There are a few causes of two periods in one month and many women believe that menopause is one of them.
However, what seems to be two periods in one month may be something more sinister…
What do two periods in one month really mean?
“It can mean the beginning of menopause if the woman is late 40’s or early 50’s,” says Marcelle Pick, MSN, OB/GYN, NP, in private practice and cofounder of Women to Women Health Center, and author of the book, “Is It Me or My Hormones?”
Pick continues, “However, it is possible to have this happen when there is more stress than usual. So just that symptom does not necessarily mean that menopause has started.”
More Sinister Cause of Two Periods in a Single Month
Beware – what seems like a second period soon after you’ve completed a cycle may actually not be a second cycle at all.
It may be abnormal bleeding coming from the uterine wall (endometrium), which can be caused by hyperplasia (abnormal cell growth) or cancer.
Abnormal bleeding through the vagina may also be caused by cervical or vaginal cancer.
“Bleeding,” for the sake of this article, refers to enough blood that it can be described as flowing or actual bleeding rather than spotting.
If enough blood is present, it can mimic a period right after a previous one.
The thing about two actual cycles back to back or close enough together in the same month is that the second period will exhibit the characteristics of menstruation – complete with any symptoms that a woman normally experiences with her cycle, such as cramping and tender breasts.
If the blood that comes, after you’ve finished a cycle, doesn’t fit the dynamic of menstruation – and – you aren’t feeling the typical symptoms (e.g., low back ache, joint aches and whatever else normally accompanies your cycle), then consider the possibility that this second “period” is not menstruation at all, but a medical condition that needs to be treated.
Menopause or perimenopause — despite all the symptoms associated with these — do not cause bleeding.
Marcelle Pick holds a BS in nursing from the University of New Hampshire School of Nursing and her MS in nursing from Boston College-Harvard Medical School. She is certified as an OBGYN nurse practitioner. Visit “Is It Me or My Hormones.”
Lorra Garrick has been covering medical, fitness and cybersecurity topics for many years, having written thousands of articles for print magazines and websites, including as a ghostwriter. She’s also a former ACE-certified personal trainer.
.
