What causes irregular period with heavy bleeding?

Question

Hello doctor,

I am 18 years old, girl, who went without her period for over six months. Thankfully it came back, as previously stated. But the thing is that it has not gone away ever since. I am quite honestly just wondering what it might possibly be.

Answer 1

Hi,

Welcome to icliniq.com.

It is very common not to have a monthly period after starting to have a period for the first time. In order to produce period, your pituitary, ovaries, and uterus have to work harmoniously and it takes over 3 to 4 years for them to work together well. It is called anovulatory bleeding which is bleeding after you have not ovulated for several months. The bleeding tends to be heavy and prolonged due to estrogen effects that build up endometrial cells. You can imagine that your endometrial layer is very thick so it takes a longer time to shed and bleed. You can prevent this by taking combined birth control pills that would imitate your normal menstrual cycles and will prevent prolonged bleeding in the future.