Your menstrual cycle may be regular, with your period occurring roughly once a month for the same number of days. Some women have always experienced irregular menstrual cycles. However, if you’re usually as regular as a clock, sudden irregularities in your period can leave you questioning what’s going on.
The family medicine doctors at Living Water Clinic, including our newest provider, Dr. Jose Salas, can help you understand the changes in your physical and reproductive health when you experience alterations in your menstrual cycle. Dr. Salas, an experienced OBGYN, is available at our Lindsay location Monday through Thursday from 8 am to 5 pm.
Under the leadership of Dr. Erick Madrigal, our team of primary care providers understands how changes in your body, lifestyle, and health can affect your menstrual cycle and period. Here are some factors that might be causing irregular periods.
The first thing to check when your period becomes irregular is whether you could be pregnant. During pregnancy, hormonal changes mean that you don’t have a typical menstrual cycle. In early pregnancy, you may still experience breakthrough bleeding that mimics a period. Breastfeeding or recently having given birth can also cause irregular periods. Taking a pregnancy test might be all you need to do to clear up the question of why your period has suddenly changed. If you’re pregnant, you need prenatal care, which the family medicine doctors at Living Water Clinic, including Dr. Salas, can provide.
Your body weight affects your hormones and menstrual cycle, and weight gain or loss can certainly affect the regularity of your menstrual cycle. Being underweight is a known common cause of irregular periods. Recent significant weight gain can also throw your menstrual cycle out of balance for a time.
Your stress level also affects your cycle. If you’ve been under intense stress recently, menstrual irregularity could result. If other factors don’t explain the recent changes in your period, you may just need time to rest. The team at Living Water Clinic can recommend effective stress management techniques and other forms of mental health support to get you through stressful times in your life.
If you’ve recently gone through puberty and your periods are irregular, give your body time to adapt to a more regular menstrual cycle. It can take around two years for a regular menstrual cycle to develop. Menopause and perimenopause can cause menstrual disruptions that may last for years. Most women enter menopause in their 50s, but perimenopause can start to affect you years earlier. These are all factors you should consider when your period suddenly becomes irregular. Your provider at Living Water Clinic, including Dr. Salas, can help you identify the factors that may be relevant for you and put together a plan for what you should do next.
Your irregular period may also be a symptom of an underlying health condition. You may need treatment to address an underlying issue as well as to restore your regular periods. Health conditions that may result in irregular periods include:
If your periods have suddenly become irregular, check in with the OB/GYN care experts at Living Water Clinic, including Dr. Salas, to learn more about what’s going on with your reproductive and whole-body health. Schedule your appointment online or over the phone at (559)-562-1361. Dr. Salas is available at our Lindsay location, Monday through Thursday from 8 am to 5 pm, offering a wide range of services and experience.
