QuestionDear Dr. Ramirez.
I was wondering if you could perhaps clarify what my gynaecologist has told me recently about some problems that I have been having with my periods. My husband and I have been trying to have a baby since last October, although as yet nothing!
For the last 4/5 months however I have been having problems with my periods. My normal cycle lasts 24 days with my period being quite regular and bleeding lasting for 4/5 days. Since February this has all changed and I can now be anywhere from a couple of days to a week later than expected. Also I tend to spot brown blood for another couple of days and only sometimes have a proper bleed after that. This month for example I was 3 days later than usual and then spotted for 4 days and have now been bleeding (bright red blood - which is not normal for me) for 4 days.
My spanish gynaecologist is fantastic and has told me that it is most likely a hormonal imbalance that we recitify itself however he didnt give me any time frames. Obviously I would like to get preganant as soon as possible. Should I be worried about these changes? Will they affect my fertility long term and how long should I leave it before I go back to the doctors? We went two months ago and he said that it should sort itself out...but how long does it normally take?
Sorry for the bombardment of questions!
Thank you for your time.
Gemma
P.S Should you prefer you can reply in Spanish.
AnswerHello,
If you don't mind, I will reply in English since that is easiest for me.
Women's cycles can change from time to time. That is a normal variance. If the cycle is within 7 days +/-, that is consider to be normal and regular. Beyond 7 days, however, is abnormal. It sounds like your have been on the abnormal side. Usually, the reason for abnormal cycles is due to hormonal irregularities. That assumes, of course, that your examination was normal and there are no other causes for abnormal bleeding.
If this has continued for the past two months and not yet rectified itself, ie. returned to normal, then I would recommend that you see your doctor again. It should not take longer than that. Your doctor might want to cycle you with hormones, or place you on fertility medications to get your cycles back to normal. If you have a hormonal irregularity, it will be difficult to get pregnant.
You don't mention how old you are, but if you are under 35 years old, you should give yourself up to 12 months to get pregnant. If it then does not occur, you should begin an infertility evaluation. If you are over 35, then we cut the time line to 6 months, in which case, you should now see a fertility specialist.
I hope that answers your questions,
Edward J. Ramirez, M.D., FACOG
Executive Medical Director
The Fertility and Gynecology Center
Monterey Bay IVF Program
www.montereybayivf.com
Monterey, California, U.S.A.
