Is this normal? (feminine problem)

It takes a minimum of 21 days for a complete ovulatory cycle, so if this is a menstrual period, it would be a 26 day cycle, counting the Saturday spotting as day 1. But the lack of cramping suggests that you might not have ovulated.

Are you using contraception?

@MagsRags No, no contraception. (But no sex either)

I had a very irregular cycle once I became athletic (I rowed in highschool) and sometiimes wouldn’t see my period for eight months or so. I don’t think it’s cause for alarm, but if you are concerned or are experiencing other symptoms it’s never a bad idea to consult a medical professional.

@holden Yeah, doctors aren’t concerned with my cycle irregularity, but I find this whole early arrival, erratic cramping and on/off bleeding that I’m currently experiencing to be quite strange…

Wow I didn’t know you could feel an ovary cramp.

@HumourMe Apparently 1/5 of women can “feel” their ovulation. I usually can’t, but this time, the cramps were primarily on the right side of my body, and not in my uterus like they normally are. But now it seems today I have my actual period, when I thought just the other day I was ovulating. (usually there’s a 2 week gap)

I think I might just chalk this one up to stress. This is exam week and I have been so overwhelmed with papers and studying, and apparently stress can induce periods…bah

For a woman who is not using hormonal contraception, 3 months is generally the longest we want to see her go between periods. The concern is that the ovaries keep producing estrogen and sometimes the lining of the uterus can thicken more than it should and possibly even change in abnormal ways – more worrisome in a 40-ish woman than a teen. Anyway, if the woman still isn’t ovulating, the lining can start to shed randomly after it’s built up for awhile. We usually help resolve it by giving 10–14 days of oral progesterone to stabilize the lining and allow it to shed completely after finishing the progesterone. This “resets the clock”, biologically speaking.

Even your August 21 until November 16 stretch is a little under 3 months. I think it sounds OK to give it another month or so and see what happens, unless the bleeding becomes very heavy or prolonged.

@le_inferno your body can do strange things when it’s under strain. This last week I’ve had weird headaches, suppressed appetite and my breasts have gained about 6 pounds. (weird) I think that’s a reasonable conclusion.

it’s all part of your irregular periods- ask a doctor, they may prescribe birth control pills to regular the period

So, no chance you can be pregnant? You just described my bleeding, no cramps, pain on my side, when I had an ectopic pregnancy.

Have you been evaluated by an RE? I am guessing you have PCOS in some form and eating a diabetic diet might straighten out your cycles.

A lot of people have irregular cycles and have no medical conditions. My ex-day care lady ahd about one a year. As long as you have been checked out by your doctor and he says every thing is ok, I see no need to worry about it.

@baileysmom12 I disagree. PCOS gets overlooked constantly. My GYN and regular endo checked to see my hormones by testing me on a random day in my cycle. An RE would never do this, they would only use day 2 or 3, and you cannot tell by a fasting blood sugar if you have a problem, they have to look for some ratio that I do not remember. OBGYN’s are very good at delivering babies and dealing with the actual anatomical parts of the reproductive tract, not so good at determining specific infertility especially related to hormones, unless they have specifically decided to specialize with women who have this problem. At least that has been my experience. Many GYN’s will give a woman birth control to regulate her, but I think that is treating a symptom and not an underlying cause. Don’t get me wrong, I respect GYN’s and of course they have significant experience and knowledge in the care of women, but if there is a possible hormonal problem related to cycle or fertility I say see an expert.

@jLeslie I said as long as there are no medical conditions. Some people have irregular cycles and they are healthy. Some people have irregular cycles and they are healthy. But I did stat that “as long as a doctor says every thing is ok”

@baileysmom12 my point is if your GYN says it is ok, it does not mean there is no problem. Still, you can live that way your whole life and nothing catastrophic might occur, but I do question if people who have an underlying undiagnosed sugar problem if it is not affecting other parts of your health without realizing it. People who do not regulary ovulate and are diagnosed with PCOS are given diabetic medication and they begin to cycle. Typically they only take the meds while trying to get pregnant under the care of an RE. In fact they often do not get a diagnosis until they start trying to become pregnant, which is typically years after the onset of menses. But the question has always stood out in my mind—should they be taking medication ongoing, or at least changing their diets? GYN’s rarely address this situation, unless the patient has had problems with painful ovarian cysts.

I think we have a misunderstanding here. I never said anything about just an OB/GYN. We are both pretty much saying the same thing. I meant as long as a complete check-up shows no medical conditions. If there are medical problems then that WOULD explain why the cycles are out of whack, and steps would need to be taken to correct the condition.

@baileysmom12 I just think loads of women don’t make it to the specialist, because the GYN has told them they have nothing wrong. I brought up the GYN, I am not trying to put words in your mouth, sorry if I came across as disagreeable, maybe we are agreeing?

A lot of things can affect your period, not just when it comes but how it feels when it does and how it behaves, so it could be natural and only a problem if you find it to be a problem. But it could be something serious so I think better-safe-than-sorry is the philosophy to follow now: go see a doctor or to go a clinic asap.

@JLeslie You are right. If you think something is wrong you shouldn’t stop with just one doctor. Always get a second opinion and see a specialist if you can.

@baileysmom12 I think the majority of women don’t even know there is a such thing as a Reproductive Endocrinologist. And, most people do not think of utiling their expertise unless trying to get pregnant. I should apologize, I am ranting. I get very frustarted with the medical establishment. I don’t mean to focus it on you. I know a man who had a low testosterone and my regular endo said (somehow it came up in a conversation) that she prescribes testosterone all of the time for men, that he should make an appointment with her. When I said, but he wants to try and have a baby right now, she did not flipping know that testosterone will lower his sperm count. I had to tell her.

You can rant and rave at me as much as you want to. No offence is ever taken. Doctors are not my favorite people right now either.

Go see a gynocologist if you haven’t already. If you’re not getting the help you need, see another one until they figure out what the situation is and how to best treat you or diagnose you.

@baileysmom12: I agree with your comment. Not all doctors are created equal and some, sadly, should not be practicing medicine.

@Siren So very true. There are more quacks practicing medicine out there than you can shake a stick at!!

sounds odd but may depend on the women around you…wafting hormones about…could be mumbo jumbo but my biology is bonkers so i had it all checked out to no avail but found that my cycle is largely dictated by the woman i am around most frequently. apparently its some mad ..kick back from when we were tribal and had alpha females and all that stuff.cant say i buy it entirely but well it fits the pattern

How old are you? Young women often find that they have really erratic cycles… Perhaps you are just somewhat extreme…
Are you taking any contraception? Some hormonal contraception can lead to irregular bleeding.

If I were you, I’d consult a doctor to get everything checked out. It’s probably all fine, but it’s better to be safe than sorry, right?