Irregular Periods and Pregnancy

The other day, one of my friends, who is married confided in me with her minor apprehension. She told me that she had missed a menstrual cycle and was skeptical whether she had conceived. Although we both kept this to ourselves, I couldn't help having mixed emotions. On one hand I was secretly hoping that she is found out to be pregnant, while on the other, I thought, would this be a right time for her to conceive? Nevertheless, it was found out that stress and problems at work had delayed her periods. The point was that irregular periods and pregnancy can have a possible connection. Want to know more? Find out in the text to come!

What are Irregular Periods?
An irregular period is any kind of bleeding which is not normal in comparison with your normal menstrual cycle. Generally, a regular menstrual cycle is of 28 days, but it can vary from one woman to another. Based on your body and the hormone secretion levels, one can have a menstrual cycle ranging from 20 days to even 35 days. Simple chart keeping a track of the number of days between each period will help you gauge the time between your menstrual cycles.

Irregular Periods and Conception
Irregular periods are a cause of worry for women, especially who are planning to start a family. The skepticism is not totally unfounded as a considerable number of cases of infertility are a result of abnormal or no ovulation and menstruation. Although, even if the periods are a bit irregular, you can conceive and get pregnant. Just that you need to see a gynecologist before you decide to have a baby. There are quite a few other factors when it comes to conception and getting pregnant apart from menstruation and ovulation. The primary though, is ovulation. Getting pregnant if you have irregular periods is not exactly a problem. You can always try and track the time of your periods. In fact, when you go to the gynecologist, you would most probably get prescribed some fertility pills to get your irregular menstrual cycle and ovulation back on track.

But all said and done, this is not the way things go, normally or with minimum hassle. Sometimes what can happen is, you can have irregular periods while you are pregnant.

Periods during Pregnancy
Irregular period during pregnancy means a woman does not release a normal, mature egg on a monthly basis. In fact, what can happen is that you think it is the normal menstrual bleeding. But in reality, it can be implantation bleeding if you have had sex a little before that time and had missed your periods. This bleeding, even though it seems like periods is not that. Implantation means that the egg is attaching itself to the uterine cavity. In that time frame, it may happen that you experience bleeding which may be considered as periods. In case of any doubt or you feel something is not right with this whole scene, the best bet is to get yourself checked by an obstetrician and gynecologist and get rid of doubts related to irregular periods and pregnancy.

Irregular Periods on the Pill
Sometimes a birth control or contraceptive pill is prescribed to deal with the problem of irregular periods, especially initially when the periods have just started. That apparently helps regulate the hormone levels in the body and prevents a few other related problems. In older women too, birth control pills may cause irregular periods or light or unusually heavy periods. Considering the side effects that the birth control pills have, it might not be a good idea to take the pills, at least when the periods have just started, as after onset of menstruation, till the cycle gets stabilized, the periods might be irregular.

Eventually, rather than indulging in self medication, if you think you are suffering from irregular periods, seeing a doctor is the most advisable thing to do. Take care!