An irregular period can make it hard to pinpoint when your best fertile time is. Furthermore, irregular cycles increase your risk of having unprotected sex that could result in pregnancy and STDs like chlamydia or genital warts.
Ovulation disorders can often be treated successfully. Consulting a physician will help identify their source and restore hormone levels back to normal.
Causes
No two women’s menstrual cycles are exactly alike, but there are standard parameters for what constitutes normal and not so normal cycles, including whether periods occur every 21 to 35 days (polymenorrhea) or less frequently than that (oligomenorrhea). Irregular cycles also include very heavy or light periods; heavy ones cause blood loss exceeding 16 teaspoons a day while light ones account for only four teaspoons a day of loss. Not getting your period at all or missing multiple cycles in succession could indicate you may not being ovulating properly – something non-perimenopause (stage before full menopause) can reveal itself.
Ovulation occurs when a mature egg is released from one of two ovaries and travels down through the fallopian tube before encountering sperm and becoming fertilized – missing this step can make getting pregnant much harder.
Ovulation irregularity can be the result of many things, from lack of physical activity and severe stress to weight fluctuations and medical conditions such as polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and hypothyroidism. Certain medications like nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, steroids and certain epilepsy medicines can interfere with ovulation; before making changes or discontinuing them it’s wise to consult your healthcare provider first. In rare instances primary ovarian insufficiency (POI) prevents ovulation by shutting off egg production while decreasing estrogen production – something which must not happen for the body ovuln and Ovulatory cycle to occur naturally!
Symptoms
Some women experience menstrual cycles that vary month to month, which is considered normal but may become problematic if trying to conceive. Women have fertile windows a few days prior and post ovulation; timing your intercourse around these dates increases chances of conception.
However, if your menstrual cycle is irregular and you’re unaware when you ovulate, missing this window and being unable to get pregnant could occur. A doctor can help identify irregular ovulatory activity by measuring progesterone levels in your blood – progesterone is produced when ovulation takes place and measuring this will indicate irregularity.
If your ovulating regularly, symptoms include no periods at all (amenorrhea), irregular periods or very light ones that come and go (anovulation). Other possible causes include polycystic ovary syndrome or early menopause – conditions that lead to decreased ovulation that typically appear after middle age.
Ovulation and menstrual-like bleeding without subsequent spotting are possible when the uterine lining becomes so thick it naturally sheds itself; this could also be caused by certain medications or health conditions like thyroid issues or adrenal gland issues. If irregular periods are hindering you in trying to get pregnant, fertility drugs may help stimulate ovulation and help facilitate conception.
Treatment
Treatment for irregular ovulation varies depending on its underlying cause, with medication to induce ovulation being one such approach. Furthermore, any health issues which might interfere with normal ovulation processes (for instance thyroid conditions or pituitary gland disorders) must also be taken into consideration when devising a strategy to return to regular menstrual cycles.
Ovulation, or egg release, occurs every month when one ovary releases an egg into the fallopian tube and moves down towards its destination, the uterus. Once released, this egg travels further down, potentially becoming pregnant if fertilized by sperm present in its path. Irregular ovulation can result in missed periods or oligomenorrhea; sometimes even leading to an egg not being released altogether! Anovulation refers to when no eggs have been released by one or both ovaries.
Long-term use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs such as ibuprofen or steroids, psychotropic drugs or narcotics used to treat psychological conditions, or excessive production of prolactin hormone can inhibit ovulation and even cause premature menopause (menopause before 40), also known as early ovarian insufficiency.
Women experiencing irregular ovulation can use ovulation predictor tests to pinpoint their most fertile days, similar to pregnancy tests but without peeing on a test strip. Unfortunately, these tests can sometimes be inaccurate so it is wise to discuss this matter with your physician as soon as possible. Medications to stimulate egg release such as gonadotropins or follicle stimulating hormone may also help.
Prevention
Predicting ovulation is possible using several techniques, including using an ovulation kit that tests your basal body temperature to identify an LH spike that signals ovulation. Your doctor can also order blood tests on day 21 to monitor progesterone levels – when these levels rise significantly it could indicate that an egg has successfully ovulated and begun being secreted into your uterus.
Women who go months between periods may have issues with ovulation. Women can experience menstrual-like bleeding without actual ovulation (anovulation). This can happen if their uterine lining becomes so thick it naturally sheds off, or medications or radiation interfere with its production of the female hormone estrogen, among other reasons.
Some ovulation problems can be traced to abnormal or underactive signals from the pituitary gland that promote ovulation each month — such as follicle-stimulating hormone and luteinizing hormone. A low body weight, excessive exercise or long-term use of certain drugs may alter these hormones and create imbalances.
Ovulation problems often stem from issues with the ovaries themselves. Women suffering from primary ovarian insufficiency – in which an ovary fails to produce eggs and hormones needed to prevent pregnancy – due to polycystic ovary syndrome or chemotherapy, radiation, or surgery side effects; or due to being born without any ovaries at all or having ovarian fibroid tumors which prevent ovulation altogether can have difficulty with ovulation.
