Can I still get pregnant with irregular periods is a common question asked by women.
Your periods are considered irregular if your menstrual cycle is less than 24 days or more than 38 days.
Although the average menstrual cycle is 28 days, it's not uncommon for women to have cycles which might be 31 days one month and 27 the next.
Irregular periods and conception
Not all period problems affect pregnancy, but some can be a cause of infertility or make it difficult to conceive naturally.
Irregular or missed periods may mean that you are not ovulating. Painful, long, irregular, or heavy periods may be a sign that you could have problems getting pregnant.
Causes of irregular menstrual cycles
Whether or not you will have problems falling pregnant depends on the cause of your period problem.
For example, polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a common cause of heavy bleeding that affects fertility.
This condition usually causes multiple ovarian cysts, hormonal imbalance, and irregular periods. About 1 in 10 women with irregular menstrual cycles has PCOS.
Other causes of irregular periods include:
- Eating disorders: Irregular or missed periods can be signs of eating disorders, most often anorexia nervosa. But any eating disorder, including bulimia and binge eating, can cause irregular periods.
- Thyroid problems, such as hyperthyroidism: Overactive thyroid causes your thyroid to make more thyroid hormone than your body needs. Hyperthyroidism can also cause fewer and lighter menstrual periods than normal.
- High amounts of prolactin in the blood: Prolactin is the hormone that causes breasts to grow during puberty and makes breastmilk after childbirth. It also helps control the menstrual cycle.
- Certain medicines, such as those for epilepsy or anxiety: Consult your doctor for advice.
- Primary ovarian insufficiency (POI): POI happens when your ovaries stop working normally before age 40. It can happen as early as the teenage years. POI is not the same as premature menopause as women with POI may still have periods. But they're usually irregular. Women with POI may also still get pregnant.
- Pelvic inflammatory disease (PID): Irregular periods can be a sign of PID, an infection of the reproductive organs. PID is most often caused by a sexually transmitted infection (STI).
- Stress: Studies show high levels of chronic stress can lead to irregular periods.
- Uncontrolled diabetes: Type 1 and type 2 diabetes can cause irregular periods, but getting your diabetes under control can help regulate your periods.
- Obesity: The extra fat in the body makes the hormone estrogen. The extra estrogen changes the normal menstrual cycle and can cause missed, irregular, or heavy periods.
The outlook
Many women experience irregular periods, mostly due to irregular ovulation.
While infrequent ovulation can make it harder to get pregnant, your doctor can help increase your fertility by treating the underlying cause of your irregular menstruation and monitoring your progress once you do conceive.