Short menstrual cycle (less than 28 days): is it normal? Causes and solutions.

On the Louloucup blog, you’ll always find a goldmine of information about women’s health, how your hormonal cycle works and all the little extras that go with it. With our help, your menstrual cycle and your periods will no longer hold any secrets for you!

Recently, we talked on the blog about intimate hygiene or even period pain. Not long ago, we explored long menstrual cycles together, or at least, longer than the average accepted 28 days. We discussed the functioning of the menstrual cycle, its different stages (menstruation, follicular phase, ovulation, luteal phase), cited many figures, and also talked about fertility, delayed periods, and all the reasons that extend an ordinarily well-paced hormonal cycle.

Today, let’s look at the opposite situation: short menstrual cycles, too short at less than 28 days. Let’s understand together what’s happening in your body when this occurs. Why do your periods show up much earlier than expected? Is it serious? And what does it actually mean for your ovulation and your fertility?

A menstrual cycle is considered short when it’s no longer than 28 days. Twenty-eight days is an average. It’s a number you can use as a reference, but don’t get hung up on it. From one cycle to another and from one woman to another, women’s hormonal cycles are constantly shifting, changing, moving around and evolving.

External factors such as:

• contraception, 
• stress,
• diet, 
• or for sport

have a direct impact on your period and your whole menstrual cycle. So don’t panic if one cycle lasts 29 days, the next 27 days and the next 32 days. A menstrual cycle can be 22 days long and then 34 days. Every woman is different.

Generally, a gynaecologist or doctor considers a short menstrual cycle to be 25 days or less. In other words, only 25 days pass between the first day of one period and the first day of the next.

For your information, a short cycle is also called polymenorrhea. This refers to periods that come back at fairly short and too‑frequent intervals (less than 24 days).

Not excessively. If you notice one particularly short cycle in the middle of otherwise regular cycles, there’s no need to worry. It’s a minor hormonal imbalance. Fatigue, illness, weight loss or gain, or intense stress can disrupt the arrival of your period and shift the start date of a new bleeding phase.

On the other hand, if you notice that for several cycles, over several months, your cycles have been shorter, then you can see a professional. It’s worth discussing it with a gynecologist, doctor or midwife.

If the time between two periods is too short, it can impact your ovulation and your overall fertility. Here’s the explanation! Two cases are possible:

• If the follicular phase (the phase between the end of your menstruation and ovulation) is shortened, the ovaries working hard to produce a mature egg, the ovarian follicle, won’t have enough time. The egg will then be considered immature and cannot be properly fertilized. For your information, this is precisely when estrogen rises. This essential hormone ensures the maturation of the ovarian follicle.
  
  
• If the luteal phase (the phase between ovulation and the start of your next menstruation) is shortened, the fertilized egg will not be able to properly attach to the endometrium. Why? Because progesterone, a hormone, will not have had enough time to thicken the endometrium properly. If even one hormone is missing or unbalanced, the system falters, the endometrium is not welcoming enough, the fertilized egg cannot attach, and pregnancy cannot occur.

A tip: to know if you’re ovulating, track your **temperature**. During the **ovulatory phase**, body temperature rises. Take your temperature every morning for several days in a row. When it’s higher than the day before, you can take an **ovulation test** to confirm.

In short, a short menstrual cycle is always influenced by hormones (progesterone, oestrogen, etc.) and their constant fluctuations.

Getting your period back earlier than expected also means PMS (premenstrual symptoms) and period pain returning sooner, so it’s worth being well prepared! With healthy, washable and reusable menstrual products, of course! What are your options and alternatives for enjoying a calm, stress-free period?

Given the poor composition of disposable period products (tampons, pads, and panty liners), it’s important to select the best period panty: a quality protection that respects your woman’s body, your health, your intimacy, and the planet.

To avoid irritation, discomfort, leaks, and all the stress that comes with them, take the time to choose protections that suit you—alternatives that make sense both for you and the environment. From puberty to menopause, you spend many years of your life menstruating, so it’s worth equipping yourself well!

Whether your flow is light, medium or very heavy, it’s important to choose suitable period products. Menstrual thongs and G-strings are perfect for light flow. Menstrual cups and heavy-flow period underwear are ideal for intense periods. These products give you hours and hours of peace of mind and protection, so don’t skip them—build your own custom bundle at a sliding-scale price now.

Today, you have options! Many different menstrual products are available to help you manage your period: panties, briefs, tangas, shorties, thongs, washable pads, as well as menstrual cups and period swimwear. Louloucup helps you find the intimate protection that suits you best during this sometimes challenging time of bleeding and discharge.

The period panty is the absorbent, reliable underwear you don’t want to miss. For postpartum, for teens, day or night, under any outfit, period panties absorb even the heaviest flows and light urinary leaks!

Our advice: choose organic and invisible models to ensure comfort, softness, and discretion.

Our favorite model : the Liv menstrual panty, a black seamless period panty for very heavy flow. An essential for managing the heaviest periods!

For sporty women, active women and all die-hard tampon users, we’ve got the perfect alternative! An internal period product made from medical-grade silicone. Nothing sticks out. It’s very hygienic and above all super practical. The menstrual cup is truly the go-to daytime protection for leak-free periods.

Our advice: choose a cup made in France to guarantee impeccable manufacturing quality.

Our favorite model: the Loulou Turquoise cup with unmatched softness and flexibility for all women or teens who are particularly sensitive.

Swimming while on your period is possible. Fully enjoy the beach or pool with a menstrual swimsuit. Super absorbent inside and fully waterproof outside, the menstrual swimsuit for women doesn’t swell with water. It stays securely in place and traps menstrual flow optimally.

Our advice: one-piece or bikini bottoms, choose a style according to your tastes and habits—you have the choice!

Our favorite model : the Laura black menstrual bikini bottom, a bikini panty with pretty back details and a high waist. This menstrual product has everything to please you!