My girlfriend wanted me to ask why she is getting her periods so much closer together then usual. AFAIK she is normally “regular” but lately they have been coming more like every two weeks. She mentioned it to me a few days ago that she started her period and that the previous one was only about 2 weeks prior. I forgot to get an update on it as to wheather it was a full/normal period or just some random bleeding (I believe spotting would be the “technical” term). Anyways has this happened to anyone else out there? Anything to worry about? Is it worth getting checked out, or is it something that can be ignored and worry about if it continues (famous last words…I’ll ignore it, if it keeps up then I’ll have it checked out, the next thing you know her uterus falls out during the night).
Any change in a woman’s cycle should be discussed with her doctor.
this actually happened to me in aug/sept (having periods two weeks apart) and with tests the possibilities were either i had a miscarriage, with an ultrasound or a pregnancy test you can figure out if in fact she was pregnant, also if she was under alot of stress could contribute to it and her body reacting to it, my doctor said that sometimes your body reacts to it a little later even when that stress is gone… but to eliminate why i was getting them two weeks apart i did have an ultrasound to make sure everything checked out
i agree with calliope, that she should see her doctor
I’m going to ask the age of your girlfriend here. Quite often, it takes a few years for women to settle into any kind of regular, predictable cycle after they start menstruating, and the approach of menopause - too - is often characterises by an increasingly erratic menstrual cycle.
At the very least, your g/f needs to talk to her local women’s health clinic; if she can afford it, a full ob/gyn check up will exclude anything nasty and establish a baseline for future reference.
I was out-of-whack in that department the whole time I was in grad school (about 10 years ago). Things leveled out later…until last year, when I had pain that almost wouldn’t let up even between periods. Got everything checked out, ultrasound, exams, etc. and nothing was organically wrong. It was a lot of stress. They gave me birth control pills to take (they said it must be hormonal), but I never did because the info about side effects scared me. It must have scared me back into shape, because I settled down afterwards.
Checking on it is a good idea just to rule out anything physical that may be causing it. Emotional and psychological factors would come into play, I think, if there’s nothing physically wrong.
post coital bleeding, spotting and otherwise abnormal bleeding could be a symptom of an STD such as Chlamydia.
i’m just saying, not trying to cast aspersions about your girlfriend or anything like that.
of course, it could also be caused by stress, medication, sudden weight loss/gain, a hormonal imbalance etc etc.
anyhow, she should go for a full check up with a gyn emphasis… and i’d definitely want to rule out chlamydia at some point.
My OB/GYN once told me, almost anything is normal with your period. But if this is the first time it’s changed she should see her doctor, just to make sure.
Hmmmmm could be an even MORE sinister reason…are you guys getting along well?? An ex of mine seemed like she had her period ALL the time. hehehe
I forgot to mention in the OP (although it didn’t seem to make a difference in the responses) that she is not on birth control. I’ve been telling her for a long time that she should be since her periods are always out of whack. That is, they’re at the normal times, but sometimes they’re no big deal and other times they are really heavy and painful. Maybe this would be a good time to get her to go in and clear this all up. As a hijack, has anyone had trouble with birth control. She used to take it, but it would make her really nasueas (sp?). She would take it just before she fell asleep so that she woulnd’t have to worry about throwing it back up. I’ve been trying to convince her to just use depo (but that also has a alot to do with her painful periods and the fact that she doesn’t have a memory worth squat, so she forgot to take them all the time). She was on Ortho-Tricyclene BTW.
Lots of people have complications, including nausea, with birth control pills. There are lots of alternatives, luckily. Sounds like your girlfriend has multiple reproductive health issues and should really see a doctor, or even a nurse practitioner, to strighten them out.
She really does need to talk about all this with a doc, but generally speaking, if one brand of Pill is made her nauseous, it means that wasn’t the right brand of Pill for her. There are many varieties that all offer different hormone dosages and different combinations of hormones. I was on one that made me sick to my stomach every time. Turned out the hormone dosage was much too high for me, so they put me on a different, lower-dosage brand, and I’ve been problem-free ever since.
If higher-dosage pills caused problems, I would think that Depo would not be the way to go (plus it generally kills sex-drive, so keep that in mind).
Back to the issue at hand, age could really have a lot to do with it. If she’s around college-aged, she may not have fallen into a pattern yet.
Also: timing and heaviness of periods change over the course of a woman’s life. This may be normal. However, it’s always best to check with a GYN in case it is a sign of something like endometriosis.
slight hijack…
birth control nausea is usually caused by the oestrogen in the pill, and so a lower dose may solve the problem BUT it could be caused by an intolerance to the type of progesterone.
thus Microlite made me puke every other day (yes, full on morning sickness style nausea/puking) but when i changed to Dianette the nausea went, despite the oestrogen dose being more than doubled. i just can’t deal with the normal types of progesterone they put in the pill.
so she should investigate other types of progesterones as well as different hormone dosages.
another hijack here as well (well kinda)…
I’ve been on birth control for about five years and have never had any problems to speak of. They mention all the side effects of it, but I think that the actual percentage-wise occurences of those are pretty low. Advil has the side effect of ripping a hole in your stomach lining if you take it a long time without food, but it doesn’t happen that often.
But the important thing is that she does what’s comfortable for her.
Make sure she checks with a doctor.
In my case, I’ve been on b.c. pills for 4 months to take away my cramps.
It works perfectly, but my flow is way too heavy ( I need to stay near a bathroom the first day, and go each hour (whilst wearing super tampons BTW).
I was just on a smaller estrogen pill this month. i hope it helps.
I’ve enver heard of pills making the flow heavier.
Mine is whacked out because I’m starting the change (I think). I don’t know what the hell is going on. Haven’t been to the doctor yet, but I suppose I should make the dreaded appointment.
I haven’t either…actually, even with the pill supers are generally too much for me. Then again, I don’t really talk to my friends about their periods, so I don’t really know how it goes for different people.
Just to chime in that this doesn’t seem abnormal in itself. Mine definitely are different each month, with only every third or so period being super heavy and painful. (no birth control or sexual activity)
She should see a doctor…could even be endometriosis.
On the subject of birth control…(I don’t really want to hijack so just answer me and then carry on with the OP). Being a 15-year-old girl I have had a bit of trouble with acne and heard that one of the birth-control types is good for helping that…also, it would regulate my cycles a bit. I had a couple questions for you…First of all, do any of the rest of you using it have trouble with a really heavy flow? I have school to deal with and my classes are an hour and a half long each, and I have practically no time to go anywhere near a bathroom between classes. Also, does it make cramping better or worse?
Thanks!
~ monica