Do you actually know when your period is coming?

[MovingTooFast121]

My periods have always been irregular. Trying to book a smear test at the moment and it’s a bloody nightmare trying to work out when would work and then fit it in with that the surgery actually have available. The period tracker on my phone has just given me the notification ‘your period could come any time in the next two weeks’… bloody helpful that, thanks. I’m often fortunate that ovulation is fairly obvious so I can predict a window of about a week based on that, but if I miss the signs, I’m screwed.

Now wondering how common it actually is to have proper, regular periods within a day or two of predictability?

YABU - My cycle is like clockwork, or thereabouts.
YANBU - My cycles are a guessing game.

Im very irregular but I always know when I'm going to come on because the night before I'll lie awake feeling absolutely livid about something - usually something to do with dh to be honest.

Mine are between 18 and 142(!) days. I've had all the blood tests and scans - seems my uterus is just scatty and disorganised like the rest of me 😂 But it is a nightmare booking a smear test.

Mine were like clockwork until I was 41/42. Now they're mostly regular still (26 days now, gradually reduced down from a 32 day cycle in my early 20s) but I get the odd month with a much shorter cycle... I assume that will increase as I get older and further into peri-menopause.

But I can usually tell when I'm ovulating and it's always 14 days after that, so I generally know when to expect it. And I get a headache for two or three days beforehand, and a hideous feeling of doom the day before, so there are plenty of signs.

I was always fairly regular and I can tell when it's coming but thanks to perimenopause my cycles are currently ranging from 19 to 35 days. i seem to get a few months of fairly average 27-29 days and then wham, a totally random one out of the blue! I'm currently on day 20 and getting light spotting when wiping and I feel very much like I'm about to come on. I've just booked a smear test too and can see I might have to reschedule at short notice. I'm about to change HRT types so it feels like a double lottery next month!!

If helpful, last time I booked a smear test in, the nurse told me it doesn’t need to be mid cycle anymore.. not sure why!

Well it used to be every fourth Sunday between 11:00 and 14:00 but now I'm peri so it's anyone's guess. EWCM, when I see it, is still a reliable indicator though.

My cycle used to vary between 25 and 40 days, since having DS six months ago it is like clockwork! My PMS and period pain is gone too, although the bleeding is heavier.

If you have an irregular period you can just tell the nurse doing the smear this & then they go from there. I know it’s not great advice but they’ll assess how heavy your period is & will ask you to return if they think it’ll mess with the results.

I was super irregular for years, sometimes wouldn’t have a period for months. Since my 3rd though I am more or less pretty regularly.

Mine too but I'm 53.
My DM was 58 and her Mum was 60, so I could have quite a bit longer to go.

Unfortunately my luteal phase is a bit random too and often tends to be long. No idea why (I’ve had all sorts of tests, I do have polycystic ovaries but supposed NOT PCOS, and have had no issues conceiving).

I remember having a midwifery lecturer who was adamant that the luteal phase was ALWAYS 14 days and would not have it that I knew this couldn’t possibly be true for everyone 😂

I get terrible pain in my cervix during my period so the idea of anyone even putting a speculum near it to assess whether to do a smear is a bit scary.

I’ve literally just had to cancel one at the last minute because of a truly horrific case of thrush that came out of nowhere.

Pretty sure they think I’m dodging it now 😑

I've always had irregular periods.
Sometimes with months between them. So each and every one is a surprise.

45 yo and they have their own mind.
😐

I’m on the pill so I know exactly when they are going to start

I didn't have one for seven years and was told I was probably going through an early menopause. They came back in COVID though and have been all over the place since.

Mine are very regular and always have been. If my period is very late I'm either pregnant or there's something seriously wrong. But I'm 49 so I'm assuming that will change in the next few years...

Well not exactly with a calendar no - mainly by my body yes I’ll know when to expect it.

I get swollen boobs and bully ache, and diarrhea then ill come on the next day. But my periods are so irregular now I was shocked by the symptoms!

Regular as click work. Often get a migraine medicine n the week before.

Anywhere betwn 21 & 36+ days all my life.
Sometimes quite regular for a spell, say for 8months every 26 days, and then back to 21-36 days. So I never knew, lol. Although I used to be an emotional basketcase for days -1 to +1.5... got better after i realised, maybe age 20.

No endo, no infertility, no trouble TTC, no PCOS.

I get a bit of a sniffle for a day or two before

Mine are regular between 32-35 days, I remember trying to explain to a midwife with each pregnancy that my dates definitely wouldn't match my scan because my cycle is 5 weeks not 4!

YANBU, mine are anything from 13 (yes 13!) days to 30 days. Never, ever been like clockwork.

I have endo and use a period tracker but any outlier period cycle completely messes up the period predictor so I just use it to know when my last period was and roughly when my next one will be. My cycle is around 25 days but I've had 19 days to 37 days. But I have symptoms for days before it happens so it rarely catches me unaware early.

I've been sonewhere around 34-37 days since I came off the pill at 22. 34 now. Longest I think I've gone us about 43 days - usually stress related. I can usually guess when it's due but the tearfulnes and huge swollen boobs can go on for days before I start to bleed.