These four types of problematic menstrual periods can affect your fertility levels and ability to conceive in different ways. Here are brief descriptions and treatment options – which could help if you’re having trouble getting pregnant!
“In man, the shedding of blood is always associated with injury, disease, or death,” said Estelle Ramey, who was an endocrinologist at Georgetown University. “Only the female half of humanity was seen to have the magical ability to bleed profusely and still rise phoenix-like each month from the gore.”
If you’re not rising phoenix-like each month – magic! - then you may be coping with one of these four problems with your period. For more detailed info, click on the amazing book Women’s Health for Life, edited by Donnica Moore, MD. And read on for info about oligomenorrhea, amenorrhea, menorrhagia, and dysmenorrhea.
4 Types of Menstrual Period Problems
1. Painful periods or dysmenorrhea. “Primary dysmenorrhea is linked to a rise of natural chemicals in the body at ovulation, which can cause pain,” writes Mary Jane Minkin, MD, in Women’s Health for Life. “Secondary dysmenorrhea is a sign of an underlying disorder.” Secondary dysmenorrhea affects women who’ve never menstruated before.
A reproductive disorder, endometriosis, or fibroids could cause painful periods – and the only way to know for sure is to get it checked out. Symptoms of dysmenorrhea include aching in your lower back or legs, cramps in your abdomen, or a dragging sensation in your pelvis. This menstrual problem could lead to infertility or problems conceiving; the sooner you know what you’re coping with, the better!
2. Heavy periods or menorrhagia. Hormonal imbalances or uterus disorders could cause heavy periods, but Dr Minkin says the cause isn’t always obvious. If you’re bleeding for seven or more days and it’s not controlled by sanitary napkins or tampons, then you may have menorrhagia. Some blood clots are normal – but large blood clots are a sign of heavy periods.
Menorrhagia could lead to anemia, so make sure you eat plenty of iron! Lean meat, leafy green veggies, some cereals, oatmeal, boiled soybeans, molasses, and various beans are good sources of iron. You may need prescription medication to treat heavy periods or anemia – but make sure to tell the doctor you’re trying to get pregnant (if you are).
3. Irregular periods or oligomenorrhea. Unpredictable periods are normal the first year of menstruation, and during perimenpause (the years leading up to menopause). Hormone imbalances or disorders can also cause irregular periods, which can affect fertility levels and your chances of conceiving a baby.
Dr Minkin recommends keeping track of your periods, to see if the irregularity is normal for you (because what’s normal for one woman can be abnormal for another). She also says, “Fortunately, most menstrual problems are minor and easily treatable.”
4. No periods or amenorrhea. If you’ve missed three periods, then you may be dealing with amenorrhea (or a pregnancy! Or perimenopause or menopause). “The most common cause of absent periods is pregnancy,” writes Dr Minkin. “Amenorrhea can also be a side effect of illness, stress, overexercising, or extreme weight loss.”
If you’re not getting your period, then you’re not ovulating or releasing an egg each month…and if you’re not ovulating, then you’ll have problems getting pregnant! See your doctor for help diagnosing and treating amenorrhea – and avoid excessive dieting or exercise.
To learn more, here’s info about periods, menstrual cramps, endometriosis, or fibroids from StopFibroids.com.
For more info about menstrual period problems, read How Your Period Affects Your Libido and Mood or Natural Premenstrual Symptom (PMS) Tips on my “Quips & Tips for Achieving Your Goals” blog. And to learn more about these doctors, go to Dr Mary Jane Minkin – who co-wrote A Woman’s Guide to Menopause and Perimenopause or Dr Donnica Moore.
Do these four types of menstrual period problems jive with your experience? I welcome your comments below…
~ Resources for Getting Pregnant & Fertility ~
If you're trying to conceive a baby, learn about getting pregnant easily and naturally.
Are you or your partner coping with low fertility levels? Try FertilAid for Women or FertilAid for Men.
And don't forget about vitamins and minerals, which are essential to a healthy pregnancy! Make sure you're taking the right Pregnancy Plus Prenatal Vitamins.
This is the complication every women face. I have serious problem of heavy bleeding plus my stomach pains a lot and i have to take pain killer because i am working and can’t bunk my office.
Hi Joan,
I’m sorry you’re dealing with menstrual problems like that — it must be really bad for you to have to take pain killers!
Have you tried acupuncture or other types of naturopathic medicine for painful periods?
My friend’s daughter has had painful and irregular periods since she was 12 years old. They’re worried about her fertility, but are trying not to stress her out about it. They tried acupuncture, but it didn’t help with the cramps and period pain. It did make her feel happy and peaceful, though!
Laurie
I know what it is like to suffer heavy painful periods, I had problems when I was younger I am now 62 years old and do not have to put up with this misery anymore, I have had some menopausal symptoms but I must say I prefer that to periods and the horrible symptoms that brought. I used to feel so ill sometimes and had to go to bed and take pain killers, I sometimes passed out with the heavy blood loss. I used to dread every month, I did try to keep active with walking and swimming before my period it did help somewhat, As Joan said in a previous comment you can’t keep taking time of work. Laurie also mentioned her friends daughter has had trouble since she was 12 years old. For someone so young it must be terrible at least she has found other treatments which can help her. I don’t think women have a very good time of it mother nature seemed to have given us the lot regarding periods, and the menopause and raging hormones. I once saw a quote in a magazine can’t remember who said it, I think it was a famous woman, She said (if God is a woman she is a two-faced b***ch) regarding what women have to put up with and I quite agree.
Hi,last May I noticed that I didn’t get my period for April or may,in June I went to the doctor for my yearly checkup,and it turned out I had a vitamin d deficiency,so they put me on a big dose of it every day for a few months, then I got my period the day after I started taking it,and it lasted for three weeks and was extremely bad,then I didn’t get my period for one month,so I started taking a normal vitamin d supplement and now after about a week my period is back and normal,so my question is ,do I have to take a daily supplement forever?
Vitamin D deficiency is becoming more well known and recognized as something to be concerned about. Vitamin D is safe to take daily especially at lower doses of 1,000-5,000 iu. Start with 1,000 i.u. and slowly increase up to 5,000 i.u. until your menstrual cycles returns to normal. It is difficult to get adequate vitamin D in your diet so if you have moodiness, depression, cancer or osteoporosis in your family history you should consider this supplement for your lifetime. Of course, if this doesn’t help you I suggest you go back to the doctor that put you on a high dose to check your levels once again.
Thanks for the article. I am merely 20, and i am on birth control because of irregular periods. I was a late starter- almost 14. When i started, i was quite regular, until about 6months to a year. My freshman year of high school, i went 8 months without a period. my doc at the time put me on b.c. for a while, until i asked to try again from scratch; they were still irregular. I am now in college, and can’t really afford herbs and natural alternatives, but hate being on the pill, right during the time of budding sexuality- college life. I hate meds, and i hate the embarrassment.
Now, i just have to discuss oligomenorhea and/or amenorhea.
Thanks!
Jerica,
Thanks for sharing this bit of your life with us — it can be such a pain ot have period problems (literally!). I hope you’re able to regulate them naturally, without spending alot of money.
Good luck — and if you find anything that works, please let me know!
Laurie
I am 29 and was diagnosed with PCOS back in 2005. This past year my period did not come for 6 months and I believe that was due to my PCOS and a large amount of work related stress. Once the stress resolved itself (I got a new job) my period resturned and was with me for 16 days, and was pretty heavy at the time. The next period arrived 42 days later and was also 16 days and heavy. My period arrived 42 days later again and I have now had it for 32 days and counting. This time it is very heavy, with lots of clots and has actually caused me to be anemic. I have seen my family doctor who has sent me for blood work and an ultrasound. I guess I am just wondering if I should consult my OBGYN?
Thanks for listening!
Hi Andrea,
Yes, I’d definitely talk to my OBGYN if I were you. I’m sure your family doctor has ordered the right tests, but it never hurts to get a second opinion — especially from someone who specializes in things like PCOS and irregular periods!
Good luck with treating your PCOS — it’s highly treatable, by the way, but you need to talk to your doc about treatment possibilities because each woman is different. I hope your periods become light and regular before you know it!
Laurie
So my sophmore year, I got on Debo. It almost immediately took away my period and I had no spotting. I ended up gainin 40lbs on it but didn’t notice it at first. The entire point of me getting on birthcontrol was to regulate my period and help with cramps, which didn’t happen. before debo i was on the patch which just made me completely horrible to be around because it made everything so much worse. but anyways, i got off of debo after i noticed the weight gain (which came on in about 2 months) and then it took me about a year and half to my period back. i would always have cramps but no bleeding. when my period finally returned my senior year, it was way worse than before. it was heavy enough to have to change my pad every hour and i use the next to heaviest from always. i got into an accident december 08. it wasn’t bad but i did have some anxiety but a little before that and since, my period has been every two-three months and lasts for a month being heavy like i said. i have horrific cramps for about two weeks and vomit a few times over the month.
i’m afraid to go to the clinic (because i dont have the money for a doctor or insurance so thats my only option) because 1. im a virgin and they use tools that will hurt 2. im afraid of getting on any other birth control that will just mess me up more.
i dont know what to do but i cannot live with this anymore. it makes me depressed and super irritable. my family doesnt understand and i’m so fatigued with even caring about it.
what do i do?