Signs worth seeing a doctor about
Changes you should bring to a professional
Your period stops suddenly
No period for 3 months or more when you are not pregnant (amenorrhea) can point to a hormone issue, a thyroid problem, or polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS).
Cycles under 24 days or over 38 days
The common range is 24 to 38 days. Regularly falling outside it can be a sign of an ovulation problem or a hormone imbalance.
Your flow changes sharply
Suddenly very heavy bleeding (soaking a pad within an hour) or barely any flow at all can point to fibroids, polyps, or a hormonal change.
Cramps that stop your day
Pain that over-the-counter painkillers cannot manage, or that gets worse year on year, can be endometriosis or adenomyosis. Do not just push through it — get it looked at.
Bleeding between periods
Bleeding outside your period can be a sign of a cervical issue, a hormonal change, or an infection. If it keeps happening, it needs checking.
A period lasting more than 8 days
Three to seven days is typical. Bleeding that runs past 8 days is worth investigating for a clotting disorder or fibroids.
Severe PMS, or PMDD
If the depression, anxiety, or anger before your period is severe enough to disrupt daily life, it may be PMDD (premenstrual dysphoric disorder). Treatment can help a great deal.
Irregular bleeding around menopause
Irregular bleeding in your 40s can be a normal transition, but any bleeding after menopause always needs to be examined.
This is general information and everyone is different. If a change worries you at all, a professional opinion is the reliable answer. Keeping up your logs makes that appointment far more useful.
Sources
- Menstruation in Girls and Adolescents: Using the Menstrual Cycle as a Vital Sign — ACOG Committee Opinion
- Abnormal Uterine Bleeding — ACOG
- Heavy Menstrual Bleeding — ACOG
- FIGO systems for normal and abnormal uterine bleeding: 2018 revisions — Int J Gynecol Obstet, 2018