Every woman has an individual monthly menstrual cycle that is subject to fluctuations. However, if menstruation is too heavy or too weak, if it comes too often, too rarely or if there is intermenstrual bleeding, we speak of menstrual cycle disorders. What does an irregular period mean?
Menstrual disorders are also called menstrual disorders or bleeding disorders and generally refer to irregularities in the female cycle. A normal cycle lasts 28 days, but very few women have it. It is controlled by hormones and depends on external and physical factors. Therefore, the course of the cycle can fluctuate from time to time.
Article content at a glance:
20 tips for menstrual pain
Symptoms of menstrual cycle disorders
An irregular period can manifest itself in different forms. Painful bleeding (dysmenorrhea) is also one of the cycle disorders. If menstruation runs completely without symptoms, it is called eumenorrhea.
The premenstrual syndrome (PMS), on the other hand, is not a menstrual disorder. Rather, this term encompasses various physical and psychological symptoms that occur before the onset of the menstrual period.
Forms of menstrual cycle disorders:
the Oligomenorrhea is one of the cycle disorders that occur most frequently. In oligomenorrhea, 35 to a maximum of 45 days pass between two menstrual periods. In girls or young women, it often occurs after the first menstrual period (menarche) and in older women before menopause. The changed hormone balance in these parts of life promotes irregular periods.
Behind one Polymenorrhea there is a shortened cycle length. It is noticeable by menstrual bleeding that occurs less than 25 days apart.
Clear symptom of a Intermenstrual bleeding (Metrorrhagia) is extra bleeding that occurs between two cycles and can last for several days.
Amenorrhea occurs in two different forms. In primary amenorrhea, the first menstrual period (menarche) has not occurred until a girl is 16 years old. In the case of secondary amenorrhea, there was already a menstrual period. However, although there is no pregnancy, this is interrupted by periods of at least three months. There is no menstrual period during this time.
Among the symptoms of a Hypomenorrhea count a light bleeding and a small blood loss of less than 25 milliliters. In addition, there is often a shortened bleeding time. This form of menstrual cycle disorder is common in overweight or pre-menopausal women.
Menstruation is excessively heavy in one Hypermenorrhea. Women with this menstrual disorder lose more than 150 milliliters of blood; around 80 milliliters are normal. This means that a tampon is soaked after about two hours or more than five pads are used per day. Larger blood clots are also a symptom of hypermenorrhea.
If the period lasts longer than six days and it is very heavy, it is called one Menorrhagia.
It happens that women complain of symptoms such as cramping pain in the lower abdomen and a general feeling of illness during their period. These period pains are referred to as primary Dysmenorrheaif the symptoms appear from the first menstrual period. If these symptoms do not arise until later in life, one speaks of secondary dysmenorrhea.
Causes of an irregular period
Menstruation begins for the first time during puberty. The rhythm and duration of the cycle are determined by hormonal processes and interactions in the body until the onset of menopause. The hypothalamus in the brain is responsible for controlling these processes. This is where the gonadotropin releasing hormone (GnRH) is released, which stimulates the pituitary gland to produce the hormones LH and FSH. They are responsible for the secretion of the sex hormones progesterone and estrogen in the ovaries, which in turn regulate menstrual bleeding.
Hormonal causes
Disturbances in this hormonal balance often lead to menstrual disorders. Reasons for changes can be, for example, overweight or underweight, strong weight fluctuations, thyroid diseases or an existing pregnancy of the woman.
If the woman is older than 40, an irregular period is the first sign of the onset of menopause.
Contraceptives such as the pill or the vaginal ring can also initially lead to a hormonal imbalance before the hormonal balance levels out again. With certain contraceptive measures such as the three-month injection, the menstrual period stops completely.
An irregular or shortened cycle, intermenstrual bleeding and spotting can also be the result of luteal weakness. Under the hormone progesterone (luteal hormone), the uterine lining is prepared for the embryo to implant after ovulation. If the body produces too little of the hormone, the lining of the uterus does not develop optimally and may be rejected earlier.
Organic changes for irregular periods
Changes in the genital organs are also possible reasons for menstrual cycle disorders:
- Muscle tissue tumors (myomas)
- Protuberances of the mucous membrane (polyps)
- Malignant tumors (carcinomas) such as uterine cancer
- Growth of the lining of the womb outside the womb (endometriosis)
In addition, injuries to the blood vessels, blood congestion in the pelvis, high blood pressure, chronic inflammation as well as heart, kidney or blood diseases can be causes of an irregular period.
Other reasons for irregular periods
Psychological factors such as stress, conflicts in the partnership, important decisions or decisive events in the personal environment, an unfulfilled desire to have children or problems in sex life also play a role in an irregular period.
External influences such as climate change or time difference when traveling on vacation as well as heavy physical stress (e.g. through competitive sports) can disturb the balance of hormones and lead to fluctuations in the menstrual cycle.
What stress does to women
Have a gynecological check-up for irregular periods
At the beginning, the woman’s medical history (anamnesis) is recorded. So it is about living conditions, medication taken, previous illnesses and previous operations. In order to establish a diagnosis, it can be helpful if the woman makes notes on her irregular periods in the form of a mentoring calendar and brings them with her to the doctor’s appointment.
During the subsequent gynecological examination, the vagina, uterus and ovaries are scanned and, if necessary, examined using ultrasound in order to be able to detect changes in the female reproductive organs.
If general illnesses are excluded as the cause of the menstrual disorders, function tests and hormone analyzes can be used. For example, the estrogen and progestin levels in the blood are determined. If you do not have a menstrual period, tests will also be carried out to determine whether you are pregnant.
If fibroids are suspected to be the cause of the irregular period, a laparoscopy or scraping can be performed. If there is a suspicion of a tumor on the ovaries, adrenal glands or the pituitary gland, the diagnosis can be reliably diagnosed by means of X-rays, computed tomography or ultrasound examination of the relevant parts of the body. If there is an increased risk of uterine cancer, the removal and examination of tissue (biopsy) provides clarity.
Treatment: what helps if you have irregular periods?
In the case of hormonal disorders – both when the period is too heavy, too weak or when the period is absent, and if there is a desire to have children – hormonal therapy can help to improve the situation. If this is not effective, it is possible to use herbal remedies such as monk’s pepper to regulate the cycle.
If functional disorders of the organs are the cause of the symptoms, if benign tumors have been found on the uterus or polyps, these can be surgically removed. If stress and psychological problems play a role in the menstrual cycle disorders, the doctor can recommend relaxation exercises such as yoga or autogenic training or psychotherapy.
Irregular period and pill
Irregularities in the cycle can also be triggered by hormonal contraceptives such as the pill. If these do not go away on their own after a while, switching to another preparation can sometimes alleviate the symptoms. If you are underweight or overweight, the cycle often levels off again after you gain or lose weight.
Home remedies for irregular periods
In addition, tried and tested home remedies can help alleviate the symptoms. These include, for example, cold calf compresses and leg affusions if the menstrual period is too heavy, warm baths for cramps in the abdomen or increasing footbaths if the bleeding is absent or weak.
Pain that occurs during menstruation can be treated well with medication with acetylsalicylic acid. Taking an antiemetic can help against nausea and vomiting.
Home remedies for menopausal symptoms
The monthly cycle often normalizes on its own
Often the cycle can normalize on its own after some time, even without therapeutic measures. This is especially the case when psychological causes and environmental influences cause an irregular period. For women who want to have children, menstrual cycle disorders can become an obstacle in family planning if, for example, ovulation does not occur.
Preventing irregular periods?
The hormonal balance can react to many different external influences and thus trigger cycle disorders. These include, for example, stress, smoking, clock changes, poor diet or a change in climate. It is therefore advisable to lead a healthy lifestyle so as not to negatively affect your own hormonal balance.
Certain menstrual cycle disorders, such as oligomenorrhea, cannot be specifically prevented because they can occur at the beginning and at the end of a woman’s fertile period. They are among the natural phenomena of these phases of life and will not be viewed as pathological.
.