Oligomenorrhea
Oligomenorrhea means cycles that come far apart, longer than 35 days or fewer than eight bleeds a year. The long gap means ovulation is late, rare, or absent. Some long cycles are anovulatory cycles, with no egg released.
Long cycles point to a cause worth finding. One textbook review found polycystic ovaries in 87 percent of women with infrequent periods1. The pattern is an early clue to PMOS / PCOS. Training and weight loss stretch cycles too. In one study of 28 college women, 75 percent of those who lost weight got long cycles, against 8 percent of those who held weight steady2.
In a 1994 trial of women with repeated miscarriage and long cycles, about 8 in 10 on hCG support had a successful pregnancy, against about 4 in 10 on placebo3.
Cited in this entry
- Hilgers TW. Chapter 43: Polycystic Ovarian Disease. The Medical and Surgical Practice of NaProTECHNOLOGY. 2004. /library/chapter-43-polycystic-ovarian-disease-hilgers2004/
- Prior JC. Adaptive, reversible, hypothalamic reproductive suppression: More than functional hypothalamic amenorrhea. Frontiers in Endocrinology. 2022. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36339445/
- Quenby S, Farquharson RG. Human chorionic gonadotropin supplementation in recurring pregnancy loss: a controlled trial. Fertility and Sterility. 1994. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/7646609/
This content is for educational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Consult an RRM clinician or healthcare provider for guidance specific to your situation.
