Irregular menstruation is a common problem among women. You can find the answers for questions such as “What is irregular menstruation?” “What causes irregular menstruation?” “I have irregular menstruation; can I fall pregnant?”

What is Irregular Menstruation?

Normally, gap between two menstruation should be 21 to 35 days. Each woman has very own cycle periods, this cycle swift for couple of days and carries on periodically. Irregular menstruation is when a woman has less than 21 days and over 35 days, between her periods.

Having no menstruation is called “amenorrhea”. Primary amenorrhea is the given name for having no menstruation, on this case generally hormonal or genetic problem is the reason. In another word, it is the condition when, there is an obstruction on the signals sent by brain to the ovaries and from ovaries to the uterus, this causes not having menstruation. Therefore, wherever the signal is obstructed condition is called amenorrhea.

What Is the Reason for Irregular Menstruation?

Irregular menstruation can have, variety of underlying reasons. Environmental and physiological conditions are amongst the most frequent reason observed for the irregular menstruation. Stress, anxiety and weather change are among the other reasons for irregular menstruation. Irregular menstruation can also be caused by hormonal disorders such as, perimenopause, premature ovarian failure, polycystic ovary syndrome, hyperprolactinemia as those syndromes are causing ovulation problems. Along with those, pregnancy, loss of weight, dietary disorders, intensive exercise, intensive stress, systemic diseases can cause irregular menstruation.

How Irregular Menstruation can be Diagnosed?

There are 2 ways, that irregular menstruation can be observed. First of those is, having menstruation in 15-20 days this is called frequent menstruation. If you are having menstruation in every 2 or 3 months, this is called sparse menstruation.

Along with this, women are generally worried about the amount of menstruation blood, this is not always pathologic. For example, if you are using birth control pills or similar medication, you may experience having less bleeding. If there is excessive bleeding, we may worry about the clothing mechanisms of the body. This is worth mentioning to your gynaecologist.

If menstruation takes longer than usual or if you are having spotting in between two menstruations, this is important, and you should consult to your physician immediately. Because this may be related with hormonal changes, ovarian cysts, uterus or cervical polyps, endometrial hyperplasia, and myomas and rarely it can be related with uterine cancers.

Important part here is to, diagnose the underlying reason of irregular menstruation. On this kind of conditions, to be able to have some data on hand you will have blood test applied on the 3rd day of your spontaneous menstruation, to understand ovarian functionality. Along with hormones affecting ovulation, hormones secreted from thyroid gland and prolactin secreted by pituitary gland should be checked, as it can be causing the irregular menstruation.

Therefore, patient should be examined broadly. If needed blood analyses should be made and should be diagnosed by gynaecological examination.

How is Irregular Menstruation Treated?

Some age groups are especially important. The main reason for menstrual irregularity is ovulation deficiency in adolescent girls or menopausal women who have reached the end of menstrual period. In such patients, the regulation of ovulation is necessarily the treatment to regulate menstrual irregularity.

In addition, in other periods such as having normal menstrual period and then deteriorated or irregular periods, again ovulation problems and hormonal problems can cause menstrual irregularities and may need to be treated.

Polyps, myomas in the uterus are among the factors that can cause irregular bleeding also environmental factors can cause irregular menstruation. This can be treated surgically or medically.

Irregular Menstruation and Pregnancy

Those women with irregular menstruation commonly ask, “Can I become pregnant with irregular menstruation?”. This condition can be an underlying issue of infertility; however, people can become pregnant with irregular menstruation.

Does Irregular Menstruation Cause Infertility?

Irregular menstruation can cause infertility. For a healthy pregnancy, whilst eggs are developing with the oestrogen hormone uterus should be thickening synchronously. For those who are having frequent menstruation, ovulation may happen early in other word, egg develops rapidly. With the hormone secreted by the egg, the ovary cannot recover itself yet, and ovulation occurs and when fertilization occurs and the embryo falls into the uterus, the uterus is not ready for pregnancy, which can be the cause of infertility.

For those who have rare menstruation, eggs are developing slowly and especially if this is not followed by a physician, couples cannot determine the ovulation day so they can miss that day if there is no regular intercourse can cause the infertility.

Can a Women with Irregular Menstruation?

In the case of primary amenorrhea, hypotramic hormones secreted from the brain to the ovaries are deficient. Reinforcing these hormones allows women to regain menstruation and pregnancy by making their ovaries functional again.

However, in our patients with TURNEL syndrome, where the response of the ovaries is negative, so there are hormones present however ovaries are not functioning, early menopause or only the eggs with genetic syndrome develops, pregnancy cannot be achieved as the ovarian is not functioning

When Women with Irregular Menstruation Do Pregnancy Test?

What are the symptoms of pregnancy in irregular menstruation and how to understand pregnancy in menstrual irregularity? Although menstrual delay is a sign of pregnancy, it is not a reliable symptom in women experiencing menstrual irregularity. Pregnancy symptoms in women experiencing menstrual irregularities are almost the same as other women. It is recommended that you have a test, especially if you have not had a menstrual period for 14 days.