Pinkishe Foundation
31/10/2026
Dr. Shehla Jamal
Your periods may be heavier, more painful or less regular than a friend's. Stress, weight, sleep and illness all play a part. So can your family. Some conditions that affect periods tend to run in families. A few are caused by a change in genes or chromosomes.
Knowing your family history helps you and your doctor spot problems sooner.
PCOS is a common hormone condition. It can cause irregular or missed periods, acne, extra hair on the face or body, and weight gain. It is not caused by a single gene, but it tends to run in families. If your mother or sister has PCOS, your chance of having it is higher.
PCOS can be managed. Regular activity and healthy eating help, and so does losing some weight if you are overweight. A doctor may also suggest medicines to regulate periods or ease symptoms.
In endometriosis, tissue like the lining of the womb grows outside the womb. It can cause severe period pain, pain during sex and heavy periods. Like PCOS, it is not caused by a single gene, but it tends to run in families. If your mother or sister has it, tell your doctor. Treatment includes pain relief, hormone medicines and sometimes surgery.
Some girls and women have a blood clotting problem, such as von Willebrand disease. These often run in families and are easy to miss, because heavy periods get treated as normal. Signs include very heavy periods since your first period, bruising easily, frequent or long nosebleeds, and bleeding a lot after a cut, a tooth being taken out or childbirth. A doctor can check with blood tests, and treatment helps.
Turner syndrome happens when one X chromosome is missing or partly missing. It affects only girls and women. The ovaries often do not work properly, so puberty may be late or not start, and periods may not come on their own. Girls with Turner syndrome are often shorter than others in their family.
It is found with a blood test that looks at the chromosomes. A specialist usually gives hormone treatment to start puberty and periods, and checks the heart, kidneys and other health needs.
CAH is an inherited condition of the adrenal glands. They cannot make enough of some hormones, and make too many male-type hormones (androgens) instead. Severe forms are often found at birth. Milder forms may only show at puberty, with irregular periods, acne or extra hair, and can look like PCOS.
CAH is treated with daily medicines that replace the missing adrenal hormone, prescribed by a specialist.
Genetic testing is used for a few conditions, such as Turner syndrome, when a doctor suspects them. There is no genetic test for PCOS or endometriosis. These are found from your symptoms, an examination, blood tests or a scan. A normal scan does not rule out endometriosis, and a small keyhole operation (laparoscopy) is sometimes needed to confirm it.
Ask your mother, sisters, aunts and grandmothers about their periods. Did anyone have very heavy periods, severe pain, PCOS, endometriosis, a bleeding problem or early menopause? Tell your doctor what you find.
Note the first day of each period, how many days it lasts, how heavy it is and how much pain you have. A calendar or notebook works. You can also use our period calculator. A clear record helps a doctor find the cause.
Many of us do not talk about periods at home, so family links stay hidden. A short conversation with the women in your family can help you get the right care sooner.
Have a question about your period? Call our menstrual helpline on 85888 70999. It answers at any hour.
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Prefer to work out your dates now? Open the free ovulation calculatorSome can. PCOS, endometriosis and bleeding disorders often run in families. Turner syndrome and CAH are caused by changes in chromosomes or genes.
PCOS is not caused by a single gene, but it tends to run in families. If your mother or sister has it, your chance is higher.
No. They are found from your symptoms, an examination, blood tests or a scan. Genetic tests are used for a few conditions, such as Turner syndrome.
Ask your doctor to check, especially if you also bruise easily or others in your family have heavy bleeding. It may be a bleeding disorder, and treatment helps.
A condition where one X chromosome is missing or partly missing. Puberty and periods often do not start on their own. A specialist can give hormone treatment.
Your family history can shape your periods. Learn it, keep a record of your cycle, and see a doctor if your periods are very heavy, very painful, irregular, or have not started by 15.
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