I've always had issues with my period since I was young, I had my first period when I was only about 10, and never had a steady period since then. I usually just get it about once a year, and for a short period of time. Well, I started my diet about a day before I ended up getting my period. And since then (about 12 days) I STILL have my period. Is it because I lost quite a bit of weight in a short amount of time? Is this normal?

Have you seen a doctor about it? There are lots of reasons for your cycle to be wonky and it's definitely best to have things checked out by a physician.

Kara

I agree--if you are still bleeding after 14 days, it would be good to see your doctor. The bleeding may or may not be anything to worry about, but why guess?

Jay

it took about 5-6 years before my period became anywhere near regular.
Skip months here... a month there...sometimes I would have my Period twice in the same month.

But only once did I ever have a period for 14 days... my very first one.
I think you should see a doctor.
I know that periods will stop if the body is too thin or just unhealthy. What weight are you now? What weigth were you before and how long did it take to lose that weight. it might of been what started it.

But all in all see a doctor.

Wow, Angels... that could be a symptom of PCOS, which is actually fairly common among overweight women. One of my friends in high school had it, and a big symptom that tipped it off was the fact she rarely got her period - maybe once a year.

You should definitely see a doctor to find out for sure; there could be a hundred other reasons.

oh man, you should just like me! i hardly ever get my period, and i got it when i was 14. it's never been regular since. i probably only get mine about 3-4 times a year. when i do get it, it only lasts for 2 days, and it's never heavy. i used to get cramps, but when i got to college, they never came back. i strongly suggest you talk to your gynecologist just so she can see what's going on, and if there is anything to worry about. i'm sure you're perfectly fine, but it's definitely beneficial for a check out.

my gynecologist suggested i'd take some medication to get my period back on track, i think you should ask yours about it!

I tend to also think it is PCOS. Have your OB check you out. Sometimes birth control pills REALLY help with regulating.

Wow, your post could have come directly from me, minus the last part about the constant period. I got my period very young (9!) and then barely ever got it, all the way up until I was 18 (which is now) when my Mom basically said to the doctor - give her birth control for regulation, NOW!
Before that, they kept saying "Wait a year.... wait a year..." They also ran some tests. I'm not sure about the constant period, but I know when I used to get mine it was sooo long because it had been several months since my last one. You should definitely go to a doctor and have them run some tests, then go on birth control for regulation. It isn't safe to have such irregular periods past a certain point!

Hi!

I agree that the best thing is to see your GYN.

Most irregular periods are not serious and can be regulated with BC pills. A long period may be a sign of a polyp or fibroids - again benign. PCOS is a possibility, but that is a chronic condition and while it can be difficult to manage, it's not going to kill you.

But, as women, we must take care of ourselves and that means having a GYN and regular Pap smears. If you don't have one, go to your regular doctor and start there.

Good luck!

Add me to the list recommending that you see your doctor. I had the same issue and I do not have PCOS, as far as anyone has been able to tell. I actually wish I did because at least PCOS is treatable! One thing I would recommend is that you find out WHY you are having irregular periods. This sounds obvious, but doctors don't always find out. For years I saw doctors who would just put me on the pill to regulate them, and that worked, but now I wonder if my severe infertility could be helped if doctors had treated the CAUSE rather than just the symptoms earlier.

The reason you are not having periods is because you are not ovulating, but your uterine lining still builds up. When you have that single period, it is because there is no room for more lining, so it sheds the top layer(s) until there is room. When you are not shedding the complete lining, it just adds new on top of old, and it is possible to get uterine cancer from that. I'm not trying to scare you, just sharing what my fertility doctor told me. I'm not sure how old you are now, so you may not be thinking about your uterus, but you may want to use it later. I would definitely address the issue with a doctor as soon as possible.

(By the way, your username isn't a Rent reference, is it?)

I had similar problems, Like 2 years after having my daughter I only had one period and my sister who has PCOS thought thats what I might have but the doctor acctually determind that I have a Thyroid Problem, and thats a lot of the reason when I was trying so hard to loose weight hardly anything was coming off and for me now its just a matter of getting my meds regulated. The doctor also put me on birthcontrol pills to regulate the periods. But that just really goes to show that you never really can guess yourself. Just call your doctor and explain whats been going on. They will probably have you do some test and figure out the root cause. Good luck to you!!

Please goto the doctor. I had many problems with my period from the time I was about 12 also. It was always really really heavy. One time when I was 15 I didn't have it for 4 months, and when it came back I bled for about 4 WEEKS STRAIGHT. heavy too..and I was scared to tell my mom because I thought something was wrong with me and I was OH so embarrassed...It got to the point where I was so weak I couldn't function, and mom took me to the ER. I stayed there a week because I had become so anemic.
My gyno put me on birth control, it did wonders! I became regular...My period has become light..only lasts about 3 days now..I don't cramp up nearly as bad.

I would recommend that every girl read Taking Charge of Your Fertility when she is 11. While a portion of the book is dedicated to conception and natural contraception, the overall information about our bodies is invaluable. It goes into great detail about what is 'common' and what is 'normal' and when we can take a wait and see approach and when something really needs intervention.

I agree that the OP needs to see her GYN ASAP. Since she is not ovulating, she needs to know why.

Ive been on birth control pills since I was 15 andI always had a normal period.. but when I go on low carb type diets, I get my period for 14-20 days at a time and as soon as i go back to eating a normal amount of carbs, my period goes back to normal too... its really weird... I told my doctor about it and they were just like hmm weird, well dont do low carb diets. >_>

I've always had TOM issues. As everyone has said, definitely talk to your doctor and see what they have to say. I started pretty young, too, and when I was 15 my doctor put me on a low hormone birth control to help regulate my cycle. I've also always had very heavy periods...very, very painful. The BC helped with that, too. After several years, the doc took me off it to see what my regular cycle would be. I was pretty regular (once a month, usually lasting about 8 days), but still very, very heavy and painful. So they said staying on the BC was probably a good idea. And so far, so good. Well, other than the fact that it's annoying as heck!