What Is an Abnormal Menstrual Cycle Length?
What’s a Normal Cycle The best way to answer this question is to describe what a “normal” menstrual cycle is. Actually there is no standard menstrual cycle length. Women have periods that run anywhere from 21 days to 35 days. The length of time between one woman’s periods may even vary month to month as can the length and amount of flow during menstruation. Women may bleed anywhere from two to eight days. Physicians look for patterns in these factors to determine if anything is unusual about the cycle. The Causes of Variation in Cycle Length and Intensity When girls start having menstrual cycles between the ages of 11 and 14, variation in length of cycle is common. Young girls may have cycles that last up to 45 days. These slow down in older teens and usually settle into some kind of regular cycle. Women between 39 and 51 begin having longer periods until they slow down and stop altogether at menopause. Others causes of variation in the menstrual cycle include: extremely low or high bo
