time from 15- 20 days. But because I now test regular I started to notice the changes in my body before ovulation. So now Im pretty certain when its around the time with out using the tests.

We feel pregnant last year after a couple of months using the tests. Unfortunatly my baby was still born, but we are trying again soon. So I would say get some tests, it will help you understand your cycle and hopefully help you out in TTC.