Irregular and Long Periods
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Irregular and Long Periods
| Tue, 11-25-2008 - 1:45am |
i have been having irregular periods since Oct starts out just spotting then kinda of heavy and last for more than 7 days . I have always had heavy periods and a lot of cramps and PMS but since Oct I have had very few cramps or PMS. I went to Gyn in Oct she did a pap , hpv test due to having a Leep in 2001 also was tested for Chlaymidia and Gonorreah all came back negative was very relieved my Gyn said that stress , hormones someimes cause irregular periods . This is driving me crazy I never know when I am going to start seems to come and go I am 36 and cannot take b/c due to my age and smoking my dr said . Does anyone have any idea as to what I can do about this ? What could be wrong ? Is there any kind of vitamin I could take to regulate my periods ?

Did your gyn not order an ultrasound?
Hi, I agree with Vida. You need an ultrasound and some blood work. Have you had basic blood work to check your thyroid levels? An unbalanced thyroid can cause menstrual irregularities. The other possibility that comes to mind is that you are now entering perimenopause, which is the 10-15 years prior to menopause. During peri, there are lots of changes that happen including changes in the menstrual cycle. Also, PCOS can cause these kinds of changes. To figure all of these possibilities out your doc needs to do the ultrasound to make sure there is nothing abnormal happening in your pelvic organs like ovarian cysts, uterine fibroids, etc. as Vida said. The GYN can also order lab work to test your hormones, but they do not usually test for the correct things to evaluate you for PCOS. Many women end up seeing a reproductive endocrinologist to find out if it's PCOS.
I have been through a good many GYNs and have finally found one I like who listens to my concerns and knows all about all these kinds of issues. Also, I am nearly 49 and most definitely in peri. It started around your age. It takes a long time for those old ovaries to finally shut down. After many tests and ultrasounds I was found to have some history of small ovarian cysts--they tend to burst on their own and go away, but are very painful and can cause problems with the menstrual cycle. I also have two tiny polyps that they say can't be causing my problems because they are so small. I have had my hormones checked, but that was not conclusive as the tests are not sensitive enough to identify when we start having fluctuating hormones. I was diagnosed as being in peri with irregular bleeding patterns (I also stopped ovulating at times) through daily basal temp charting (I Village offers this service I think) and talking to my new GYN. He put me on a low dose BCP and things have improved at least 90 percent. So, in reality it is not so much your age that is keeping your doc from putting you on a BCP, but the combination of your age and that you smoke. If you did not smoke you could be on a low dose BCP. It is the first line of treatment for many of these issues that seem to just be part of the normal part of aging. It is also important to find out if there isn't something really abnormal going on and that's why you need the tests.
Hi there,
I agree with Vida and Marcella about the ultrasound and blood work, especially since you have had problematic periods for a while, and this could be a sign that things are getting worse.