No one has mentioned ovulatory bleeding?Is it a normal period, or shorter and lighter? Sometimes women bleed at ovulation – if it’s shorter and lighter, it might be that.
Snap! That’s why I went onto the Depo, had a kid, hit my 40’s and became menstrually irregular and achy all the time - every point of my cycle had it’s own unique pains.
When I was younger (early 20’s) it was only at ovulation and the day before I got my period. I once got a cramp so bad, I doubled over and smacked my forehead on my desk!
Didn’t know which end to clutch at first.
But wasn’t it great, just knowing that it would happen, *that *day, *that *time?
I had this happen to me for the first time ever three months ago. I went to the doctor immediately, since it was the first time in my life I’d ever had two periods in one month (besides a cycle looping itself at the beginning of a month and starting at the end) - it was only two weeks since my last and here it was again. It’s always been like clockwork for me - every 27 days, 3-4 days bleeding. At worst, it would go 25 days. But that’s always been rare.
Anyway, turned out to be a yeast infection, “way up in there” (there had been no external signs). I got my pap at the same time I was there to have everything checked, and absolutely everything was healthy. He prescribed a single pill which cleared up all the symptoms (I’d been kind of crampy feeling and sex was painful, too) - it’s more or less gone back to normal… that is, two months of good old, regular periods, starting up on a new cycle, where the latest period had left off - oh well, no big deal. Or so I thought. That would mean my current period is due on the 25th of this month (PMS right now? You betcha!), but on the 15th, I bled as though my period had started, and was here - I had to use protection and even bought a new box of tampons in preparation - the next day, nothing! Like it didn’t show up early, and weirder, it left no trace at all. Even sex the very next morning left no… you know… aftershocks. Like it always does at the tail end of my regular periods. Sex always manages to knock a little extra loose, or something.
Sigh. I figure it’s just my cycle trying to correct itself somehow.
I hate periods. To which my husband usually replies, thoughtfully: “I haven’t met anyone yet who likes them.”
Is it a “full period” or more like “oh duh, should’a worn a minipad”? This second thing is called “spotting” and it doesn’t mean anything when it happens at ovulation, according to both my GP and my Gyne, as long as everything else is fine. I’ve been spotting for about one year (some months I do, some I don’t, it seems to be linked to how stressed I am), my hormones are fine and my reproductive bits are just dandy, it’s a pity they’re not getting more use…
When I had my periods regularly (for, uh, 20 years), it was every 32 days and 6 hours (I swear to Ogette) except for September when it shuffled forward one week and March when it shuffled back… I sort of had Daylight Savings Time naturally, go figure. Took me a few years to realize how the equinox changes worked, of course.
Prior to kids, I was like a Swiss Clock in my periods, right down to a three hour window of when it would start. I thought this kinda thing was normal.
Since kids, notsomuch.
I always thought that instead of calling it A Period, it should be called An Exclamation Mark!!!111!!! ( or just Eleventy 1!!!)
Even before I went on the Pill, mine was 28 days, and regular to within a few hours.
Pepper Mill’s have always been irregular*, and she was put on The Pill just to make her regular, not for any other reason.
Since she has approached menopause, the incidents of irregularity started showing up again, despite the hormonal pills. This frequently drives her crazy, and isn’t fun for the rest of us, either.
See your gynecologist if your periods are irregular. He/she might be able to do something, or diagnose something from this.
*Not only was she irregular, she was evidently the dominany female, driving her associates into irregular periods matching her own. This is why I find the idea of women’s periods getting in synch to be a real occurrence, and not an urban myth – it’s hard to see other women’s periods becoming irregular to match hers – with real and observable effects – if this were not the case.
By the way - I think three weeks between them probably isn’t worth worrying about - something triggered an early cycle - it happens - yes, its happened to me. If the flow seems unusually heavy, doesn’t stop like a normal period, you have other symptoms (abnormal cramping) or you end up with the endless period (or nearly endless), I’d see a doctor. Might be worth a call to the doctor or a nurseline anyway - because the Dope is NOT a place for medical advice and there is a teeny tiny chance this could be a symptom of something that should be taken care of promptly.
I don’t know if it has an effect on periods, but some Canadian scientists discovered a few years back that many women ovulate more than once a month (article ). It’s a bit odd that this was only discovered in 2003. And scary.
Happens to me pretty regularly, actually.
My cycle is just a tetch over 3 weeks, so if I get my period at the beginning of the month I’ll be expecting it to show up again towards the end (or else it’s freak-out time). Joy.
Seems odd to me they are only discovering this now, too, since I ovulate two or three times a month and have known that since I went through fertility treatments 10 years ago. You’d think the RE would have said something other than “oh, you are one of those that ovulates a few times a month.”
**Hazle Weatherfield **
You don’t mention if you are using hormonal birth control.
If you are on the pill, you are having breakthrough bleeding and need to use extra contraception for 7 days as it means that the hormone levels have become low enough to cause you to bleed, which could mean they were low enough to allow you to conceive.
Otherwise, this is either an early period (which is just one of those things), an ovulatory bleed, or possibly what as known as intermenstrual bleeding.
Intermenstrual bleeding is technically any bleeding in between normal periods and under certain circumstances is a “red flag” symptom for a gynaecologist. If the bleed was triggered by intercourse and/or you have been having some spotting in between your periods, you need a smear ASAP. Even if you haven’t had those symptoms, any early or unusual bleeding in a woman with previously abnormal smears is a reason to see a doctor.
Do a pregnancy test, you wouldn’t be the first person who was experiencing bleeding in early pregnancy and mistaking it for a period or two.
If the bleeding is heavier than a normal period or more painful than a normal period or lasts longer than a normal period, see a doctor ASAP.
Hmph. And here I was all set to start a Pit thread about having my period two months in a row! :mad: This is the first time this has happened since sometime in late '05 – I’m having a period every two or three (or four or five) months these days.
twicks, poster girl for perimenopause
Hazel Weatherfield, I just looked at your public profile, and you’re only a couple of years younger than me.
Another cause of irregular periods, especially if accompanied by more cramps than usual, is endometriosis. I’m on Depo because me and my doctor suspect I have it, but not severe enough to warrant surgery to confirm the diagnosis. Depo or some other hormonal BC should control symptoms.
Like most things, your answer is somewhere between OMG! and Meh. Only your OB/GYN can tell you for sure.
If you have two periods in one month, isn’t one a Blue Period?
Didn’t Picasso have one of those?
Wasn’t he a GUY? How did he manage?
Antibiotics can affect your cycle, too…
Well, it wasn’t 28 days - for a couple decades I was 32 days like clockwork.
Women, being organic critters and all, are variable. Some of us have extremely regular and largely trouble-free cycles. Others… not so fortunate.
I am feeling kind of glum. Surprise! This afternoon, without the usual signs of PMS, and without the usual length of time between them, I seem to be starting my period. I am not ready for any part of menopause, and that includes edging into perimenopause. But that’s got to be the explanation. January 20th last month, February 10th this. Three weeks seems early. Damn.
Not only do I bring on early periods from stress, I managed to cause one for an entire month recently.
Yes, a month of period.
Brought on by stress.
Does this seem circular to anyone else, or just me? I can’t help but think that I’d have dealt with the stress a lot better if I hadn’t been so damned crampy, nauseated, headachy, back-painy and weepy!