Why is My Menstrual Cycle Getting Longer?

A person’s Menstrual cycle is regulated by the natural production of hormones that are released in the body at different times each month. These hormones are released toward the aim of conception and supporting pregnancy.  However they are also responsible for assisting the body to ‘clean up’ the uterus in the event that a pregnancy does not occur. Essentially, a menstrual cycle is nature's way of anticipating and supporting the creation of a new human life, and adapting itself in the event that a pregnancy does not occur.

Having said that, there are many factors that influence how a menstrual cycle is experienced. Whereas some elements of a menstrual cycle are common across the board, each individual experiences a menstrual flow in their own unique way. This is because each individual has a diet and lifestyle that is different from the next. As well, issues such as medical history, stress levels, and present medical conditions could have an impact on a person’s cycle. 

Let us talk a bit about menstrual cycles, what causes irregularities, when medical attention is required, and hopefully gain a better understanding of why a menstrual cycle could get longer.  

How Long Does a Menstrual Cycle Last?

The duration of a menstrual cycle is based on the period between the last day of menstruation, to the day before the next menstrual flow. On average, most people will have a cycle of 24 to 38 days. As with any such estimates, there are outliers, but this is not necessarily an abnormality. We shall touch on this later in the article. For now let us get into the stages of a menstrual cycle starting with the menstrual flow: 

1. Menstruation: When a pregnancy does not occur, the uterine lining that had been prepared by the body in anticipation of pregnancy is shed. This shedding is what is known as menstruation. In most cases, this lasts from three to seven days, but this is a general average. There are still those who have a shorter menstruation duration, while others have a longer menstruation duration.
2. The follicular phase - Once menstruation ends, the uterus begins another cycle of preparing for a pregnancy. In order to do this, it begins by regrowing a fresh lining, and developing a new group of antral follicles. Antral follicles contain seed eggs or oocytes, which develop steadily until one oocyte fully matures. The follicular phase on average lasts for about two weeks. 
3. Ovulation - The mature egg will be released in a process called ovulation which lasts for about one and a half to two days. In this process, the antral follicle containing the mature egg raptures, releasing the egg within. At the same time, the other antral follicles that were developing eggs cease developing them. It is during this time that a person can get pregnant. 
4. The luteal phase - The luteal phase is the time in which the mature egg begins its journey towards the uterus through the fallopian tube. The uterus in turn releases hormones in anticipation of pregnancy. For two weeks, these hormones remain at a particular elevated level in the body. If no pregnancy occurs, they gradually reduce. As a result, the uterine lining can no longer be supported, and this causes it to shed, marking the start of menstruation again. 

How Does Age Affect Your Menstrual Cycle?

When it comes to a menstrual cycle, the ups and downs of hormones determine menstruation, its frequency or regularity, as well as the quantity of blood flow. As a person gets on in years, the production of hormones changes with the natural hormone levels gradually reducing. These lowered levels, though gradual, can cause significant changes in a person’s menstrual cycle. 

While each individual’s cycle is unique to them, there are elements that are common among people who have menstrual cycles both in the average cycle length, and in variations within cycle. Statistics have shown that people aged 20 years or below tend to have a cycle length of 30.3 days with a variance of 5.3 days on average. Those aged 35 to 39 have a length of about 28.7 days with a 3.8 day variance on average. This cycle length remains steady at about 28 days on average in a person’s 40s, then drastically changes to a length of 31 days on average, with a variance of 11.2 days in their 50s!  

What Causes Your Menstrual Cycle to Change?

It must be noted that hormones are not the only factors that affect a person’s menstrual cycle. Issues such as perimenopause, hormonal imbalances, stress, diet and birth control, as well as medical conditions like polycystic ovary syndrome, can cause major shifts in a person’s natural menstrual cycle. Let us look a little bit closer at these factors: 

Perimenopause

In order to understand perimenopause, we need to address the matter of a person’s ovarian reserve. People who are born with a uterus have a supply of eggs already stored in their ovaries, and this is formed as they develop in the womb. With each cycle, this number decreases, meaning that at some point, the eggs ‘run out’. The production of eggs each month during the menstrual cycle is made possible by the hormone estrogen. As a person becomes older, the quantity of eggs in their ovarian reserve significantly reduces, triggering a reduction in the production of estrogen. This causes inconsistencies in ovulation, and as a result, irregularities in a person’s menstrual cycle. 

This phase, where estrogen levels decrease and ovulation begins to be irregular is called perimenopause. It typically lasts anywhere from several months to several years, as the ovarian reserve steadily depletes. The lowered levels of estrogen also result in increased vaginal and bladder infections because the vagina protects, cleans itself and clears out any unwanted substances through the vaginal discharge, that is in turn kept in balance by the production of estrogen.

Hormone Imbalance

Menstrual cycles are regulated by hormones, and as we have seen, changes in these hormones can result in drastic changes in the menstrual cycle. Apart from age, a person can have hormonal imbalances that are triggered by illness, disease, or their lifestyle. Additionally, medical conditions such as polycystic ovary sydrome amenorrhea, thyroid conditions and Cushing’s syndrome can also have an impact on a person’s natural hormone production. With the proper treatment of medical conditions, and changes in lifestyle, a person’s normal hormonal production can be restored to normalcy. 

Stress

Whereas it is known that stress contributes to many health-related complications, and stress can readily affect the normal, natural production of hormones. You may have heard of the term ‘stress hormones’. Well, when a person is experiencing stress, and particularly high levels of stress, the brain releases compounds that inhibit the efficient regulation of hormone production. As a result the regularity of a person’s menstrual cycle is affected not only during the duration of stress, and it is possible for the impact to carry on in the long term.  

Diet

A balanced  diet is central to nourishing the body and providing the necessary nutrients for healthy, normal hormone production. Without a healthy and balanced diet, a person’s body will not generate or produce the proper balance of hormones in the right quantities. Hormones are so delicate that when a person eats junk food in excess it will have an impact on their menstrual cycle, even if their body weight is within a healthy range. 

Birth Control

The formulation of birth control pills, or any hormone-based birth control method, is geared toward preventing ovulation. Typically then, when a person is taking birth control pills regularly, their menstrual cycle is impacted. The result is that the intervals between menstruation could become longer, and a person may experience lower blood flow during menstruation, or spotting between menstrual flows.

Polycystic Ovary Syndrome

About 8 to 13 percent of the cases of people who have been diagnosed with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome )PCOS) have been diagnosed during their reproductive years. The condition causes the uterus to develop cysts all over the ovaries themselves, and the body becomes unable to develop healthy follicles. As a result, normal ovulation cannot take place,  and the frequency of menstruation reduces. PCOS could also complicate, or create further complications in health-related issues.

When to See a Doctor

If you present with any of the below symptoms, please get medical care as soon as possible: 

• A period that lasts more than 7 days 
• Regular spotting between periods 
• Having a period that is regularly more than two months apart
• Severely painful periods consistently
• A heavy period requiring a tampon or pad change hourly 
• A  menstrual cycle that is consistently shorter than 24 days.

In Conclusion

It is normal for a menstrual cycle and menstruation to vary both in length and duration. However, when these variations are significant, adjustments in lifestyle, diet, stress management, and exercise could help to restore a normal rhythm. In some cases, medical attention may be required. If you have a menstrual cycle that has become irregular, or have concerns about health conditions that could be affecting your normal menstrual cycle, contact Virginia Fertility & IVF. Our team of experts will be happy to assist you to navigate your concerns.