Irregular Periods — When Is It Normal and When Should You See a Doctor?

Most women will experience an irregular period at some point in their lives. Stress, travel, illness, dietary changes — any of these can temporarily throw your cycle off. So how do you know when it's something to brush off and when it's time to pick up the phone and call your gynaecologist?

First, What's 'Normal'?

A typical menstrual cycle runs anywhere between 21 and 35 days. Anything within this range is generally considered normal. The length and flow can vary slightly month to month — that's also perfectly normal.

What's NOT normal: cycles that are consistently shorter than 21 days, longer than 35 days, bleeding for more than 7 days at a stretch, or extremely heavy bleeding with blood clots (soaking through a pad or tampon every hour).

Common Reasons for Irregular Periods

• Stress and significant lifestyle changes
• PCOS or PCOD (see Blog 2)
• Thyroid disorders / Endocrine disorders
• Extreme weight gain or weight loss
• Perimenopause (in women in their 40s)
• Uterine fibroids or polyps
• Certain medications
• Malignancy

When to See a Gynaecologist

It's time to book an appointment if:

• You've missed three or more periods in a row (and you're not pregnant)
• Your periods have become significantly heavier or more painful than usual
• You're spotting between periods or after sex
• You're trying to conceive and have irregular cycles

Dr. Kevin Quadros has spent over four decades in Obstetrics, Gynaecology and Endoscopy, serving patients at Holy Spirit Hospital, Andheri East and Holy Family Hospital, Bandra West. His approach — thorough history-taking, careful clinical examination, and targeted investigations — helps get to the root cause, not just the symptoms.

Keep a simple period tracker on your phone. Noting dates, duration, and flow helps your doctor enormously during a consultation.

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