Q: I am a 36 years old female having irregular periods with occasional spotting and heavy flow for the past three years. I have consulted a gynaecologist who asked me to undergo an ultrasound pelvis and some hormone tests (FSH, LH, testosterone and TFT). The ultrasound report was normal but the gynaecologist told me that there could be some hormonal imbalance. Later my periods got regular for a while. But now, they are again getting irregular. To add, I am unmarried and have a history of psoriasis.

A:If your weight, scan and hormone tests are normal, chances are that the menses that is irregular could be due to stressful events or infections or thyroid hormones problems. You need to have a more detailed evaluation, and also keep a menses diary recording the dates, duration, amount and frequency of the menses for three to 6 months to be sure of the type of irregularity. If no cause is found that can be treated, according to cause, cycles can be made regular by a daily intake of low dose oral pills containing hormone oestrogen, and progesterone (loette, novelon, or similar) for three cycles or up to a maximum of six cycles to have the menses regular. Occasionally, these have minor side effects like weight gain and nausea.

There is no problem really regarding marriage - this is a very treatable condition in almost 98% of cases. After marriage you may need to undergo a transvaginal scan, if the problem persists - to make sure the ovaries are normal and not polycystic, in which case the treatment is more prolonged.