What Causes Change In The Intensity Of The Period?

Posted on Fri, 11 Apr 2014

Medically reviewed by Ask A Doctor - 24x7 Medical Review Team

Fri, 11 Apr 2014 Answered on

Fri, 2 May 2014 Last reviewed on

Question : Hi, i have a few questions. I'm 28 years old and (having a long history of irregular periods) was recently diagnosed with PCOS. I was proscribed Micronized Progesterone 200 mg on days 14-28 of my cycle, for a thickening of the lining. I have been on it for 4 months now and my last two periods have been extremely light. I'm just finishing my fourth period on it. The first day I used one pad and the rest or the days(3 in total) I was able to manage the flow with my regular bathroom trips. Is this normal? I have a boyfriend and yes we have been using condoms with no complications. Could there be a chance that i am pregnant? at the latest i would be 5 weeks and at the earliest 3 weeks. No other symptoms. Would really appreciate a second opinion. Thank you for your time. P.S. could a no carb no sugar diet or the ending of my period cause my lower abdomen to be a tiny pit puffy?

Answered by Dr. Dr. Michelle Gibson (16 minutes later)

Brief Answer: like periods may be due to progesterone Detailed Answer: HI, thanks for using healthcare magic The use of most types of hormonal medication to help with periods can cause a change in the intensity of the period. The light bleeding is likely a result of the progesterone. Some women notice this effect when using this medication. This is especially so since you are using condoms persistently and accurately, the chance of unplanned pregnancy would be reduced. If you wish to confirm this then you can consider a home pregnancy test. They are highly accurate and can detect pregnancy from day 11 to 14 after conception. If you were 3 to 5 weeks then you would be pass the time that the test would be easily able to determine if you were pregnant. I hope this helps, feel free to ask any other questions

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar