Period Only Lasts Three Days, Is It Normal?

Here’s the good news: A 3 day period can be entirely normal. Women who have always had light, short menstrual periods need not worry, because their body is likely just designed that way. But for women who have had a longer period in the past, a period that only lasted 2-3 days might be cause for concern. If you are menstruating every month, and you suddenly have shorter periods; that is something that your doctor needs to know.

Birth control pills: Many birth control pills might cause a shorter period. In fact, many women have gone to the doctor complaining, "My period only lasted 2 days!" but sure enough, they were on birth control pills at the time. Don’t be surprised if birth control pills make your period shorter and lighter.

Stress: Being under a great deal of stress wrecks with your menstrual cycle. In fact, you might miss a period altogether if you are really stressed. This is a very common reason why women might have a 3 day period when they are accustomed to having longer ones.

Disease or health problem: Sometimes a health problem can show itself with missed or irregular periods, including short periods. This is also true to many medications that someone might take to deal with certain health problem. Check the side effects of any medications you are taking to see if they are known to cause menstrual changes.

Estrogen changes: The age of a woman can play a factor in the 3 day period. Estrogen is responsible for making your body shed its uterine lining every month; if you don't have enough estrogen in your body, it will lead to period changes. This is especially true for those young women who are going through puberty, as well as older women who are approaching menopause. Be aware that these issues can cause 3 day periods or even shorter.

McClintock effect: In 1971, Martha McClintock conducted a study on women who live in the same house and found that sure enough, their cycles tend to sync themselves. College roommates and female relatives might find themselves on the same cycle after a few months. This is entirely normal, and it might change again when the woman moves out of that situation and her periods

Other causes: There are many other reasons why you might experience a 3 day period. If you are severely underweight or overweight, suffer from an eating disorder, exercise quite often, or are under a great deal of stress, your periods might slow down, become shorter and lighter, or stop altogether.

Sometimes a period isn't really a period. How is that possible? It could be implantation bleeding, which sometimes happens when a woman gets pregnant. The embryo attaches to the uterine wall, where it will form the placenta. During this attachment, it disrupts some of the lining of the wall, which is then expelled from the body like a period. However, this is often much lighter than a normal period and might last for only one or two days. If this happens and you think you might be pregnant, it’s time to take a pregnancy test or call your doctor for advice.

It might be common to have one particular menstrual cycle that is a little "off." This might happen if you are dealing with stress, overcoming an injury, or otherwise facing a health or medical issue. But if your period continues to be strange, and you suddenly have 3 day periods when you used to have longer ones, it's time to talk to your doctor. Make sure to keep track of your periods, including how heavy they are and how many days they last, in order to give your doctor an accurate picture of what is going wrong.