Is it normal to have a different cycle length each month?

About 6 months or so ago I got an iPhone. Its a wonderful thing, but now I have the app to track my periods and they have been a different length each month. They range from 23 to 29 days and anything in between. I don't know how long this has been going on- before I never paid much attention, my period just came when it came! And we were lucky not to have much trouble conceiving, so I didn't spend much time thinking about my cycle length then either.

So does anyone know if cycle lengths that vary so much each time are actually a concern, or if this is just a normal variation?

Thank you!

Hi AmberJ,

Not sure if it is a concern my cycle varies from month to month, from 32 today to 49days but I have PCOS.
I think your variation is quite minimal. Are you counting the start of your period the same? ie spotting or full blown bleeding?

I don't have PCOS but I do have endo, and for all my life my cycles have always been anything between 32 and 38 days. I have had some longer cycles, but for me this is normal. I would say that some women do have a variation like that with not other factors involved, especially considering that you don't have any fertility problems.

I don't have AF back yet but pre-kids and post-endo-diagnosis my cycles varied between 28 and 32 days.

I don't think all women ovulate at the same cycle day each month hence the variation in cycle length. For example, one month you could ovulate on day 14, the next month on day 18 making your cycle longer.

Yes it is normal. If you are concerned try temping for 3 months to check your luteal phase lengths. Your lp should be consistent within a day either way

I second temping to try and see what your lp lengths are. Your variation seems to be minimal, which is good and yes, normail. My cycles vary from 26 to 84 days (current day today lol), but usually are around 30-40.

as the last 2 posts have said, yes its normal. The Luteal Phase (LP) is the later part of your cycle. Its the days you count after ovulation has occurred. It should stay the same each month, and ideally should be at the very least 9 days long (but best to be around 12 days+).

Thanks all! I have a few friends who are consistently the same each month, and when I was younger I was too, so when I discovered this variance it was a little disconcerting. I guess I will mention it to my gp next time I see her, but not worry about it- after all, before I realised my cycles were actually variable it didn't bother me much at all!

What I have learnt is that whatever is normal for you, is normal LOL so I wouldn't worry too much about what your friends cycles are :) I think that we can expect changes as we get older as well.