Period talk: Questions and advice

Thomas Robinson7 said:Look, I’ve got a problem. My period has started acting up—it’s only coming every two months now instead of every single month like it’s supposed to. This isn't even a thing for me normally. I’m not in any high-risk group and I haven't had any unprotected sex. So what gives? What could be causing this?

Stress, inflammation... or maybe I just picked up some random bacteria. Who knows?☕

Why don't you just take a hike, man? Honestly, there could be a million things going on—could be some crazy hormone imbalance, thyroid issues, a cyst, sheer stress, or even some kind of underlying inflammation...

Hey. I’m dealing with the exact same thing... It's been three months now. If I hadn't missed my period, I wouldn't be thinking I'm pregnant for sure. My cycle was never consistent to begin with, but lately, it's started coming every two or three months... 😲 😕 🤷

Ladies, I need a gynecologist recommendation ASAP, for the love of God! 🙂

About a year and a half ago, I dealt with a month-long delay in my cycle—which eventually just stopped altogether.

The root cause was stress, plain and simple. A few months prior, my mother had suffered a severe stroke, and all that emotional weight just kind of built up inside me over time.

In the end, I managed to get everything back on track through a six-month course of hormone therapy.

I have to admit, those pills were pretty tough to stomach, especially during the initial phase—but after that six-month stretch (since doctors don't typically recommend staying on them longer than that), my cycle has been perfectly regular, arriving on the exact same day every single month.

So... I’ve been falling down a rabbit hole for a few days now, trying to figure out what might be causing this, but nothing I find online really fits perfectly. I'm 16. My cycles have been super regular—like, every 28 days on the dot—since I started five years ago. It was almost like clockwork. But lately, things have been all over the place. My last one was four days late, and then right after the 14-day mark, I had my period again. Now, ever since that finished, I've been dealing with this thick, brownish, almost black discharge. I’m not on any birth control, and I'm a virgin. I’m really hoping it’s just stress or some weird hormone thing acting up, but I’m still planning to head to the doctor to get checked out. If anyone has any ideas about what this could be, or if it's even something to worry about, please let me know.

goldensailor6 said:So... I've been looking into possible causes for what's happening for a few days now, and nothing seems to fit perfectly. I'm 16, and since my first period five years ago, everything has been regular—every 28 days, right on schedule. But over the last few months, things have started to shift. My last one was four days late, and then, just 14 days after that, it started again. Now, after the bleeding stops, I'm seeing this thick, brown, almost black discharge. I'm not on any birth control, and I'm a virgin. I'm really hoping it's just stress or some hormonal fluctuation, but regardless, I'm planning to see a gynecologist. If anyone has any ideas about what this could be, or if it's even something to worry about, please let me know.

You really should go see a doctor; honestly, I'm not even sure what to tell you. Usually, cycles aren't consistent until you hit 16, and here you are, right at that age. The fact that it's running late is one thing, but that discharge? That's the part that's worrying. Since you mentioned it's almost black... I don't know.
Hang in there.

I’m kind of freaking out here, but honestly, I’m hoping I’m just overthinking things and it’s nothing... maybe my stomach is just acting up because of all the stress lately.

It could be PCOS, but honestly, you really ought to go get checked out by a doctor just to be safe.

goldensailor6 said:I'm feeling pretty anxious about this, but I really hope I’m just overthinking things and that it’s nothing serious—maybe just some stress getting the better of me.

Look, honestly? It is much better to worry unnecessarily than to ignore something that actually turns out to be wrong.
I'll be keeping my fingers crossed for you.👍

graniteranger5 said:Look, honestly? It’s way better to make a little noise and deal with the headache now than to just let something go wrong and pretend you didn't notice.
Fingers crossed for me.👍

Yeah, I get it. That's actually why I'm heading in for a checkup.
Thanks. 🙂

Hey everyone, I am honestly so confused right now... I could really use some help here. I’m trying to delay my period by maybe two or three days, but I have no idea what the right move is. Should I just take an extra two or three pills from my current pack, then take a seven-day break before starting a brand-new pack of 21? Or is that not how it works?
Do I need to immediately switch over to a full new pack of 21 pills to skip the bleeding entirely? It’s actually bothering me quite a bit—the idea of skipping my cycle for that long feels pretty intense.
Also, would it be easier on my body to just push it back by one day this month, and then an additional day next month—so it ends up being a total of two days? I'm wondering if it's less stressful for my system to extend it by one day twice rather than jumping straight to a two-day delay all at once.

Anyway, I really hope someone can weigh in because this is urgent and I am COMPLETELY lost!
Best,

A friend suggested a pretty strange method to me—she claims she’s done it herself and it works perfectly—so I wanted to get some outside perspectives here first.😳Basically, she tried to delay her period by just one day. Near the end of her pack, she skipped her pill for one day, then took the very last pill the following day as if nothing had happened. Her period arrived two days later, and then she just started a new pack immediately. What do you all think about this? Has anyone actually tried something like this before?

Ugh! She’s seriously messing this up big time.

Elizabeth Jackson88 said:So... I'm heading to the beach on August 7th, and I really need my period to not happen then. Does anyone know if there are pills to delay it or maybe speed things up? What should I take, when do I start, and what's the daily dosage?😕

There are pills for that. A lot of women use them. You might want to ask your doctor at Mayo Clinic about it.
personal opinion🙏Does that mean tampons won't help?

No.
On the other hand, she originally posed that question back in 2006. A good deal of time has passed since then—several seasons, even.
So? How did it all turn out?

I tried those period delay pills last summer and they were honestly a nightmare

Like, sure, they delayed my cycle, but that was literally the only thing they did right

The mood swings were insane... I had zero motivation to do anything at all, which is the absolute last thing you want when you're trying to enjoy a vacation in Miami

Seriously, just pack some tampons and enjoy your trip instead

LOL—this girl posted her question back in 2006, so I don't think anyone's advice is going to do much for her at this point.🙂
But what do you guys think about this method for calculating dosage that a friend of mine suggested? (I might have exaggerated her slightly when I described her earlier)—it feels a bit odd to me, but she swears it worked perfectly for her. She’s tried it a few times without any issues...

I usually just skip the breaks with my pills, doing that continuous method... so yeah...

I’ve been dealing with this exact same mess for years now... honestly, I only get my period about five times a year. It’s been a total nightmare—I’ve dragged myself to countless doctors, from local clinics right here in the States to specialists over in Germany. And the kicker? Nobody has a clue why. Like, according to all the tests, everything is supposedly "fine," yet my cycle just refuses to show up. It’s such a gross, unsettling feeling—knowing things are just building up inside me while the "experts" just shrug their shoulders and offer zero actual help. Right now, I’m just messing around with some herbal teas, hoping maybe they'll actually do something for once.🤷