Having a light period might mean two things: your bleeding is very weak or your period lasts only one or two days. These conditions are not normal and they might be caused by many factors, including pregnancy.
Does a Light Period Mean You Are Pregnant?
I Have a Light Period. Am I Pregnant?
If you suddenly have an unusually light period, it is natural to first ask yourself ‘Am I pregnant?’. Buy and make a pregnancy test but have in mind that there is a possibility to receive a false result. These tests detect the level of chorionic gonadotropin, known as the ‘pregnancy hormone’ which levels may vary in your body. So, you will not receive a categorical answer to the question ‘Could I be pregnant?’ only with a pregnancy test. Even if you have a negative test, visit your doctor to get absolutely sure that you are not pregnant. Moreover, if your light period is not caused by pregnancy, you might have a serious medical condition which must be treated. So, if you wonder “Can you have a light period and be pregnant?”, the answer is “Yes” but pregnancy is not the only possible reason.
Pregnancy or Infertility?
The condition, called hypomenorrhea might be also a reason for a really light period. In these cases you will have a late light period. If your menstruation appears rarely than once in 35 days, this might be a symptom of infertility. Other causes for this might be stress, inflammation and others. If you do not consult a doctor on time, this might seriously endanger your health.
Medical Conditions Which Might Cause Light Period
Various medical conditions could cause a light period. These are some of them:
- Blood problems
- Inflammations
- Thyroid disorders
- Endometritis
- Hormone imbalances
Consult your gynecologist about your problem and the specialist will give you advice what test you should take to find the reason for your late or early light period.
Pay Attention How You Live
The reasons for you short, light or even extremely light period might be in the way you live. Are you too exhausted? Have you started a diet recently? Do you experience a lot of stress? Stress, poor nutrition and the lack of enough sleep might disturb your hormone balance and cause problems such as short light period, light pink period and so on. Your doctor will help you determine how to change your way of living in order to feel better.
Contraception Affects Your Period
All forms of birth control therapy – oral contraceptives and intrauterine devices (IUD) usually change the period characteristics – duration and strength significantly. The intrauterine spiral might even cause the menstruation to stop completely. This is a very serious condition which you must not ignore. You might not miss your menstruation at all, but your body does and if you do not take measures, your health is endangered for sure.
Some women are pretty happy that their pills make their period shorter and lighter and they even start taking contraceptives because of this. Of course, every woman would prefer her period to be four days rather than one week, for example. But it is not worth it, if the price is your health. Consult your doctor what is the best contraception option for you and if this makes your period easier to bear, you can be really happy about it.
What to Do About Your Light Period?
Once you notice that your period is light, first think about whether it is not a normal condition in your case. The light period might occur in the teenage years when the body of the girl is still developing, as well as before the menopause when the female organism is losing its child-bearing functions. If you are neither a teenager, nor a woman before menopause, ask your female family members whether they have experienced the same condition. Having a light period might appear to be something common in your family. Still, it is a good idea to consult your doctor and check whether you have some medical problems.
If nothing about your light period seems normal to you and you are sexually active, take a pregnancy test. It is normal to have a short or scanty period while pregnant, so you will be probably eager to find out whether you are. Take the test and then consult a doctor in order to be sure in the result.
Take Care of Yourself
If your pregnancy test is negative and you still do not want to consult a specialist or you can’t do this for some reason, try to improve your way of living. Get some additional sleep, eat healthier food, do more exercise and avoid stress as much as you can. This might lead to having a normal period next month but even if it does, I strongly advise you to consult a gynecologist. This will help you find out whether you have some health problems and treat them on time.