3 periods in a month and a week is this normal?

Hello Alison

I had a similar problem last month. I had my period 3 times. first one started on 13/04 and ended 17/04, second one 20/04 and ended 24/04 and the third one was 26/04 and ended 29/04. I am 22 years old and married. It is now the 24/05 and I have still not got my period. My husband and myself have had unprotected sex in the being of the april and the end of April. The first period was normal, but the other two was only when I urinated I was bleeding. I normally have a regular period. I have being getting paid and cramps like if I am going to start but there nothing. Can you help me?

i did call my ob and he says it is nothing to worry about.....i am 30... he said that it is possible that during my second period i did not ovulate and that is why i have another period now

Hi, ncarrubba78. I'm so glad you found EmpowHer! Let's see what we can find out for you about your period.

No, three periods in a month is not normal. While women do sometimes have periods that are irregular -- coming closer together sometimes and farther apart at other times -- in general, you should only have a period about once a month.

However, a lot of things can affect this. May I ask your age? If you are a teenager just starting to have periods, it can sometimes be very very irregular. Or if you are older and perhaps beginning perimenopause -- perhaps in your late 30s or early 40s -- again, you can have very irregular bleeding due to different circumstances.

Both have to do with wildly fluctuating hormones and, in some cases, stress, a new medicine, or a large weight gain or loss. Are any of these the case?

Are you on birth control? If so, did you miss any pills, or did you recently start the pill or go off of it?

Were all three periods the same length, and the same amount of bleeding?

Have you ever been diagnosed with endometriosis? This is a condition where your body grows endometrial tissue -- which should stay inside the uterus -- in other places, and when it sloughs off it can cause heavy bleeding and cramps.

Is it possible at all that you might be pregnant?

Here is the Merck Manual's page on bleeding that's out of the ordinary:

http://www.merck.com/mmhe/sec22/ch244/ch244e.html

And here's the Mayo Clinic's page on abnormal vaginal bleeding:

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/vaginal-bleeding/MY00209

If I were you, I'd probably call my ob/gyn and ask for an appointment just to make sure she/he knows about this and can make sure there's nothing wrong. And in the meantime, if you'll get back to us with the answers to some of these questions, perhaps we can help you focus in better on what the problem might be.