Irregular Periods

So what is an irregular period? It's pretty straightforward; it means a period that doesn't follow your regular schedule. This could be a month when you miss your period, or a period that comes only two weeks after your last one, or anything along those lines. You can check out my post from last week for a schedule of how your period normally works. An irregular period can happen for a number of reasons; some of them are no big deal and some could cause a big problem. Let's look at some of these possibilities.

1. It's been less than a year since your first period.
This is not really anything to worry about. It just means your body hasn't figured out its cycle yet.

2. You are exercising too much. Check out Anna's post on periods and exercise for more information about this.

3. You are pregnant or breastfeeding.  Then your body knows you already have a baby, so it doesn't need to prepare you to get pregnant, so your period stops. This is not something to worry about.

4. You have an eating disorder or you have lost or gained a significant amount of weight in a short period of time. In this situation, the missed period is just a side effect and you should really be worried about your eating disorder instead.

5. You are taking birth control medicines. This could mess up your cycle in the long run, so use caution before taking birth control pills (although I wouldn't recommend taking them at all if it's not absolutely necessary.)

6. You are under a lot of emotional stress. This one doesn't happen as much as the others, but it's a good thing to know.

These are the most common reasons for you to miss your period. If you're having periods more than once a month and it's been more than a year since your first period, talk to your doctor. This could mean you have a problem with your uterus. However, that's pretty rare, so don't panic. I hope these helped!