P.S my periods are like clock work. They come the same day every month. Except this month :-(
Around 14 percent of women are believed to have irregular periods — that is, with unpredictable timing. In women whose menstrual cycles are otherwise, as this person said, "like clockwork", the start of a new period much earlier than expected can be worrying, however. Why would your period suddenly show up early?
Women joining the discussion come up with several plausible explanations:
- Perhaps the early period isn't menstruation, but rather vaginal bleeding between periods.
- Perhaps the woman is pregnant and the bleeding she's seeing is early pregnancy spotting, a so-called "implantation bleeding", or a miscarriage.
- Perhaps hormonal, physical, or emotional factors threw her cycle off.
Let's see what explanations science has to offer, as well as taking a closer look at the experiences of women who have experienced early or irregular periods.
What do the experts say?
Irregular periods: Causes
A normal, menstrual cycle lasts, research has established, between 21 and 35 days, with 28 days being the average length. Whether your cycle is regular or not depends on many factors, including your age. Shortly after menarche (the start of menstruation), girls are likely to experience irregular periods as their body gets used to its new state, while older women who are nearing menopause also experience less regular cycles. During both these stages of life, it wouldn't be unusual to have periods suddenly show up early, nor to occasionally have a late or missing period.
Menstruation is most regular between the ages of 21 and 35, and for women in this age group, having irregular periods — not as a one-off, but as a regular occurrence, can point to problems with reproductive or general health:
- Polycystic ovary syndrome, an endocrine disorder that affects the whole body as well as the reproductive system, is one of the most common causes of irregular periods. One study showed that up to 87 percent of women who have irregular menstrual cycles have PCOS.
- Having an overactive thyroid (hyperthyroidism) or underactive thyroid (hypothyroidism) can both lead to irregular menstrual cycles.
- Some women enter the menopause prematurely, even within this age group. This will lead to irregular periods as well.
- Poorly controlled diabetes can lead to irregular menstrual cycles.
- Cushing's syndrome, in which the body produces excess stress hormones, can impact the menstrual cycle.
- If you happen to be using a long-term reversible method of birth control, such as an intrauterine device (Mirena or ParaGard), Depo Provera (injectable), or Nexplanon (arm implant), this can also lead to irregular periods, usually making periods much less frequent.
- Certain medications will cause irregular periods.
Being stressed, not eating enough and being malnourished (such as because of anorexia nervosa), being obese, and exercising intensely can all cause your cycles to become irregular, as well. Women whose menstrual cycles are never regular — as opposed to one early period, as described in the initial post of this thread — should seek medical attention.
Bleeding in between periods
It is also possible that women who thought their periods came earlier than they should have didn't, in fact, experience menstruation, but rather bleeding between periods. This kind of abnormal vaginal bleeding can be caused by a number of things.
- Hormonal contraceptives, recent use of emergency contraception (such as Plan B), a recent abortion, stress, and even very enthusiastic intercourse can be among the less serious causes.
- Abnormal vaginal bleeding can also, however, be caused by polycystic ovary syndrome, uterine polyps or fibroids, and even uterine cancer. Sexually transmitted diseases, too, can lead to this symptom.
Always see your doctor if you regularly bleed between periods and do not know why; you want to have them rule serious conditions out, and if you do need treatment, it's best if you can start as soon as possible.
Pregnancy
A final possibility is that the bleeding some of these women experienced wasn't caused by a period or by abnormal vaginal bleeding between periods, but by pregnancy. Some of the participants indeed said they later found out they were expecting. Almost a quarter of newly pregnant women have some spotting during pregnancy. Though it is usually lighter than a period, some women may think they are menstruating if they are unware of their pregnancy.
We should note, here, that early pregnancy spotting doesn't necessarily point to a miscarriage. However, a miscarriage could also cause this kind of bleeding. If it takes place very early on, it may not even look very different to your period. Later first-trinmester miscarriages will, however, feature heavier bleeding with clots and tissues.
If you suspect you could be pregnant, take a pregnancy test and see your doctor regardless of its outcome if you are experiencing unusual bleeding.
Discussion highlights
Questions
Folks wanted to know:
- well i was excited then the cramping got worse and the flow turned into red and now I am so confused.
- am i miscarrying or is this just my period its not due til the 8th of Sept./ its now day 3 and ii am checking the flow i use a cup and when i emptied it out this morning it was full.
- so i guess my period just came on early.
- me and my girlfriend had unprotected sex on 28th of july, the following day she took a ipill, its 8th of august already and there is no sign of withdrawal bleeding or anything, what do we conclude from this?
- Me and my boyfriend were sexually active between the periods above and after, i dont know if that has anything to do with it, but now im not having my normal expected period which was suppose to be two days ago, 8/22.
Discussion
Women discussed their worries, thoughts, and speculated about the cause of their "strange periods":
- Mon Sep 20, 2010 ok what i think you have described is inbetween bleeding .
- Bleeding or spotting between periods can be a frightening experience.
- You never know when bleeding between periods may occur.
- Maybe your period was over last week and then you notice that you're bleeding again.
- Maybe this isn't the first month you've experienced bleeding or spotting between periods.
Symptoms
They described their symptoms in more detail:
- I just started spotting yesterday and have slight cramps and indigestion, its alot lighter than a normal period but Im not sure why Im bleeding as Im only due next week.
- I also peed on a stick but both results came back with no lines.
- I had my normal period and am pretty regular every month, may vary 1-3 days because my cycle is between 28-31 days but it usually come on time according to the app I use.
- well about 20 mins later i had to use the bathroom i wiped and there was pink on tissue i thought i was pregnant because i have 2 kids already and my last pregnancy i spotted for all 7 days and thought it was my period.
- well i was excited then the cramping got worse and the flow turned into red and now I am so confused.
In conclusion
An early period may simply be a fluke, caused by stress, temporary hormonal changes, or something unknown. Don't worry about it if it happens one time and never again, but do pay close attention to any other symptoms you may experience, and see your doctor if you are worried.
Women who generally experience irregular periods and those who bleed between periods should seek medical attention to figure the cause out, while those who suspect they could be pregnant should take a pregnancy test.