Posted By Dr. Deepti Asthana on 13-02-2020
In women, periods or menstrual cycle is a vital phase that occurs in the female reproductive system. It provides important hormones to keep the female body healthy. The menstrual period is essential for the formation of oocytes and the preparation of the uterus for pregnancy. The menstrual flow usually occurs after 25-30 days and lasts two to seven days. Irregular periods, abnormal or no bleeding imply abnormal ovulation or a state of anovulation.
What is anovulation?
Anovulation is a condition when the ovaries fail to release an egg or oocyte during a menstrual cycle due to which ovulation does not take place. Women facing anovulation problem have more or less irregular periods. Severe anovulation condition is one of the most common causes of infertility.
Besides, chronic anovulation can exacerbate long-term problems such as hyperandrogenism or osteopenia. It is a low-bone density state which causes weakening of bones. Besides, anovulation is responsible for multiple imbalances and improper functionality of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS).
Abnormal ovulation can lead to fertility problems. However, the irregular period problem can be treated with fertility drugs unless you are not diagnosed with other health conditions such as thyroid or abnormalities of adrenal or pituitary glands.
What is the cause of irregular periods?
On average, the ovulation period of a woman occurs every 24 to 38 days and may last until seven days. Some women face irregular period problem in the following scenarios:
Various factors can disrupt the normal pattern of your periods. These include:
Do periods indicate fertility?
Having regular periods simply indicates a high chance of fertility. In general, a woman can get pregnant during ovulation which occurs around 10-15 days before the next menstrual cycle. Ovulation is the process of egg release from the ovaries.
During periods, one or more eggs develop and get released during the cycle. After ovulation, the egg lives for 24 hours. Pregnancy occurs if male sperms meet with the fertilized egg of the female. With increasing age, the menstrual cycle becomes irregular or short and the lining of the womb may become thin. Also, the ability to nurture a fertilized egg may be affected.
Irregular Periods and Pregnancy Signs
The menstrual cycle usually occurs during puberty which occurs between 10-15 years of age and continues till menopause which is between 45-55 years of age. Irregularity in periods, also known as oligomenorrhea, may occur if there is hormonal imbalance, changes in contraception method, etc. It can also lead to a problem with fertility.
However, this is not always true. To track ovulation and the length of the cycle, one can do either of the following:
Getting pregnant with an abnormal period pattern is difficult. Some of the signs for prediction of ovulation include:
How to get pregnant with irregular periods?
With irregular periods, the chances of pregnancy become low. However, certain measures can help which include:
Author: Dr. Deepti Asthana has been associated with Fortis Memorial research institute Gurgaon for the past four years and is working as a consultant there at present.