Period Getting Closer Together

Well I remember my Mom saying that once she first started to go through menopause her periods got kinda wacky. I don't remember exactly what happened but I do remember her saying that she got a few that were sooo heavy. I don't remember if they were closer together or not though.

Hi, K.. I've always been able to set my watch to my 28 day cycles. However, after the birth of my 4th three years ago, they've been totally different. Oh--I turned 40 this year, too. I've seen my doc twice with this question, and this is what I was told... It is normal for women as they age to have shorter cycles. The cut-off point is 21 days or so, and it's still considered normal. So, I've been charting for a couple years, and it's been like this for me: 26 days, 24, 24, 24, 21, 25, 24, 21, etc. My situation is in the realm of normal. The other new phenomenon in the last couple years is cramping during ovulation (which is about a week after my period!), and it switches sides monthly. He said this was because ovaries often end up with scar tissue from dropping eggs after so many years, and cramping can increase because of that. Normal again! I'm glad you asked this question. We need more discussions on what to expect. :)

Hi K. - irregular periods and a change in your periods are a sign of hormone irregularities. Whether you're in perimenopause is hard to say. Weight, diet, illness, stress, a cyst and more can all affect your estrogen and progesterone levels.

I would recommend talking with your ob/gyn for an appt. for an exam. I listed a good article that you might find informative. Good Luck!

http://www.mckinley.illinois.edu/Handouts/irregular_mense...

I am 39(40 in August) and my periods have gotten shorter, like 4 days when they used to be 7! I wondered the same thing, do you know when your mom went through menopause? I think that is a factor. Have you heard of Dr. Christianne Northrup? She wrote Women's bodies Women's Wisdom, good stuff! Let's hope it's not the big M, I'm not ready!

The same thing happened to me, only since I've always been somewhat irregular, now I play the "when is it coming" guessing game every 3-4 weeks instead of every 4-5 weeks. I went in to my doc, just to be sure, since menstrual changes can also signal nasty stuff like ovarian cancer, and my family has an unfortunate history with such things. She sent me for an ultrasound, but in the end the diagnosis was "40 year old ovaries." It's not menopause yet, or even perimenopause, but for many women as we hit around 40, our systems wind up for a last shot at reproduction, and our periods may also become more of a roller coaster ride because our hormone levels spike and drop instead of rising and falling gradually through the month.

So, you may want to consult your health care provider to make sure nothing else is going on, especially if there is a cancer history in your family. But most likely, it's because you, too, are the happy owner of 40 year old ovaries.

K., I don't think it's related to your age because I'm 34 and going through exactly the same thing! I've always been on a 28-30 day cycle and now I get my period every 3 weeks! I'm actually checking to see what response you get from others..

I don't believe it is menopause either. I just turned 30 and the same things is happening to me. I have always been 28 days exactly. In the last 6 months they started getting closer and closer and are now they are 21 days. I am waiting to see if they get closer than that or not. I don't know why it is happening but will research it and let you know what I find out.

I have had this problem starting at 30 and the doctors always wanted to put me on birth control pills to even out my cycle. I didn't want to just put a bandaid on it, but I really wanted to find out what was wrong. Just last year (after going through this for 10 years) my friend told me about a doctor who specializes in bio-identical hormones. I made an appointment with him and got tubes of blood taken and it came back that I was very, very low in progesterone. I started taking the progesterone and felt a lot better. My 18 year old daughter also got bloodwork done and she was low in progesterone also. After about a month of taking the progesterone she noticed a big difference in the amount of her periods, cramping, and the length between periods. It is difficult finding a doctor that does a test that is so indepth, but just ask around or maybe look on the internet for a doctor in your area that specializes in hormones. I was always told that I was going through an early menopause. Most of the women in my family have this same issue.

I don't know if you're in perimenopause or not, but that is definitely one of the signs. They can get closer together or farther apart. Someone mentioned hormones being off balance, which could be. My understanding is that when there is some kind of change hormonally, whether it's peri or some imbalance you will probably have a shift in your cycle. Simply going through pregnancy can cause those changes. I don't know that you need to be too concerned if this is your only symptom. I don't know too many women that didn't go through exactly the same thing at some point in their 40's. I am almost 47, and my cycles started getting shorter probably 5 or 6 years ago. Now they are suddenly getting longer, with lighter periods. I know I'm in peri, and have learned to expect the unexpected with my body. I honestly don't think you have anything to worry about, but you can always bring it up with your GYN on your next annual for peace of mind. Good luck!

Hi,
I have seen this question come up a lot. This will sound really gross, but I promise it will work. You might be low on iron and a nutrient found in liver. When this happens, your periods get closer and closer together, the periods are heavier and you get a lot of clotting. The fastest way to correct this is to eat a pound of calf liver. Thaw it out to where it is still somewhat firm, cut into little pieces and cook over low heat, stirring often so it won't burn. Put it in spaghetti sauce and put over spaghetti. Try and eat it all at once, or throughout the day. It will really make a difference the next period you have. Take care!!

I would suggest getting bloodwork done via your GYN to check your hormone levels. This happened to me (I am now 41) about two years ago my periods started to get closer and closer and very sporadic then they got further apart; i was all over the board. Bloodwork showed that I starting perimenopause so it is possible. But I would start there; get your hormone levels checked to see where they are. I also started back on the pill to have some regularity back in my life which helps my sanity a lot! Good luck.