July 21, 2025

Understanding Your Cycle: What's Normal and What's Not

Irregular cycles have many causes; Nettle supports symptoms, and Samphire helps track patterns and trends.

Dr. Emilė Radytė
Dr. Emilė Radytė
CEO - Samphire Neuroscience
Flowing rock formation

1. What Is an Irregular Cycle

An irregular cycle is defined as at least a seven-day difference between a person’s shortest and longest cycles over the last six months.
If your shortest cycle is 26 days and your longest is 34 days, the difference is 8 days — exceeding the normal variation and considered irregular. Mild variation is common and often influenced by life events, so not all irregularity is a sign of a problem.

2. What Can Cause Irregular Cycles?

Occasional irregularity is common during major life changes. Causes may include:

  • Puberty
  • Menopause transition
  • Miscarriage or abortion
  • Hormonal contraceptives
  • Significant weight changes
  • Excessive exercise
  • High stress or emotional changes
  • Travel (especially across time zones)
  • Sleep disturbance

Persistent irregularity may signal conditions such as:

  • Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS)
  • Thyroid issues
  • Diabetes
  • Pelvic inflammatory disease
  • Uterine fibroids or polyps
  • Premature ovarian failure

3. How to Use Nettle with Irregular Cycles

Nettle is designed to support you in the days leading up to your period.

If your period is late, you can continue using Nettle until your period starts.

If you’re already on your period and still experiencing symptoms, you can keep using Nettle during your bleed.

For better cycle predictions, consider tracking ovulation using:

  • Basal body temperature (BBT)
  • Cervical mucus patterns
  • Ovulation tests

4. How to Understand Your Cycle Patterns

Every cycle is unique. Samphire offers phase-based insights to help you understand changes in your energy, mood, and symptoms throughout your cycle.

You can track create custom experiences for aspects like sociability, focus, skin changes, appetite, sleep quality, or emotional responses. Over time, this builds a personalized cycle profile to help you spot trends and respond to your needs more clearly.

When to See a Doctor

Consult a doctor if:

  • Periods stop for over three months (and you aren’t pregnant)
  • Cycles consistently fall outside the 21-35 day range
  • Previously regular cycles become erratic
  • You have trouble becoming pregnant
  • You experience bleeding between periods
  • Period pain becomes severe
  • You experience pain or bleeding during intercourse
  • Periods last more than seven days
  • Bleeding is very heavy (requiring pad/tampon changes every 1-2 hours)
  • You feel faint or short of breath