Does having irregular periods affect fertility?

Question

I'm 27 years old and I get my periods every three months and when I do they are really heavy. This has been this way most of my life - except when I was on the pill. My grandma said her periods were just like mine are most of her life. She had 4 children.

Does having irregular periods affect your fertility?

Answer 1

It can affect fertility because when you don't have a period you are most likely not ovulating if you aren't ovulating then you can't get pregnant.

Answer 2

Irregularity is a symptom of a potential problem, not a problem in itself.  So the short answer is that no, irregular periods themselves do not affect fertility, but they are a symptom of an underlying problem that might.  You should get checked out by your gynocologist; you may be fine, however you may also have some problems that could have a relationship to your ability to conceive.  

Think of an irregular period like a runny nose.  A runny nose is a symptom that you have a cold, just like irregular periods are a symptom that you could have PCOS, endometriosis, etc.  But I do know people who are very irregular and did not have to do anything special to conceive, so it really just depends on your body.

Answer 3

No not at all.

Answer 4

no not at all but you might go and get it checked out :]

Answer 5

I had irregular periods from when I was 13 to when I was 30 - except when on the pill. They ranged from between 6 weeks and 10 weeks for most of those years - but at one stage they were every two weeks! I fell pregnant (twice) but it took quite some time to fall as it was harder to determine when I ovulated and I ovulated less times per year than other people. You can buy products that tells you when you ovulate and you can also use other methods (eg billings method which can help you get pregnant as well as avoid pregnancy) but I'd visit the doctor first just to check everything was okay - though I'm sure it is - there are a lot of variations to normal.

Strangely enough my periods are now almost exactly 28 days apart since giving birth!

Good luck.

Answer 6

it doesn't affect it in the sense you think.

I just make it harder to perdict the days your ovulating and knowing when you got preggers you know what I mean. I use to have the same problem but then I told my doctor to put me on something that would allow me to have my period monthly(it's not birth control pills, it's called Provera). and its not bad. Good luck

Answer 7

Yes, it can!  Simply from the standpoint that you may have a reduced opportunity to become pregnant if you're only having your period 4x/year (aka: every 3 months).  If you had your period EVERY month, you'd have 12 chances a year to become pregnant, instead of only 4.

It's time to see your OB/GYN.  Your hormones may be a tad out of sync and may need some adjusting.  If you would like to have children some day, NOW is the time to begin investigating.  

Good luck! :o)

Answer 8

Yes it does.  Period every three months and highly irregular means that you are not ovulating normally / frequently, so "fertility" drops quite a bit (e.g. you might be ovulating only 2-3 times a year for example, versus 10-12 times for normal women, so much lower chance of conceiving).  Most common cause of irreglar period is condition called PCOS which can be addressed with meds.  Talk to  your doctor if you want to get pregnant.

Good luck.

Answer 9

It definitely affects you getting pregnant. You need to ovulate in order to get pregnant and if you go months without a period then you're not ovulating. Actually since you go three months without a period and then it's really heavy that could also be a sign of anovulation.

When you don't ovulate the lining in your uterus continues to build up because nothing triggers it to shed. Eventually, if you still don't ovulate, the lining gets too heavy and it's forced to shed. If you continue to have anovulatory cycles it can severely effect your fertility.

Since you're trying to conceive you should make an appointment with your doctor and tell them what you're going through. They can run blood tests to see if you're ovulating. If you're not then they can give you medicines like Clomid which will help you ovulate and regulate your cycles.

Good luck and I hope that helped.

Answer 10

Yes it does.. Something has to be wrong with ur hormones.. Go to dr and have blood work done

Answer 11

it really depends.........like i don't think it will STOP  you from ever having kids, but it might make it a little harder. maybe you should see a doc and see if you have anything like PCOS or any other problems that could be affecting it, but like you said your grandma had hers like that so it could just be something that runs in your family. id definitely see a gynaecologist just to make sure!!!!