Short cycle of menstruation: why the menstrual cycle is shortened (reasons)

Every healthy woman of reproductive age, outside of pregnancy and breastfeeding, menstruation should go every month, and the duration of the cycle is individual. If failures are observed no more than 1-2 times a year, there is no danger to health. A short cycle of menstruation can be caused by one of the physiological reasons, or signal the presence of a serious illness.

Which monthly cycle is normal

To understand why a woman has a shortened natural menstrual cycle, you need to know about processes occurring during these 21-35 days (this is the duration of physiological).

From the inside, the uterus is lined by the endometrium, it consists of three layers, plays a major role in bearing pregnancy, since the embryo, after fertilization of the egg, is introduced into the endometrium. To ensure that the uterine tissue is always ready for implantation of the ovum, it must be regularly renewed. The process takes each woman an individual period, from 21 to 35 days, the average monthly cycle is 28 days. If conception has not occurred, the swollen endometrium comes out in the form of menstruation, the discharge may contain clots.

Ovulation is the release of a mature egg from the epididymis into the fallopian tube, along which it moves to the organ cavity. With an average cycle of 28 days, ovulation occurs on the 14-15th day. In place of the dominant follicle, a corpus luteum is formed, which will produce progesterone and support pregnancy.

Normal periods are determined by several indicators:

1. They begin every 21–35 days, the discharge of blood is not abundant, but not scanty, and lasts 4–7 days.
2. In the first 2.5 or 3 years after the first menstruation, the cycle ranges from 25 to 45 days, critical days may appear once every two months until the stabilization of the work of all reproductive organs occurs systems.
3. More serious disorders, when it is shortened or lengthened, are observed in adolescents and women in the age of 45–55 years (during the onset of menopause) - this is normal, caused by disruptions in the hormonal background.
4. Menstruation may start one month later, another month earlier, but if the cycle is within the normal range, there is nothing to worry about.

The cycle should not be shorter than 21 or 23 days, otherwise the egg will simply not have time to mature, and the corpus luteum will not be able to perform its functions of embryo implantation. Why could my period cycle get shorter? The reasons for what is happening are divided into physiological, non-hazardous to the body and pathological.

Natural factors causing disturbances

Every woman is advised to keep a monthly calendar in order to monitor the duration of the menstrual period, to record the nature and intensity of discharge. Physiological causes of cycle failure:

1. The first menstruation in girls - most often they come at the age of 12-14 years, are irregular during the first 2.5-3 years. It is common that the cycle is shortened, sometimes the regulation occurs 2 times a month. Such symptoms should go away on their own after stabilization of the hormonal background.
2. Age of menopause - before menopause, women notice that their periods become scarce, do not come regularly, the intervals between periods are shorter, sometimes longer, until they disappear at all.
3. Stress - the body can react by changing the duration of the cycle to climate change, long travel or flight, emotional overload, physical trauma. If your period starts earlier than usual 1-2 times a year, there is no reason to panic.
4. The onset of pregnancy - during the introduction of the embryo into the mucous layer of the uterus, a woman may notice bloody discharge from the genital tract for 1-2 days in a row and take them for menstruation that came earlier put. After implantation bleeding, menstruation does not come during the entire gestation.
5. Postpartum period - the restoration of the normal cycle occurs 6-9 months after childbirth, although this period is individual for each woman. In the absence of breastfeeding, the onset of menstruation after childbirth will come after 1.5-2 months. Bleeding may appear more often than usual due to unstable hormonal levels, this condition will change on its own within 60-90 days.

Cycle failure is often observed in women on a strict diet. Against the background of a deficiency of vitamins and minerals, anemia develops. Menstruation becomes scarce due to the failure of the second and third phases, may come twice or not come within 2 months.

A monthly cycle of 21 days is normal if there are no symptoms of serious illness and the phenomenon itself is not regular. In other cases, it is recommended to consult a doctor.

Pathological causes of a short cycle

The negative factors that affect the duration of the cycle and cause its decrease include:

1. Endocrine system pathologies - diabetes mellitus, hyperthyroidism, hypothyroidism, inflammation and dysfunction of the pancreas.
2. Disturbances in the work of the blood coagulation system - the cycle can be shortened, and the discharge of blood during critical days is abundant, with the presence of clots.
3. Diseases of the reproductive organs - fibroids, cysts, endometriosis, chronic salpingitis, which have changed the structure of tissues.
4. Infections affecting the cerebral cortex (meningitis, encephalitis) - cause a disorder of the hypothalamic-pituitary regulation and disruptions in reproductive function in the female body.
5. Long-term use of hormonal drugs - if, against the background of the use of oral contraceptives, the cycle became shorter, 15-20 days, intermenstrual flow, and symptoms do not disappear within 3-4 months, you should consult your doctor for a comment on Problems.
6. Late contraception with Postinor and Escapel - leads to serious hormonal disruptions, in which menstruation becomes shorter (stabilization can take up to several years).
7. Abortion - is a strong stress for the hormonal system and the whole body, which is why menstruation can get lost and become shorter.
8. Sexually transmitted infections - gonorrhea, chlamydia, ureaplasma, mycoplasma, trichomoniasis.

Hypermenstrual syndrome is a condition characterized by hormonal disorders, short periods between periods and is often combined with endometriosis.

When you urgently need to visit a doctor

Sometimes stress and overwork can be the cause of a short period. These provocateurs are not dangerous, and menstruation is restored by itself. There is a list of signs indicating the presence of a systemic disease, in the presence of which one should not delay a visit to the doctor:

1. Lack of menstruation at the age of 16-18 years.
2. A long break in the onset of critical days, when there are no good reasons for that (pregnancy, lactation, menopause).
3. Pain in the pelvis and perineum.
4. A pulling sensation in the lower back, sharply radiating into the rectum.
5. A woman takes oral contraceptives that are not suitable for the body and observes intermenstrual bleeding.
6. Signs of hyperthyroidism are mood swings, aggression, increased nervousness, sweating.
7. Scanty menstrual flow, lasting 1–2 days.
8. Signs of intoxication in the form of headaches, fever, fatigue, body aches.
9. Discharge from the genital tract with an unpleasant odor, unnatural color and consistency.
10. Bleeding between periods.

In the presence of any or several of the listed symptoms at the same time with a decrease in the monthly cycle, it is necessary to urgently visit a doctor. The earlier a woman is examined, the more chances there are in time to identify and cure the existing pathology.

Possible consequences of changing the menstrual cycle

Many women whose periods come irregularly complain to doctors about the inability to get pregnant for a long time. Therefore, it is important, if the cycle of menstruation has decreased, to find out the causes of the syndrome and treat the underlying disease.

Factors affecting the possibility of a normal fertilization process:

Poor egg quality

Too short intervals between the coming periods are observed due to the underdevelopment of the egg in the epididymis. More often, the symptom is noted in women after 40 years, but it can also be diagnosed in young people. If there is a reduction in the first phase of the cycle, during which the egg must be fully formed (less than 12-14 days), this causes an inability to fertilize. Even with a successful conception, the embryo will not be able to penetrate into the uterine wall if the second phase is shortened - the endometrium does not have time to prepare for implantation.

Early ovulation

Normally, ovulation occurs in a woman on the 14th or 15th day. If it decreases, then an immature egg, incapable of fertilization, enters the uterine cavity. The follicle remaining in the epididymis cannot transform into a corpus luteum to perform its function - to maintain pregnancy. Progesterone, which is necessary for the embryo to enter the uterine wall, is not produced, and pregnancy does not occur.

To increase the chances of successful conception and gestation when the clinical picture supplemented by secondary infertility, it is important to visit a gynecologist on time if the cycle is 17-18 days, finding out the reasons. Therapy usually involves hormonal drugs that stabilize the duration of all phases for the full development, fertilization and attachment of the egg in the uterine cavity.

With more frequent menstruation, a woman loses an increased amount of blood every month, which can lead to a lack of iron in the body, up to its severe consequences - anemia. Its symptoms are as follows:

• chronic fatigue;
• dizziness, weakness;
• light-headedness;
• increased heart rate, flashing "flies" before the eyes, even after little physical exertion.

Anemia requires treatment with iron supplements, which a doctor will select in order to reduce the manifestations of a deficiency in the body.

Diagnostics and treatment

It is not always a fact that if the intervals between the onset of menstruation become smaller, it indicates a condition accompanied by problems in the gynecological sphere. Often, a condition such as a cycle of 14-16 days is caused by the cause of postpartum restructuring of the body - it is not dangerous and goes away on its own within a few months. In a number of situations, the instability of menstruation is caused by negative factors that require compulsory treatment.

With regular failures in the onset of critical days, it is recommended to undergo an examination, including:

1. Taking anamnesis - the patient's complaints are clarified, how long the cycle has been shortened, how menstruation proceeds, what accompanied by symptoms (pulling pains, daub in the middle of the month, temperature), the presence of concomitant systemic pathologies.
2. Laboratory blood tests - biochemical and general analyzes, study by ELISA for the content of tumor markers and hormones.
3. Detection of infections of the genital organs - examination of the smear by PCR, for the degree of purity, determination of sensitivity to antibiotics.
4. Ultrasound of the uterus and appendages - to exclude acute inflammation, fibroids, cystic formations.
5. Magnetic resonance imaging of the brain - is required for the differential diagnosis of the inflammatory etiology of monthly disruptions from the presence of a pituitary adenoma.

After establishing the diagnosis, the doctor selects the methods of therapy that are suitable for a particular patient and depending on the cause of unstable menstruation - aimed at eliminating the underlying disease.

Treatment may include:

• hormonal drugs;
• hemostatic agents (with heavy periods) - Tranexam;
• vitamins of groups A, B, C, E, K;
• antibiotics, suppositories with antiseptic action, douching with anti-inflammatory herbs;
• with uterine myoma - myomectomy, hysterectomy;
• in the presence of a malignant tumor - amputation or extirpation of the uterus and ovaries.

In diseases of the endocrine system, pancreas, appropriate therapy is prescribed, after which the cycle will stabilize for several months.

Too frequent menstruation is a reason to visit a doctor and undergo a course of treatment, depending on the etiology of the syndrome. It is unacceptable to ignore the situation when the cycle is shortened to 19 days, without finding out the reasons, to self-medicate and use folk remedies for a long time without consulting a doctor. Hormonal disruptions, due to which menstruation comes more often than expected, can be eliminated in 4-6 months. Sometimes treatment involves the use of strong antibiotics and surgery.