Irregular periods mean you don’t have a reliable menstrual cycle, making it extremely difficult to know when to take a pregnancy test to detect early pregnancy. For these women, there’s no missed period to notice; therefore, knowing the early signs of pregnancy when you have irregular periods is paramount.
In this article, we’ll talk about women who often have irregular periods and how these women can tell when pregnancy tests are needed due to signs of pregnancy. After all, you don’t want to have to stockpile pregnancy tests to take every single month.
What does it mean to have irregular periods?
It’s a myth that all women have a 28-day menstrual cycle. While it would be fantastic for women’s health professionals to determine pregnancy and other reproductive issues, it’s the truth.
In fact, up to a quarter of all women have what are considered to be irregular periods. This can mean many different things.
It can mean that you have a shorter cycle length than 28 days. It can also mean that you have a cycle longer than 28 days. It can also mean that you sometimes miss periods altogether.
While irregular periods don’t necessarily mean that there is a health issue or that something is wrong with you, you should see your healthcare provider or women’s healthcare provider and address the situation to be on the safe side.
Menstrual irregularities can sometimes indicate health issues such as polycystic ovary syndrome, pelvic inflammatory disease, and more.
Signs of pregnancy when you have irregular periods
Fortunately, for women who have irregular periods, the only sign of early pregnancy that isn’t present for women who don’t have regular periods is a missed period.
All of the other signs of pregnancy are possible.
The following are the common early pregnancy symptoms that may lead women to take a pregnancy test.
1. Implantation bleeding
Implantation bleeding is light bleeding that occurs in the days immediately following unprotected sex. While not all pregnant women experience implantation bleeding, some do.
It usually lasts about a day and does not fall like a regular period. It can be identified by very light bleeding that requires no more than a light pad.
It’s similar to a very light period but only lasts about 24 hours.
This bleeding may be accompanied by menstrual cramps that make you feel like you are about to start your period and even pregnancy constipation.
2. Mood swings
Early pregnancy symptoms can also include mood swings. Pregnancy hormones are surging in your body long before it’s even possible to get a positive pregnancy test, and your mood can be one of the first signs of pregnancy when you have irregular periods.
From happiness one minute and anger or sadness over some small trigger the next, the mood changes are often noticeable, and the people close to you may even start asking you if you’re okay or something is going on.
Not all women with an irregular menstrual cycle detect this as one of the signs of pregnancy when you have irregular periods.
However, menstrual cycles themselves often cause fluctuating moods.
3. Frequent urination
You may need to take an at-home pregnancy test if you’ve noticed that you’ve been peeing much lately. Frequent urination is one of the most identifiable early pregnancy signs.
This involves hormonal changes, how your organs function to help develop your baby and the increased blood volume you have starting in the first trimester.
4. Morning sickness
Morning sickness is a telltale sign of pregnancy, but it’s less easy to identify if you don’t have an average menstrual cycle.
If you haven’t missed a period, irregular or not, you may think you are coming down with a stomach bug or the flu rather than morning sickness.
5. Tender breasts
Pregnancy symptoms start reasonably early, and tender breasts are a symptom most women notice first.
Due to hormonal changes, home pregnancy tests are often purchased after women discover that their breast tenderness is getting worse, their breasts are getting bigger and feel fuller, and they are more sensitive to touch and even clothing.
6. Fatigue
Another of the most prominent signs of pregnancy is tiredness and fatigue.
During a typical menstrual cycle, you may feel more run down or tired in the days leading up to your period, but this sort of fatigue that occurs in the early stages of pregnancy is far more extreme.
You may find that you are tired constantly, even after getting a full night’s sleep. Doing things you could normally do with ease suddenly wear you out, and you feel like you need to rest more often.
A pregnancy test may be in order if this is the case for you.
7. Food cravings or aversions
Other signs of pregnancy also mimic those of an oncoming period, which can make for confusing times while you wait for vaginal bleeding to occur that never happens.
One of these symptoms is cravings for certain foods or averse to certain foods you may not have disliked before.
Imagine waking up one morning and feeling as though you just have to have a banana. The pull is so strong towards this tasty yellow fruit that you feel like you simply cannot rest until you get a banana.
That’s a craving.
It may be a food you like, but its near “need” is noticeable and sometimes even irrational.
Imagine you wake up one morning and smell bacon frying in the kitchen. Your partner makes a tasty breakfast; bacon is one of your favorites. Or used to be…
However, the smell fills you with dread and nausea today, and the thought of eating even half a slice of the salty pork makes you want to gag. That’s a food aversion.
8. Weight gain
When you are pregnant, your body starts to store fat and other nutrients in preparation for your baby’s development.
Other signs of pregnancy may be more noticeable, and weight gain is usually noticed in conjunction with other signs, such as tender breasts, nausea, or fatigue.
But if you have noticed any of those other symptoms, and now your pants don’t fit, you may need to take a pregnancy test.
When to test for pregnancy if irregular periods
It can be challenging to decide when to take a pregnancy test if you don’t have regular periods. If you take a test too early, you may get a false negative when waiting would have given you a positive result.
The following information can help you determine the best time to take a pregnancy test if you have irregular periods.
How at-home pregnancy tests work
If you have noticed early signs of pregnancy or think you may be pregnant, you may want to take an at-home pregnancy test to be sure. No one wants to be that woman who doesn’t find out until the end of her third trimester when she’s in labor that she is pregnant!
It can be rough waiting a few weeks after unprotected sex, but you need time for the pregnancy hormones to get to levels the tests can read.
Human chorionic gonadotropin, or HCG, as well as the hormone progesterone, surge when you are pregnant. But the levels must be high enough for a urine test to register.
How many days does it take to confirm pregnancy for irregular periods?
No two doctors may tell you the same thing, and you should always consult with your doctor, but there are standard guidelines that medical professionals follow.
Please know that if you are in a situation in which you absolutely cannot wait for results, such as illness, drug addiction, alcoholism, etc., it is best to act as though you are pregnant until you know for sure that you’re not, and consider making an appointment with a healthcare professional. They can perform blood tests to confirm faster than a urine test can confirm.
Four weeks from the last period
Suppose you have an issue with irregular periods or irregular ovulation but think that you may be pregnant. In that case, most professional medical advice, from The Cleveland Clinic to The American Pregnancy Association, says to wait about four weeks from the time of your last period before you take an at-home test.
This will almost guarantee that if you are pregnant, the pregnancy hormones will be at levels high enough to show up on the test.
Why it’s important to find out as soon as you can
The first trimester is crucial. Any medical professional will attest to that.
Common signs of early pregnancy can be ignored and denied. Still, as the uterine lining thickens and then doesn’t shed at all in what results as a period, you waste valuable time not knowing about pregnancy when you should be getting prenatal care.
It’s best to test for pregnancy as soon as you notice symptoms, so long as it’s been about four weeks after your last period.
Conclusion
Missed periods are how many pregnant women know it’s time to take a pregnancy test. However, for women who do not have a reliable menstrual cycle length, you may experience mood swings, gain some weight, have a little bit of bleeding with some mild cramping, be tired, have food aversions and cravings, and more.
While one symptom is usually not enough to make it evident that you may be pregnant, several signs typically present themselves in the first trimester. Pay attention to your body, and call your doctor or take a test at home four weeks after your last period.