A shorter menstrual cycle may result from natural aging, lifestyle factors, or health conditions.
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What Is a Normal Menstrual Cycle?
However, what’s considered normal varies between people and can vary between cycles as well.
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Depending on when a personovulates, most cycles last 21 to 35 days.
Bleeding times average three to seven days and often shorten as you age.
A short period cycle is less than 21 days.
What Causes Your Menstrual Cycle to Get Shorter?
Its important to monitor your cycle to alert your healthcare provider when necessary.
This helps them to identify and treat any underlying health concerns early.
This is largely due to changes in hormone levels, particularly a shorter follicular phase.
These changes reflect lifetime fluctuations in reproductive hormones like estrogen and progesterone, which regulate ovulation and cycle timing.
However, it may remain irregular or shorter as long as the intense exercise continues.
Sudden weight loss or being underweight can reduce estrogen levels, potentially leading to irregular or missed periods.
This includes pills, rings, intrauterine devices (IUDs), or injections.
When changes occur, they are usually within a few months after starting birth control.
Changing the brand or punch in of birth control can also affect the length of your menstrual cycle.
Pregnancy
If someone is unaware of their pregnancy, they may mistake implantation bleeding for a period.
It typically occurs around the same time as your period but is lighter than menstrual bleeding.
Breastfeeding
Nursing(lactation) may cause skipped periods or shorter cycles.
Nursing a baby suppresses reproductive hormones that usually stimulate ovulation.
Lack of ovulation causes amenorrhea (not having a menstrual cycle).
As nursing time and amount decrease, people typically start having menstrual cycles again.
However, cycles may remain shorter until the baby is weaned (no longer nursing).
Ectopic Pregnancy
Anectopic pregnancyoccurs when a fertilized egg implants outside of the uterus.
Ectopic pregnancies change how hormones behave, which in turn can affect periods.
The transition can last four to six years.
This affects how your body communicates with reproductive hormones such asestrogen, affecting your menstrual cycle.
The same is true if youve stopped taking some medications such as blood thinners.
Keep in mind that hormone therapy doesn’t completely remove the risk of pregnancy.
Medical Conditions
Certain medical conditions can cause irregular bleeding, shorter cycles, or breakthrough bleeding.
If needed, they will perform apelvic exam.
Apregnancy testmay be ordered if you’re of childbearing age.
They may also suggest blood tests to check your ovaries, endocrine system, or hormones.
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