What Are Irregular Periods?
Even though girls get their periods
on a cycle, that cycle can take different amounts of time each month. For example,
a girl might get her period after 24 days one month and after 42 days the next. These
are called irregular periods.
Irregular periods are very common, especially in a girl's first few years of getting
her period.
What Are Regular Periods?
Most girls get their first period between the ages of 10 and 15, but some get it
earlier and some later. The first period is known as menarche (pronounced: MEN-ar-kee).
A girl's monthly cycle is the number of days from the start of her period to the
start of the next time she gets her period. You often hear this is a 28-day cycle.
But 28 is just an average figure that doctors use. Cycle lengths vary — some
are 24 days, some are 34 days. And a girl may notice that her cycles are different
lengths each month — especially for the few years after she first starts getting
her period.
Early in a girl's cycle, her ovaries start preparing one egg. At the same time,
the lining of the uterus becomes thick to prepare a nesting place for a fertilized
egg in the event that the girl becomes pregnant.
About 2 weeks before a girl gets her period, the egg is released from the ovary
(this is called ovulation). The egg travels through the fallopian
tube into the uterus. If the egg isn't fertilized by sperm, it starts to fall apart.
Then the lining and egg leave a girl's body as her period and the whole thing starts
all over again — that's why we use the word "cycle." The first day a girl's
period comes is Day 1 of her cycle.
A girl's body may not follow an exact schedule. It's common, especially in the
first 2 years after a girl starts getting her period, to skip periods or to have irregular
periods. Illness, rapid weight change, or stress can also make things more unpredictable.
That's because the part of the brain that regulates periods is influenced by events
like these. Going on a trip or having a major change in schedule can also make your
period come at a different time than expected. All of this is perfectly normal.
It's also normal for the number of days a girl has her period to vary. Sometimes
a girl may bleed for 2 days, sometimes it may last a week. That's because the level
of hormones the body makes can be different from one cycle to the next, and this affects
the amount and length of bleeding.
If My Period Is Irregular, How Do I Know When I Will Get It?
If your cycle is not regular, you'll want to pay attention to the clues your body
may give you that your period is coming soon. These may include:
- back cramps or stiffness
- heavier breasts or breast soreness
- headaches
- acne breakouts
- disturbed sleep patterns
- mood swings
- bloating
- loose stools
How Can I Be Prepared?
Keep some pads or tampons in your
backpack or purse, just so you'll have them handy in case your period comes when you're
not expecting it. You may even want to carry an extra pair of underwear.
