Q: I am a 23 years old unmarried girl. I am lean and weak, don't concentrate much on food and am a vegetarian. I have some doubts about my menses. I heard that the average duration is 28 days but my cycle is only 23 days and sometimes 22 days. This month it was only 19 days. I was startled by some noise and suddenly got tense. Could the menses have occurred because of that? Moreover, I get severe pain in legs and hips during the initial period which I cannot tolerate and start crying. My mother says it is normal and will be cured after marriage. I am very confused. What is the reason for all this? Is it a serious problem or normal as 22 days is very less as compared to 28 days. Will there be any problem in child birth? How to reduce the pain? What to do to make the cycle become 28 days? I am very worried. Please tell me is there anything i can change in my diet.? Kindly reply all my question, I am very much worried. Thank you so much Anoo

A:Please don't worry at all. There are many reasons for fluctuations in the menstrual cycle and some of them are stess, changes in weather, change of environment and poor diet (you are not eating properly from what I understand and this can be a major factor). Normally, the the cycle can fluctuate beween 18-30 days especially at your age. Your mother is quite right in asking you not to worry but you must eat a lot of fruits and green vegetables especially if you are a vegetarian. Also get a book called Every woman by Derek Llewelyn- Jones, it has answers to many common problems that women of every age have.