Turning 18 next year and still no regular periods

[Rivermonsters]

Hey MN , I’m 17 (18 in august) and I don’t have regular periods, if any. If I have a period it’s usually 2 weeks of mild cramps, nausea and a few days of like black/off coloured discharge. For reference I’m 48.7kg (eating 3k calories or healthy food, and putting on weight per month) I don’t want kids so is there a need to go to the doctors?

Of not or**

What's your height and BMI? 48 kilos is about 7.5 stone so dependent on your height could be very light and possibly the reason behind your menstruation problems.

It would still be worth going to the doctors and having routine blood tests done. Check theres no underlying cause.

@Standrewsschool I had my bloods done in august (had some sort of food poisoning issue, might’ve seen me moaning about it 😂) they came up normal

@HalfShrunkMoreToGo I’m 5”5, my main focus is to put on weight so I can go gym and start to bodybuilding

Bodybuild*

It might be your weight, which is fairly low.

I think I would get it checked with the GP in case there’s something they need to do. I know low estrogen can sometimes affect bone density for example, so they may want to check your hormone levels etc.

(Ie even if you’re planning a child free life, it still might be necessary to treat you just for long term health, especially if you want to lift)

I didnt start my periods until I was about 15 and they were never regular. I went to the doctor when i was around 20 and they said I probably wasnt ovulating but other than that they werent very interested!

I was also about 7 stone (no eating disorder just naturally thin / petitie) and it was only as I got older and put on weight that they became more regular.

It's probably wise to see the doctor just to make sure there is no underlying problem that would explain it.

@Verbena87 thank you for ur comment! Will do x

Maybe worth speaking to your gp again. The bloods done may have only related to the food poisoning, and not periods.

That would put your BMI at 17.8 which is underweight so it's good that you are working on that.

I think it would be a good idea to approach your GP as you need to make sure that you are not deficient in any vitamins or minerals and that you don't have a hormonal imbalance or by other medical issues that could cause you problems longer term.

For women, hormone levels do lots of important things beyond just reproduction, for example Oestrogen is essential for healthy bone development and maintaining bone density. It's best to identify and treat any imbalance as early as possible.

I was only 7 stone at 5ft4 aged 17/18 and my periods were normal. I’d def go to GP. There are other reasons to check gynae issues not related to fertility.

My 12 year old daughter is the same height as you and just a couple of pounds heavier and hers are regular (although every six weeks).
How long have you been having periods for? If not long then I would say leave it a while and see if they regulate but if you've been having them for years I would just check it out with GP.

If you don’t menstruate naturally you should ideally take medication to make you bleed at least once a year as it protects you from some cancers. The Dr can prescribe or they might refer you to gynae to investigate. You sound like you are well aware that you’re too light and planning on playing with your body by bodybuilding rather than just dieting. I think it would be good to talk through that with a professional.

@JustDanceAddict

I was only 7 stone at 5ft4 aged 17/18 and my periods were normal. I’d def go to GP. There are other reasons to check gynae issues not related to fertility.

I was exactly the same if not lighter and periods were normal too. Same weight when I got pregnant at 17.

Go to GP to check OP.