Irregular period..
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Irregular period..
| Thu, 04-19-2007 - 10:13pm |
well my period is highly irregular. i can get it in 3 weeks-10 weeks. i never know when its coming. someone recently told me i could have some kinda of cancer and should go to the doctor to be put on birth control. what should i do? and im only 16 so im not too sure what mom would say about the whole ordeal..and she is a nurse and says im a hypochondriac so im not too sure she would believe me..

Irreguler periods, especially at your age, can often just be inconvenient. Cancer at your age is HIGHLY unlikely. You are having periods on your own, and that's the important part, they're just hard to predict. If you weren't having periods at all, that would be a different story.
If it were me, I might go to the doctor and talk about reasons why my period was irregular, but I wouldn't jump into getting on birth control just for that. Birth control doesn't "fix" irregular periods, it just disguises them because it makes you stop ovulating and you only bleed when the pills let you bleed (every 4 weeks). If you stopped birth control, it's likely that your periods would still be irregular.
Another thing to consider too is that your reproductive parts are still developing. The pill stops the normal ovulation process, and it's possible that without the right combination of hormones that you produce naturally, your reproductive parts might develop differently if you were on the pill than they would if you just left them alone to do their thing.
What you might try doing is keeping a period diary. If you recorded every day of your cycle how you felt, whether you felt like your breasts were tender, or if you felt heavy, or if you were bloated, or if you had tired days, or if you had particularly hungry days, or days where you felt really good or had a lot of energy, you might be able to identify things that happen before you get your period. If you can find physical signals that show up a certain time before your period, that will help you figure out when it's coming.
Make sense? Good luck--don't be afraid to talk to your mom, maybe she can relate to what you're going through. Just don't mention the C word. ;)
Co-cl for Birth Control
I'm very sorry that someone told you that you could have cancer and that you need to go on the pill. Firstly, just b/c you have irregular periods doesn't mean cancer. Secondly, the birth control pill wouldn't treat a cancer. Do not listen to that person, as they have no clue what it is they are talking about.
How old were you when you first began your period? You say that you are now 16. I believe that at a young age, periods are bound to be a bit irregular, and once you get a bit older they will be "more on schedule", so to speak.
As the previous poster stated, going on the pill isn't the necessary option. While it might seem to "regulate" your period, it's really not a "real" period. (A bit confusing, I know!) And, once you stop taking them, your periods may go back to being irregular.
If you feel comfortable about it, make an appt with your doctor to discuss this with him/her. This does not make you a hypochondriac, you are just really in tune with your body. A gyn exam at your age isn't really necessary unless you do start having major problems like severe cramping and/or bleeding... or if you are sexually active.
Try not to worry!
Vida
I definitely agree with Judie. It can take a while for these things to run like clockwork, so to speak - just give yourself some time. What I used to do, just to keep myself prepared, was keep a little ziplock bag in my locker with some extra tampons and advil for cramps. These days, I also carry one of those Thermacare heating pads around in my backpack in the event that my cramping is bad. Doing little things like this will mean that you're always prepared, and that might just put you at ease a little more.
Try not to stress about these things, too. Stress can delay your period.