Updates on your teens with irregular periods please!

[marcimomof1]

I have posted about my daughter's irregular periods (anywhere from 16-40 days, but averaging about 19 days for over 1.5 years) and received many reassuring messages from people who themselves had irregular periods or whose daughters had/have the same issue with no major associated health problems. I've also read other threads from moms with similar concerns to mine. If your daughter had/has irregular periods for the first couple of years, I'd love to hear how it's been going lately. Did her cycles eventually regulate? Did she get checked out by a physician? We'll be going to a doctor in a few months, but I'm very worried in the meantime and would love to hear what others' experiences have been like to brace for what's to come (or more hopefully, to try to relax and hope for the best).

Thank you!!!!

Very irregular myself. Didn’t stop me getting pregnant three times.

Only regulated after dc 2 at age of 40, which was a shock to be finally at 28 days give or take a few days!

I started at 15, had thyroid issues, anaemia and pcos. But thyroid all stable now, anaemia sorted and fertility fine despite pcos

Following with interest. DD16 just started her third period in 4 weeks. She’s never been on a regular cycle but the last 12 months things had seemed to be getting there now this.

DD started at 14 and had incredibly irregular periods for the first 2 years, she would go months without having one. It was to a point where I was really considering taking her to a doctor about them. When she turned 16 all of a sudden things became like clockwork, perfectly regular according to her app and no issues whatsoever! Now 19 and all well.

Thanks so much for these replies! I'm looking forward to hearing from more mums, as it's so helpful to those of us in a state of anxious limbo. Moderators, please let me know if this discussion is more appropriate for the "teenager" topic rather than in "women's health".

Mine were always irregular. Conceived easily both times 🤷🏼‍♀️

Thank you! Were your irregular cycles similar to my daughter's (only 19 days apart, with some even shorter and some longer), or do you just mean that you skipped some months? Seems like most people's irregular cycles are more infrequent rather than more frequent...

My dd (older now) had the same and went for multiple tests with a consultant as she also had regular UTI's. Was told she had POS and was also told it would not affect her fertility.

Thank you! I'm not really concerned about her fertility as much as I'm concerned about an underlying health condition. Sounds like PCOS may be the most common issue associated with this type of cycle irregularity.

Tests I would ask for are hormone tests, iron levels, thyroid function

Thanks! Really wanting personal stories at this time, but it's good to have an idea of what we might be looking at with the doctor if she doesn't view this as "normal" for now.

My periods were very irregular from the onset of menses and never regulated. The diagnosis I received eventually (and only during the course of fertility treatment) was PCOS. Its a very individualistic disorder that affects each woman with it very differently; what may be a problem for one does not really affect another. In your DDs case I would be looking at blood tests to see if polycystic ovaries and or problems with the thyroid are issues.

Mine were irregular until I had the covid jab, which is utterly bizarre.
But anyway, for 40ish yrs they varied from a 2wk to 6wk gap between them. I have had children, but to conceive I needed to look for ovulation symptoms. I also always had breakthrough bleeding when on the pill too.
I'm 54 now and they are as regular as clockwork, 21 day gap. I don't have PCOS, I have always had iron absorption problems and I have read that iron deficiency can cause menstrual issues.

Is your daughter worried about this? I'm not sure why it is such a worry. I was just told some women were irregular, I had no other symptoms to be worried about. Although it was a bit of a nuisance, I always had symptoms a few days before so I was never "caught out" as such.

Mine were always very infrequent - every 4 months or so but it didn't stop me having 2 children. Unexpectedly became super-regular at 28 days around my late 40s which was a bit of a surprise.

DD had the same issue and I was able to reassure her because of my own experience. Then she lost a lot of weight on a fitness regime when at Uni and they stopped altogether. When she eventually regained a normal weight they didn't come back. She went to a GP at that point and had investigations for hormone imbalance/POCS. No problems found. Ended up going on medication which took a while to work but I believe all now back to normal.

I'm not actually sure why this is such a concern :) I suppose it's because I struggle with anxiety and assume that the irregular cycles indicate some serious health concern. The reality is that iron deficiencies and thyroid issues are common and relatively simple to address, and PCOS is not something we're looking to address at 15 years of age.