When your period will get weird
WHEN on your period, your body will often do unusual things that may cause you to pause and wonder if everything is OK.
You may feel nauseous, miserable, sleepy, or your period itself may do odd things such as become prolonged or shortened.
But what causes this? Obstetrician-gynaecologist (ObGyn) Dr Jordan Hardie said once a change is noticed in your period, the first thing to do is a pregnancy test.
He said once that has been determined, other causes of an irregular period include stress, weight loss, hormonal contraception (oral contraceptive pill, the patch, the injection), pharmaceutical drugs, and medical conditions including polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) and hyper prolactinemia (over production of prolactin which is a hormone made in the brain).
Dr Hardie further explained that conditions that may cause the patient to have heavy periods are generally sub classified into gynaecological and non-gynaecological.
“Gynaecological causes include uterine fibroids, which is very common in women of African descent in the reproductive age group, endometrial polyps (an abnormal growth from the tissue lining the uterus), endometrial hyperplasia (excessive growth of the tissue itself lining the uterus), adenomyosis (when the deposits of tissue lining the uterus are located within the walls of the uterus itself) and in rare cases, endometrial cancer.”
Below he explains what women should expect their period to do after certain occurrences that are likely to happen in their lifetime.
After pregnancy
Dr Hardie said in most women the menstrual period returns approximately six weeks after delivery if delivery was uncomplicated. “However, for women who exclusively breastfeed, they may experience a delay in the return of their period. This is known as lactational amenorrhoea,” he said.
After a miscarriage
The ObGyn said the return of the regular menstrual period after a miscarriage is dependent on the gestational age (how far along) the pregnancy was at the time of the miscarriage. He said patients who experience a miscarriage within the first trimester can expect a return of their period between four to six weeks after the miscarriage, while patients who experience a miscarriage within their second trimester may have a delay in the return of their period up to six weeks after the miscarriage.
After starting hormonal birth control-pills, injection, patch
“Patients on the pill will notice a withdrawal bleed upon completion of the pill cycle. On rare occasions some women will notice spotting after starting the oral contraceptive pill. This will spontaneously resolve in most patients. Some women may, however, on consultation with their gynaecologist, have to change the pill they are taking or the method of contraception if the bleeding does not stop,” he said. “Women who have been placed on the injection may report persistent spotting which is a common side effect of the injection. Patients who start the patch should notice a withdrawal bleed in the fourth week after the patch is removed.”
After stopping birth control
Dr Hardie said women who stop birth control may not have a return of their normal menstrual period up to three months after stopping their birth control.
As it relates to fixing the issues, Dr Hardie advised women not to try to regulate their own periods as this can lead to complications, toxicity of the drugs they may be taking, and heavy bleeding which may impact fertility.
“If the patient is having an abnormal period they should see their gynaecologist and have the reasons for the irregularity investigated,” he said.
