Women's Health Community

If you think you might be pregnant, have you considered taking a pregnancy test?

Gail

Dear sanaraza: Gail is correct. If you have any risk for being pregnant, that has to be ruled out first. If the test is negative then there are a couple of explanations for suddenly having two, 21 day cycles.

The most common reason for a menstrual pattern like you have described is not having an ovulation every month. In a normal cycle, estrogen is produced all month. Estrogen is responsible for building up the lining of your uterus so you have something to shed each month.

In a normal cycle, progesterone production increases following ovulation and release of an egg.. Progesterone "stabilizes" the uterine lining in preparation for a possible implantation of a new pregnancy. If you are not pregnant that month the levels of estrogen and progesterone fall, triggering the release of the uterine lining—your period.

So, if you do not ovulate, the estrogen build up of the lining continues, but without the usual ovulation associated progesterone. Thus, the hormone levels don't decline, and the lining stays up inside the uterus—as either a missed period or erratic bleeding when small parts of the top layer are shed.

Causes for not ovulating are multifold: thyroid problems, pituitary problems, ovarian cysts, physical stressors (eg sudden increases in exercise, crash dieting), emotional stressors (problems with parents or boyfriends/girlfriends, money), increased body weight, anorexia, rotating shifts at work, etc.

The second explanation would be that a 21 day cycle is still considered within the normal range of 21-35 days. Thus, you might be moving to a new "normal for you" pattern.

My best GUESS is that you may have missed an ovulation. This seems especially likely since that May 15th flow was "too light." That suggests to me that it was just smaller amounts of the lining shedding erratically.

Yours,
Jane

thank u for the reply Jane and Gail... i did the home pregnancy test today but its negative ...and considering my last period date that is 27 or April i m already 3 days late ..just to let u know i already have a one year old daughter and very much familiar to the signs and symptoms of pregnancy but still i m confused i and my husband are talking precautions ( no medication) so i m not sure and little confused .... one more thing i would like to mention i do feel nausea when travel by car so think i might be pregnant ... i guess i have to wait few more days to test again