The duration of the menstrual cycle is different for every woman. This is not always the standard 28 days. But still, too long or too short a cycle of menstruation is alarming. Especially if it was normal before. Why is this happening? Should I be worried? Is treatment necessary? This is what we will find out further.
Should I be concerned?
A 14 day cycle is not the norm. The classic terms of menstruation are from 21 to 34 days. Therefore, a short menstrual cycle indicates a malfunction in the body, exposure to harmful conditions or the development of diseases.
Worry should be shown to those women whose menstrual cycle was normal for a long time, and then dropped sharply. In particular, this may indicate problems with either the endocrine or reproductive system.
Can there be a cycle of 14 days? Such a duration is not natural. There is a risk that a woman takes uterine bleeding for early menstruation. self-diagnosetheir nature to the layman is unrealistic. How to stop these bleedings, find out their cause. Therefore, with a short cycle of menstruation, in any case, you need to show concern and pay a visit to the gynecologist.
Experts recommend in any case of a sharp and significant change in the menstrual cycle, color, quantity, consistency of bloody discharge, be sure to contact your doctor. This advice applies to girls and women of all ages. Such changes may hide pathological conditions, an ectopic pregnancy, or certain physiological causes. What exactly can be found out only in the course of complex diagnostics.
Worrying symptoms
Let's list the main deviations in relation to the menstrual cycle that cannot be ignored:
- Number of cycle days - 14-17.
- The volume of blood secretions has sharply decreased, they have become more like an astringent mass.
- The number of bleeding days has decreased to 2-3.
- The change happened suddenly, for no apparent reason.
- Woman cannot conceive due to lack of ovulation.
What are the reasons for the short cycle of menstruation?
Pregnancy
If there has been a fact of unprotected intercourse recently, then the first reason for the reduced menstrual cycle is pregnancy. It should be noted that it can be not only normal, but also pathological - ectopic. So it's not worth itlimited to a store pregnancy test - a visit to the gynecologist in this situation is required.
Bleeding during ectopic pregnancy is often mistaken for an early onset of menstruation. And in the first three months of normal pregnancy, women experience spotting lasting 1-2 days, somewhat similar to menstruation.
Medications
The duration of the menstrual cycle can change in response to a woman's prescription of oral contraceptives. Moreover, contraceptive drugs affect the duration of the bleeding period. It can be reduced to 3 days. And in this case it will not be considered pathological. It should be noted that contraceptives help to survive menstruation more easily - women report weaker manifestations of PMS.
At the beginning of taking OK, more spotting, intense spotting may appear. This is noted on the 14-19th day of taking hormonal drugs. They are mistaken for menstruation, although the nature of these secretions is different. After 2-3 months of taking oral contraceptives, the problem resolves itself.
But if this did not happen, then the woman should definitely contact her gynecologist. The problem can be resolved by the appointment of vitamin E and antioxidants. OK provokes a deficiency of these elements in the body. As for vitamin E, its deficiency is fraught with blood smearing. One of the most common means is the complex of antioxidants "Synergin".
Why is a woman's period short? The reason may beand in taking other medicines, in addition to oral contraceptives. In particular, the following drugs:
- Steroid drugs.
- Antidepressants.
- Drugs aimed at treating thyroid dysfunction.
Polycystic ovary syndrome
A menstrual cycle of 14 days can also be established for this reason. With this syndrome, a woman's body produces a large amount of male hormones. They suppress ovulation.
This causes women with PCOS to experience irregular, unstable menstrual cycles. It may be too short, too long. Also, menstruation is sometimes completely absent for several months.
Breastfeeding
Another reason for a 14 day cycle is breastfeeding. Breastfeeding can affect ovulation for up to 18 months. This is due to the fact that during breastfeeding, special hormones are produced (prolactin, lactose, alpha-lactalbumin), for the synthesis of which the body suppresses ovulation hormones.
Accordingly, the normal menstrual cycle is restored on its own, as soon as a woman reduces breastfeeding or completely abandons breastfeeding. Change, of course, will not happen immediately. The body will need some time for hormonal adjustment.
Impaired thyroid function
A short menstrual cycle may be the result of diseases of the endocrine system andthyroid in particular. The latter is regulated by the hypothalamic-pituitary part of the brain. Which is also responsible for the processes of ovulation and menstruation. Accordingly, a failure in one part of this system leads to a failure in the operation of another component.
Besides a short cycle (a short protocol is a completely different concept), a woman with this dysfunction will also notice the following symptoms:
- Dramatic weight loss or, conversely, weight gain.
- Change in appetite.
- Deterioration of hair condition.
- Increased heart rate.
With this problem, you should definitely contact an endocrinologist.
Premature ovarian failure
Premature ovarian failure (another name is primary ovarian failure) is diagnosed when, due to a hormonal failure, the ovaries of a girl or woman of childbearing age have ceased to function normally.
The short cycle here is explained simply: if the ovaries do not function correctly, it means that the body does not receive the necessary amount of the hormone estrogen. And this is fraught with both irregular and shortened menstrual cycles.
Entering premenopause
Perimenopause is the state before menopause, when the body enters a new stage of hormonal changes. The duration of this period can be 4-6 years. At this time, the menstrual cycle may either decrease or disappear altogether.
This state of affairs is natural and should not cause concern. At the same time a womanloses the ability to conceive, which is important to consider when planning a family.
Other common causes
One of the frequently diagnosed causes of changes in cycle length can be called chronic prolonged stress, periodic overwork. It has been scientifically established that it is stressful situations that cause both a change in the general hormonal background and an increase in the level of the hormone prolactin.
To normalize the cycle in this case, it is enough just to put the "work / rest" mode in order, start to get enough sleep. Try to minimize the amount of stress in your life. Learn how to cope with nervous stress as painlessly as possible.
Another common cause of menstrual cycle instability is beriberi. In particular, a lack of vitamins A, B, E, K can lead to impaired blood clotting and metabolic imbalance. It is possible to return the work of the reproductive system to normal when taking vitamin complexes. Which ones, your doctor should advise you.
A shortened cycle in many situations is a temporary, natural phenomenon. May occur after childbirth, miscarriage or abortion. As we have already noted, menstruation becomes irregular even at the first stage of menopause, which is also not a cause for alarm.
A "single" short cycle is also a reaction to taking certain medications. This is especially true for antibiotics. During the course of treatment with these drugs, oftenyou can observe the "early" onset of menstruation.
You can not discount and acclimatization. Moving to qualitatively different climatic conditions is reflected in the sensitive hormonal background of the body. This means that it can also lead to the destabilization of the menstrual cycle (after all, it is a hormone-dependent process). Even vacations, short breaks in other latitudes can have an impact.
As practice shows, many women note that after the birth of a child, their menstrual cycle has become steadily shorter. If menstruation constantly comes after childbirth in a shorter period, there is no reason to worry, the woman does not need treatment.
Reason - disease
The most dangerous cause of early menstruation is an ectopic pregnancy or miscarriage. The discharge, mistaken here for menstruation, is actually open uterine bleeding. It can be so profuse that it is fraught with severe blood loss.
The danger is that a miscarriage can happen in the first week of pregnancy, when a woman is unaware of her situation. By color, consistency, a non-specialist will not be able to distinguish these spotting from menstruation. Therefore, it is so important to see a doctor as soon as possible with a sharply reduced menstrual cycle.
In addition, the following diseases can provoke a short cycle:
- Inflammatory processes affecting the ovaries.
- Uterine fibroids.
- Ovarian cysts.
- A bleeding disorder.
- Thyroid dysfunctiongland.
- Kidney disease.
- Diabetes mellitus.
- Metabolic disorders in the body.
- Vascular diseases.
Cycle normalization
You can return the menstrual cycle to normal by eliminating the problem that caused it. In some cases, it goes away by itself - during acclimatization, pregnancy, breastfeeding. Somewhere correction of a way of life, change of a mode of a food, reception of vitamin complexes is required. If the reason for the short cycle is in a certain disease, then the problem will be solved only with its complete cure.
In the case when the menstrual cycle has gone astray due to stress, nervous strain, the appointment of oral contraceptives or for unknown reasons, the patient is prescribed drugs such as "Pregnoton". They contain plant or artificial elements that can return the hormonal background to normal. Means that stimulate blood circulation in the pelvic organs, as well as mineral and vitamin complexes for women's he alth are also needed.
Short menstruation can occur for both natural and pathological reasons. Depending on its nature, measures are prescribed to normalize menstruation.
