Polymenorrhea, or abnormally frequent periods, can be caused by underlying conditions such as pelvic inflammatory disease and endometriosis, as well as stress and excessive use of certain legal drugs like alcohol, nicotine, and caffeine. Treatment options include antibiotics, birth control pills, and managing stress.
Not all women menstruate exactly once a month, as some experience polymenorrhea or abnormally frequent periods. This problem is defined as menstruating every 21 days or less, leading to what feels like too many periods since they are so frequent. This problem can be caused by underlying conditions such as pelvic inflammatory disease and endometriosis. Stress can also be a factor, as this issue often plays a role in various menstrual abnormalities. Finally, excessive use of some common legal drugs can also cause frequent menstruation, including alcohol, nicotine and caffeine.
Pelvic inflammatory disease, or PID, is a condition that often causes pelvic pain, fever, and irregular vaginal bleeding, which can include frequent periods. PID is often caused by sexually transmitted diseases which most frequently include gonorrhea and chlamydia. The good news is that once you treat the disease with a few different antibiotics, your polymenorrhea should go away, along with your other symptoms. On the other hand, some women suffer from endometriosis, which can also cause frequent menstruation, as well as pelvic pain and infertility. One of the most common treatments for endometriosis includes birth control pills, which can usually also eliminate the problem of multiple periods since most women use the pill to skip periods altogether.
Among the most common culprits of menstrual abnormalities is stress, so it stands to reason that this problem is sometimes the cause of too frequent periods. Both emotional and physical stress can change the hormonal balance in the body, leading to periods being delayed or too soon. Of course, the problem of frequent periods should usually only last as long as the stress, if that is indeed the cause. Therefore, getting help for your stress, in the form of therapy or medication, can solve the problem.
The body also often views certain medications as stressors and they can negatively impact the reproductive system. For example, excessive caffeine intake can lead to frequent menstruation as it can disrupt the process of the corpus luteum, which produces progesterone so that the uterine lining can thicken in preparation for possible implantation of an embryo. Nicotine use through cigarettes can also impact the menstrual cycle, as both the follicular and luteal phases can be shortened, leading to more frequent periods. Finally, excessive alcohol consumption can also negatively affect your cycle, as it can reduce the liver’s ability to properly metabolize progesterone and estrogen.
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