26 y/o, are irregular periods ok?

Question

Since about age 22 i've had very very irregular periods...sometimes going up to 6 months w/o anything, then maybe a month or two, then a couple off. I'm a normal weight (5'4, 125 lbs) and I don't think i'm any more or less stress then the other guy (even though i did just graduate from law school and take the bar exam, but its been irregular way b/4 that. All STD tests have always come up negative. I also have some mild acne which I also think is odd as an adult!

Answer 1

Many women are irregular, but that may make it difficult for you to get pregnant someday of you ever want kinds. One in 5-6 couples who want to have kids can't due to many factors, but hormonal imbalances is one of the reasons. Why not start collecting some data on yourself for a couple months so you can get an idea of what is going on hormonally; (a doctor might ask you to do the same thing anyway.) Go buy a BBT (basal body thermometer) at your nearby pharmacy and collect a month or two or three of "upon-awakening" body temps before you shower or go to bathroom or talk to anyone, eat brekfast, etc. Plot the temps along with the data on your days of the menstrual cycle, if you have any. The bbts of normal women fluctuate almost daily due to several hormones' levels fluctuating. Progesterone causes the body temp to be higher, pre-menstrually most women have lower body temp due to low estrogen and progesterone. Around ovulation there is both a drop and a rise in body temp. I recommend all females collect this data on themselves from the time of menarche on, so that she knows a little about how well balanced her hormones are. She can also monitor her cervical-vaginal secretions (color-consistancy, etc) to make the data more accurate and informative. So go buy a notebook and bbt and start collecting some info on yourself. bbt can even help women know when to have sex to get pregnant as well, since one can see the timing of ovulation. Ovulation predictor kits at the pharmacy are rather expensive (although more accurate), so if you study Natural Family Planning, you can find out how normal-abnormal hormonal levels you might have. More people use these methods to help them know about their fertility patterns and to time sex than to know when to abstain avoid an unwanted pregnancy. Good luck.

Answer 2

The acne could be normal, especially if you have semi-oily skin. I wouldn't worry too much about that.

The abnormal periods, however, should concern you. Have you ever had a pap test? You might want to consider having one. Abnormal periods at your age could be a sign of some serious female problems, or they could be the pre-cursor to something more serious down the line. If you want children someday, it's not something you really want to mess with. It could be something as simple as a hormone imbalance, in which case you just might be put on birth control, but it's worth knowing while you're young and you can do something about it.

Answer 3

i need to know answers to this question too...i have the same problem...i am currently on my 6th month wotout any periods....the only thing that regulates it is contraceptives...but i didn't want to take those anymore, so i stopped in FEb. but sine ci came off them, nothin.....i dont know wasspu with that....i'm 22 by the way

Answer 4

Google Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome and see if the symptoms sound familiar......