Patient's question:
Hello doctor, I haven't had sexual intercourse, and I haven't had any sexual activity either. I just have irregular menstruation. I'm 18 years old. Usually, my period lasts for 7 days, but this time it came after 50 days. However, it only lasted for 3 days, and it's different from before—it's not red, a bit pale. I'm very worried. Could you please tell me what this symptom could be?Doctor's answer:
Hello, it's irregular menstruation.Menstruation is the process where the young endometrium of a girl, under the direct action of sex hormones secreted by the ovaries, periodically peels off and bleeds after reaching a specific stage of physiological development. The onset of normal menstruation marks a qualitative change in the body and signifies a mature, normal female.
There is a source of distress for a girl named Licang, which has been troubling her lately, making it hard for her to eat and sleep, and she feels too embarrassed to confide in others. At 18, Licang only experienced her first menstruation six months ago, which was already later than most girls in her class. However, she finally had the painful yet exhilarating experience of her period. But ever since, the days of her menstruation have been irregular, never arriving on time—far from what one would call "monthly." In the past two months, even the "red lady" who was always late has suddenly disappeared without a trace... "I can't shake the worry of not having my period, and I feel too embarrassed to ask others or even gather the courage to see a doctor. I really don’t know what to do..." Licang is extremely frustrated.
Tingzhi is preparing for an important exam, and lately, she has been staying up late and getting up early to study, living a tense and exhausting life. What makes her even more annoyed is that her period, which should have ended long ago, has still been going on for a whole week, unlike last month when it came for only two days and ended abruptly. Sigh, this unsolvable "red mystery" is truly troublesome...
In fact, the situations Licang and Tingzhi are facing are common among many teenage girls who have been or are currently troubled by them. In medicine, the phenomenon they are experiencing is called irregular menstruation during puberty, a very common physiological issue for women during this stage. So, puberty menstruation...