Is it normal for an 18 year old to have a cycle of 40 days?

[PianoUnicorn]

Since I started my period when I was 11 my cycles have normalised to about 33 days, but recently it has gone to 40 days😬 I don’t feel stressed, I’m living alright at home in lockdown, so what could be the cause of this? and should I be concerned?

[wobblybee Administrator Pioneer]

🤔 Nearly every woman is slightly different, but if you need peace of mind don’t hesitate to speak to your GP.

In the first few years, it’s common for your period to be irregular and unpredictable. You might go months without any hint of it and then boom, red Niagara Falls.

“Menarche, the beginning of the menses, is very much reflective of menopause because initially, and at the end, we’re not ovulating,” says Mary Jane Minkin, MD, a clinical professor of OB-GYN and reproductive sciences at Yale School of Medicine.

Our menstrual cycle is governed by our hormones. The physical experience of a period — the bleeding, cramps, emotional swings, tender breasts — all comes down to the amount of hormones our body is releasing at any given time. And two hormones in particular dictate our cycle.

“Estrogen stimulates the growth of the uterine lining, while progesterone regulates that growth,” Minkin says. “When we’re not ovulating, we don’t have the regulatory control of the progesterone. So you can get these willy-nilly periods. They come, they don’t come. Then there can be heavy, intermittent bleeding.

[PianoUnicorn in reply to wobblybee]

Oh okay, so the hormone progesterone is what’s causing me to ovulate later, so get longer cycles?

I find it odd that even after 7 years it can still be regulating, but maybe it is 😭

[wobblybee Administrator Pioneer in reply to PianoUnicorn]

🤔 This is general information, it’s likely that there will be variations. But, I realise that’s not much comfort. To be absolutely certain what you experience is actually normal for you, you will need to speak to your GP.