Long Menstrual Cycle Question

LegacyUser

Hi
Not sure if this is the right place so mods feel free to move it to where it should be!

I have been off the pill just over a year now and on average since then my "Monthly" cycle is 47 days!
From what I have been reading/heard this is particularly long. Some months it could be 40 and some 50 etc and so averages out at 47 over the last year and even just the last 3 months, the avg is still 47.

I am not ttc or anything at the moment but I am worried this will cause me problems when I am ready to have children.
Does anyone else experience something similar? Or should I be doing something about this? Seeing a doctor now rather than waiting?
I wasnt worried at first because I know after taking the pill it can take your body a while to adjust.

Any help appreciated
Thanks

seamus

This can be closed if another mod feels it necessary. I don't think this is strictly speaking a medical issue.

For some women a 47 day cycle may be normal. Were your periods regular before you started taking the pill? The figures you give are hovering around the 45-day mark, which indicates that you have settled down but just have a particularly long cycle - 6 or 7 per year rather than 12 or 13.

If this was not typical before you started taking the pill, then a trip to the doctor would be a good idea, if only to put your mind at rest.

As for trying to conceive, most doctors won't do anything unless you've been trying for 2 years or so without luck.

_ariadne

If you are concerned about your cycle and fertility etc, it might be worth learning to chart your cycles. this is a great book for learning how:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Taking-Charge-Your-Fertility-Reproductive/dp/0091887585/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1304524086&sr=8-1

(also loads of info online).

you don't have to be trying to get pregnant to chart, its actually really interesting to find out more about how your body works. and particularly if you have concerns about your long/irregular cycles, it would help you to see if you are ovulating and when. it might reassure you and plenty of women with long cycles have no problems having children.

but if you are really concerned then talk to your GP.

My periods were every 2-4 months before I went on the pill. I went to see the doctor about really bad pains, and she put me on the pill to fix the symptoms. She gave me a blood test but it was just a precaution in case the pain was PCOS or something. She never mentioned any worry about the length of my cycle, just the pain. She said it was longer than what is common, but it's nothing to be worried about. I'd say you're probably fine, it could easily be your regular length of time now.

However you should DEFINITELY see a doctor to confirm. Especially if you want to make sure everything's in working order for when you want to have kids.

LegacyUser

I have been in the same position two or three years ago.
I had very heavy periods, lasted three months...not fun...
I ended up going to the GP and thankfully was given help and medicine that was needed. It turned out my hormones and other scans indicated mild PCOS

I am not saying that you have this or anything but you do sound fairly worried and like above posters say if even to put your mind at rest go to your GP or specialist like an endocrinologist or something.

JackieBurkhart

There is Pregnancy forum on here. There are others also on weddingsonline and magicmum.
Now obviously you are not TTC - but you will get a lot of info on these forums about long cycles & fertility, which I'm sure is your primary concern.
I know many TTCers take Agnus Cactus (herbal) to regularise and shorten cycles.
AFAIK it does not necessarily mean that you will have any fertility issues - it could just mean that you have fewer windows for conceiving.
However of course it could be indicative of a problem and you are best advised to visit a doctor knowledgable in this area.

barbiegirl

If I were you just to put your mind at ease, I'd monitor your cycles. I find the clear blue fertility monitor great, that will at least show if or when you are ovulating. Once that is established, and you have had, I am assuming you have checked, your smear, then don't worry until you want to TTC. Then come over to us in the TTC forum for help and advice. :-) Don't worry cause lots of people have long cycles, the mean of 28 days is just that a mean, not a rule.

LegacyUser

If you have an iphone and want to track your cycle theres a great app called 'period tracker'....very original!