Bad for Kotex, sure, but for me?

October 22, 2006 9:26 PM

MenstrualCycleFilter: My recent periods have been freakishly short. Should I be concerned, or just excited about all the money I stand to save on tampons?

It’s my understanding that having unusually long periods can be a sign that something’s wrong. Is the same true for unusually short periods?

My last three periods have been progressively shorter; the last one was two and a half days. When I was younger, my periods were irregular and long, sometimes over a week, but they’ve been normal and quite consistent for the last three years or so.

I’m in my mid-twenties and healthy. I’ve never used prescription birth control and I’m not on any medication. The only contributing factor I can think of is my recent weight loss. I’ve been dieting and have lost about ten pounds since June, but I’m still a normal weight for my height (I was a couple of pounds overweight before dieting) and I eat more nutritiously now than I did when I wasn't dieting.

posted by chickletworks to health & fitness (13 answers total)

Preface: I am not a doctor and am not a women's health expert.

In some cases, women can have continuing light periods while pregnant. Is this a possibility? If so, get a 5 dollar test from your drug store and be sure.

If not, things like stress, depression, or extreme (unhealthy) weight loss could be causing your body to produce less estrogen.

It's probably nothing to worry about, but call your gyno and have a chat. It's what doctors are for.
posted by chrisamiller at 9:45 PM on October 22, 2006

I am not a woman nor a gynecologist, so I don't understand why short periods should be considered a problem. But anyway, are they heavier or lighter than they used to be? More or less painful? Any changes besides duration?

See a gynecologist. Maybe a female one -- though I once felt more comfortable discussing my "male anatomy/plumbing" problems with a female MD I "read" as lesbian.
posted by davy at 9:50 PM on October 22, 2006

Have you also started exercising more? That can do it.
posted by needs more cowbell at 9:54 PM on October 22, 2006

Just be happy about it! My periods suddenly got lighter and shorter sometime in my early to mid twenties, and I have no idea why. (I also go for regular physicals so i know nothing's wrong with me.) Your weight loss might definitely have encouraged the situation, but it also could just be 'nothing'. Say: YAY!
posted by Kololo at 10:08 PM on October 22, 2006

Diet and exercise can definitely affect menstruation, though I personally see the most obvious changes in PMS symptoms (they tend to go away), rather than menstruation itself, when I'm living more healthily.

If you google "diet menstruation" you'll see all sorts of claims about how diet can affect your flow, many of which seem a bit overblown but may still give you an idea of some of the mechanisms that might be happening. A more direct connection may be if you've cut down on non-organic meat or dairy, most of which contains hormones that tend to screw with women's bodies. Consuming fewer of those hormones could certainly affect your cycle. A lot of the information out there suggests eating more raw vegetables if you want a lighter flow.
posted by occhiblu at 10:22 PM on October 22, 2006

My periods get shorter and lighter sometimes when I'm anemic. Stress can also affect the length of my period - when I was a teenager it made them longer, but now in my late 20's my periods get shorter when I'm stressed. However, 3 days is at the lower end of the normal period duration for a mature woman.

If you're not experiencing any unusual symptoms such as pain or a complete cessation of your period, and you're sure there is no possibility you are pregnant, I would not be overly worried. I would make sure to get enough nutrients (taking a multivitamin and iron supplement). If your period gets any shorter than 3 days then it's worth getting to a doc to make sure everything is OK.
posted by rhiannon at 10:43 PM on October 22, 2006

You might want to chart your cycles just so that you know what's "normal" for you. The book "Taking charge of your fertility" is an excellent resource to teach this and there's software available at ovusoft.com (and no I don't work for them or have any affiliation).

By just taking your temperature in the morning and checking your cervical fluid, you can know exactly when you are most fertile, when you are ovulating, when your period is expected, etc. It's actually quite cool to see what your body does and to see how your cycle affects you.

And if you want to get pregnant or *don't* want to get pregnant, you'll know what to do when.
posted by Maias at 6:16 AM on October 23, 2006

I would also have the thought of pregnancy in my mind, but only if it's a serious possibility.

If not, or maybe even if so, I would think a call to your GYN should do. S/he will probably ask you a lot of the same questions everyone here has, but s/he will actually know what your answers mean. And then, if s/he tells you to come in for a visit, go. If not, don't worry about it.

To make you feel better, however, I have had a lot of female friends who have a LOT of female problems [cysts, endometriosis, etc.], and I have never heard one of them complain of light periods. It's always quite the opposite.
posted by starbaby at 7:32 AM on October 23, 2006

Thanks, everybody!

I guess I'm just going to assume that this is God answering my prayers, albeit several years late.

(But I'll also heed everyone's advice and call my gynocologist if it happens again next month.)
posted by chickletworks at 7:57 AM on October 23, 2006

Light periods can be a symptom of PCOS, so should probably be checked out.

Note that it's possible to have a *shorter* period without having a *lighter* period. The average blood a woman loses is 3 oz. One easy way to determine whether you are close to this average is with a menstrual cup. This might be good info to go to the doctor with.
posted by carmen at 9:12 AM on October 23, 2006

One warning if you plan to have children at some point: shorter or lighter periods can also be a symptom of peri-menopause. The great book that Maias referred to emphasizes the importance of asking for an FSH test. Surprisingly few doctors offer the test to young women who are concerned about their fertility. An FSH test will tell you where you are on the fertile/infertile curve and hopefully eliminate that as a concern (now that I've got you worried about it).

Having an FSH test done helped spur me to move forward with plans to get pregnant sooner rather than later. (And yes I was able to get pregnant even with an FSH result that indicated somewhat reduced "ovarian reserve".)
posted by AuntLisa at 10:55 AM on October 23, 2006

Gaaaah! I was all ready to write this off, and then Carmen and AuntLisa burst in with the cycts and the menopause and the infterility. Damn. I'm making an appointment tomorrow. Sigh.

Thanks, ladies.
posted by chickletworks at 1:50 PM on October 23, 2006

Around age 30 my periods shortened from 5-6 days to about 2 days, and they've been that way now for over a decade. No problems, no obvious cause. Bodies change as we age. I've also gone back and forth between VERY painful bleeding and a complete lack of pain. (The painful periods exactly coincided with very stressful, very difficult situations in life, I was surprised to realize later.)

Best to bring it up during your next annual exam, but without other symptoms it's probably nothing to worry about.
posted by shifafa at 11:10 AM on October 24, 2006