Learn the difference between illness-related and lifestyle-related causes.
What helps? Jump to the tips against cycle fluctuations.
What you will find on this page:
When do we speak of cycle disorders?
Are your cycles permanently shorter than 23 days, longer than 35 days, or do they frequently fluctuate by more than 8 days? Then they are considered atypical. However, if your cycle length fluctuates within these limits, these are 'natural' cycle fluctuations.
Cycle disorders can take various forms:
Very short cycles: polymenorrhoea
With very short cycle lengths, the day of ovulation often occurs very early, usually as early as cycle day 8-10. The first cycle phase is shortened here, while the second cycle phase often remains 'regular' at 12-16 days. Doctors speak of polymenorrhoea when the cycle length is shortened to less than 21 days.
The chart shows an example of a short cycle of 21 days. The high temperature phase begins on day 10. The day the follicle ruptured was therefore around day 9.
The fertile phase in a short irregular cycle with 21 cycle days
Very long cycle: oligomenorrhoea
With very long menstrual cycles, on the other hand, it can take many days until the day of ovulation, often up to the point at which you are already expecting your next period. The timing of ovulation shifts backwards here. Many women think at this moment: is my period late? Am I pregnant? How long can an irregular period be? In the example cycle in the chart below, the cycle length is 43 days and the high phase only begins on day 36, with the follicle rupturing one day earlier.
Very long irregular cycle using the example of a 43-day cycle
Heavy and prolonged period
A heavy period (= hypermenorrhoea) is when you regularly lose more than 80 millilitres of blood per menstrual period. If the bleeding is heavy and prolonged (between 7 and 14 days), it is called menorrhagia.
Absence of the period and cycles without ovulation
There are different types of menstrual cycles without ovulation:
Shortened 2nd cycle phase
If the temperature drops again after less than 10 days in the 2nd cycle phase and your next period starts, this is called a shortened luteal phase. If this happens frequently, you could be suffering from corpus luteum insufficiency. This condition can cause the egg not to implant properly in the uterine lining or to detach again afterwards.
How do I notice whether I have an irregular cycle?
You think you have an irregular period? Find out:
In the cyclotest mySense cycle app, in addition to the basal body temperature, you can make many other entries, for example the consistency of your cervical mucus or the results of LH tests. Along with other ovulation symptoms, these two signs provide important clues about your cycle, especially about ovulation and your fertile days.
The chart shows you a selection of the input options. These entries can support your doctor in making a diagnosis.
cyclotest mySense: input options
Can you get pregnant despite an irregular cycle?
In short: yes, it is possible to get pregnant despite fluctuations in your cycle! The prerequisite, of course, is that ovulation takes place and that you know when you can get pregnant.
With the help of cycle tracking, you can also recognise whether your ovulation has shifted backwards, or from when a pregnancy test is worthwhile because your period is late.
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Is cycle tracking possible with an irregular cycle?
Yes, even if you have a rather long or fluctuating cycle, you can narrow down your fertility window with the help of cycle tracking. However, you should not rely on simple ovulation calculators, as the calculation of your fertile days and your ovulation is based there on average cycle lengths.
The cyclotest mySense cycle app can reliably analyse fluctuating cycles that are within a common range. In doing so, it also takes the entries of further ovulation signs into account. With very long cycles (up to 46 days), the cyclotest mySense app also analyses reliably. In this case, it does not show as many green, i.e. infertile, days as it would for women with a regular cycle. Because in favour of high reliability, the fluctuation range of the ovulation day must be taken into account.
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Why is my cycle so irregular?
An irregular period can have organic, functional (i.e. caused by illness) or lifestyle-related causes. As causes of irregular cycles, a distinction is made between lifestyle-related causes and illness-related causes. The chart shows you a detailed list of possible causes:
Causes of an irregular cycle
If in doubt, you should have the reasons for fluctuations or disorders examined by your gynaecologist in order to be able to detect and treat possible illnesses. The reasons for cycle disorders are explained in detail below.
Effects of puberty and menopause
The course of the cycle depends on various factors, including a woman's age. In young girls going through puberty, fluctuations in the cycle are completely normal. Over time, the cycle stabilises. In women between 30 and 39, it is most regular. From the age of 45, the monthly period becomes more irregular again as a harbinger of menopause.
Different life situations
If your hormone balance changes, this often has a direct effect on your cycle. However, this imbalance is usually only temporary and your cycle settles down again as soon as your hormone balance is back to normal. This is the case, for example, in the following life situations:
If the period does not return after stopping the contraceptive pill, this is called post-pill amenorrhoea.7
As you have surely already observed in yourself, your lifestyle can have a short-term effect on your body and the length of your period. This includes the following factors:
Irregular cycle due to illness
There are also illness-related causes that can bring about a fluctuating cycle:
Keep reading? You might like this:
Female cycle
An American survey has shown that only a few women know much about their own cycle. How long does a woman's cycle last? When are my fertile days? Which hormones are at work in the cycle? We want to answer these and other questions. A woman's cycle begins on the first day of the period and ends on the day before the next period. It normally lasts between 23 and 35 days
Hormone-free contraception
Hormone-free contraception covers all contraceptive methods and contraceptives that work without hormones. They can be divided into four groups.
In our article, we explain everything about contraceptive reliability as well as the advantages and disadvantages of the individual contraceptive methods.
Basal body temperature
The basal body temperature is measured in the morning after waking up. That is why this body temperature is also called waking temperature. At night, the body temperature drops to its lowest value; during the day, it rises slowly and reaches its maximum in the afternoon. Over the course of the cycle, the temperature level typically changes, which allows conclusions about ovulation and thus the fertile & infertile days.
What should women with an irregular cycle do?
If you have had an irregular period several times already and would like to stabilise your cycles, we have compiled some valuable tips here that can support you and come into consideration for treatment. There are many ways to actively bring the hormonal processes in your body back into balance yourself.
Supporting hormone production
To ensure sufficient hormone production, you should eat a healthy and balanced diet. The female sex hormones are produced through the intake of fats and cholesterol, prostaglandins (tissue hormones) from unsaturated fatty acids, and the hormones of the pituitary gland require essential amino acids. In some cases, you should pay particular attention to sufficient nutrient intake, your health and the right diet:
Medicinal plants, home remedies & natural medicines for the formation of progesterone
There are medicinal plants that are said to rebalance the unbalanced hormone levels in the event of cycle fluctuations:
Medical examinations for an atypical cycle
If in doubt, you should have yourself examined by your doctor if the symptoms suggest that hormonal causes could be present. Especially if you are planning a baby, it is advisable not to wait too long before seeing a doctor. To determine possible hormonal disorders, your doctor can carry out so-called endocrinological examinations.
All systems involved in hormone production, such as the hypothalamus, pituitary gland, ovaries, thyroid and adrenal glands, are checked. Among others, the following hormones are put to the test:
The examinations check whether hormone production and its interaction in the menstrual cycle are working. If your doctor has found hormone-related causes, they will treat them with the appropriate medication.
Sources:
- 1 Malteser Arbeitsgruppe Natürliche Familienplanung (Hrsg.): Natürlich und sicher. Das Praxisbuch. 18. Auflage. Stuttgart 2011.
- 2 Göretzlehner, G./Römer, T./Göretzlehner, U.: Blutungsstörungen: Neugeborenenperiode bis Postmenopause. 2. Auflage. Berlin/Boston 2014. Seite: 97.
- 3 Diedrich, K. et al.: Gynäkologie und Geburtshilfe. 2. Auflage. Heidelberg 2007.
- 4 Raith-Paula, E. et al.: Natürliche Familienplanung heute. Modernes Zykluswissen für Beratung und Anwendung. 5. Auflage. Heidelberg 2013.
- 5 npj Digital Medicine: Real-world menstrual cycle characterictics of more than 600,000 menstrual cycles. London. 2019.
- 6 Gnoth, C. et al.: Cycle characteristics after discontinuation of oral contraceptives. Gynecol Endocrinol Vol. 16 (4): 307-17. 2002.
- 7 Frank-Herrmann, P. et al.: Zyklusverhalten nach Absetzen von oralen Kontrazeptiva. J Reproduktionsmed Endokrinol. 1,54-57. 2006.
- 8 Institut für Qualität und Wirtschaftlichkeit im Gesundheitswesen (IQWiG): Regelschmerzen. Abgerufen auf gesundheitsinformationen.de am 14.07.2020.
- 9 Svanes, C: Association of asthma and hay fever with irregular menstruation, Zeitschrift: THORAX, Ausgabe 60 (2005), Seiten: 445-450.
- 10 Kumar A, Georgouras KEOestrogen dermatitis. Aust J Derm 1999;40: 96–8.
- 11 äin-red: Magersucht: Ausbleiben der Regelblutung kann dauerhaft verbleiben. Abgerufen auf frauenaerzte-im-netz.de am 23.10.2020.
- 12 Struck, D.: Verhüten ohne Hormone. 1. Auflage. Wiggensbach 2015.
- 13 Bergmann, J. S.: Die Wirksamkeit des Komplexmittels Phyto Hypophyson L bei weiblicher, hormonell bedingter Sterilität – Eine randomisierte Doppelblindstudie. heiDOK. 2001.
- 14 Madejsky, M.: Lexikon der Frauenkräuter. 5. Auflage. Baden und München 2008.