Can Being Sick Delay Your Period

Can Depression Make Your Period Late

• Treatment Options

There are many reasons a woman’s period may be late or her cycle may go off schedule. An obvious one is pregnancy. Others include poor nutrition, excessive exercise, and long-term illness. A less obvious reason for amenorrhea or missing a period, however, is depression.

The link between mental health and reproductive health makes sense when you consider that nature does everything it can to create favorable conditions for reproduction.

If a woman is chronically stressed, anxious, sad, or upset, she’s really not in a physical or emotional position to go through a pregnancy and then take care of and nurture a child. Under these less than ideal conditions, the female reproductive system can shut down.

Youve Been Crossing Time Zones

Did you take a big trip recently? Travel to a far-off land can definitely affect your cycle. Since the timing and release of reproductive hormones from the brain is dependent upon light, extensive travel across many times zones may temporarily affect the timing of ovulation and cause a delay in when a period may come, Styer says.

When To See Your Gp

See your GP if you’re not pregnant you’ve had a negative pregnancy test and you’ve missed more than 3 periods in a row.

If you’re sexually active and you have not taken a pregnancy test, your GP may advise you to take one.

They may also ask you about:

• your medical history
• any emotional issues you’re having
• any recent changes in your weight
• the amount of exercise you do

Your GP may recommend waiting to see whether your periods return on their own. In some cases you may need treatment for your periods to return.

You should also see your GP if your periods stop before you’re 45 or if you’re still bleeding when you’re over 55.

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Reasons Your Period Is Late

During your usual morning routine, you open your cabinet, spot a box of tampons in the back, and you suddenly realize youre late. When was my last period? you think as you try to remember the last time you needed to reach for that box. Panic then takes over as your mind shoots straight to pregnancy.

While being pregnant is a possible reason for a missed period, there may be factors related to your health or lifestyle that are causing the delay, notes Shelley White-Corey, clinical assistant professor at the Texas A& M Health Science Center College of Nursing and a womens health nurse practitioner.

Breastfeeding

Your period may not make an appearance after your baby is born, but dont be alarmed! If you are breastfeeding your little one, a lack of periods is completely normal. Referred to as lactational amenorrhea, this is a phase that disrupts the rhythm of your menstrual cycle. After a few months, your monthly period should be right back on track.

Weight loss or weight gain

Whether youre overweight or underweight, any change in pounds can affect your monthly cycle. Common health problems linked to weight and irregular menstruation include eating disorders, such as anorexia and bulimia, and uncontrolled diabetes. If you suspect this might be an issue for you, see your health care provider right away.

Increased exercise

Stress

Sleep schedule changes

Medication

Thyroid dysfunction

Polycystic Ovary Syndrome

Perimenopause

Suzannah Smith

Youre In Early Menopause

Early menopause, also known as premature ovarian insufficiency, happens when your ovaries stop working before you turn 40.

When your ovaries are not working the way they should, they stop producing multiple hormones, including estrogen. As your estrogen levels drop to all-time lows, you will begin to experience the symptoms of menopause.

Late or missed periods may be an early sign. You may also experience:

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Q: Does Taking High Doses Cause Side Effects

A: High doses of ibuprofen can result in kidney damage, edema or stomach ulcers. If youre on blood thinners, it could increase your risk of bleeding.

But most young, healthy women should have no significant problems from doing high doses once in a while .

Before trying any new medication or taking a higher-than-prescribed dose, however, be sure to talk to your doctor about your best options and the potential side effects.

Missed Periods And Pregnancy

If youve had unprotected sex, you may have missed your period because youre pregnant. You may want to rule out pregnancy first by taking a pregnancy test, or you can see if you need to take a test with our .

Keep an eye out for any early pregnancy symptoms, like:

• tender breasts

These symptoms coupled with a missed period could mean you are pregnant

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Is Moderna Working On Additional Covid Vaccine Boosters

On Monday, Moderna president Stephen Hoge said the company’s current 50-microgram COVID booster gives “quite respectable” protection. The company is continuing to study an omicron-specific vaccine and a multivalent one that could protect against other variants, including the alpha and delta strains, in case either is needed.

The company said it is also studying a 100-microgram version of its current vaccine booster, which appears to raise antibody protection 83 fold. Hoge said Moderna could have new versions of its vaccine ready early in 2022 but is not planning to ask the CDC and FDA to amend its booster authorization for the 100-microgram trial version of its booster.

A: It Depends You Should Not Get The Vaccine While Sick With Covid

Tis the season of colds and flu stacking right up on top of increasing COVID-19 infections. That means lots of folks are getting sick right now with all kinds of viral illnesses. As we are continuing to work to increase both COVID-19 and influenza vaccination rates, you might find yourself feeling under the weather right around when you are getting these shots. So, the question is: Can I go ahead and get the vaccine?

If you are sick with COVID-19 and still in the isolation period, the answer is a clear no. Vaccination should be delayed until you are feeling better and you have met criteria to stop isolation . This helps protect the healthcare worker giving the vaccine and prevents confusing any of those reactogenic side effects of the vaccine with new or worsening COVID-19 infection symptoms. Once your isolation is done, you can go ahead and get the COVID-19 vaccine right away. There is no minimal amount of time you have to wait. And we know that COVID-19 vaccines are safe and effective for people who already had COVID-19 infection.

Good news: All of the above information holds true for the influenza vaccine as well! And dont forget you can get the COVID-19 vaccine and flu shot at the same time.

If you arent feeling very well, our best advice is to talk with your primary care clinician about what you can do to feel better but also about when to get your vaccines. They can help sort it out and find the best timing for you.

Stay Safe. Stay Sane.

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You’re Getting Closer To Menopause

Women in their 40s and early 50s who are approaching menopause a normal increase in the frequency of prolonged time intervals between periods, Styer says. But dont rule it out if youre not yet in your 40s. Some women do experience ovary function loss before then.

All this said, Styer notes that you may not be able to pinpoint the cause of a late period without consulting your physician but you may not need to. The vast majority of cases of one late period and or few late periods in the course of year does not warrant medical evaluation and should not be of concern, he says. But if it becomes a recurrent issue specifically, if you go longer than 40 or 50 days between periods or your periods dont come at least every 35 to 40 days then its time to make an appointment.

Bottom line? Befriend your cycle, know your cycle, and track your cycle, Druet says. It can give you and tell you a lot.

More on health:

Not Pregnant 10 Reasons For Your Missed Period

No period? Sounds kind of nice. Less worry, less planning, and a nice break from the years of month-to-month fatigue, cramping, and hunger cues. Sounds pretty convenient, right?

But not quite. Having a period is natural and ensures the bodys reproductive system is operating properly.

Although irregular menstrual cycles can kind of be normal, an entire lack of a menstruation can be a concern. For women who are 16 and older, and never had a period, this is called primary amenorrhea. If they have had a period but have missed several in six months time, that is called secondary amenorrhea.

There are many reasons you may have amenorrhea. If youre not pregnant or breastfeeding, a lack of a period could be a sign for other underlying issues. A complete missed period may be one amongst many symptoms for a condition. Underlying conditions that also lead to headaches, cramping without bleeding, and changes in vision.

In addition, other causes of amenorrhea could be:

Birth Control: birth control pills inhibit ovulation. This also happens with the birth control injections. IUD devices may also be the cause for light or no periods at all. And other medicines like antidepressants may be the cause for missed periods. Normally, with discontinued use of any of these, the period should resume.

Premature Menopause: if this occurs, doctors can treat you by replacing the hormones lost, especially for heart and bone health.

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And If I’m On Birth Control

Travel shouldn’t affect your period if you’re on birth control.

Still, there are a couple of roles to taking birth control when you’re switching time zones if you want to avoid getting pregnant.

First, you should take your daily dose according to your local time zone, not the time zone you are visiting. If the time in which you’re supposed to take the pill is extremely inconvenient, delaying one dose for a couple of hours shouldn’t be a problem.

However, if you’re taking a time-sensitive pill, like progestin, remember that you must take it within three hours from your usual time, otherwise, you’ll be skipping a dose.

Also, keep in mind that some birth control brands aren’t effective when combined with alcohol. Read the birth control pill instruction and check if the manufacturer warns against taking alcohol. To be safe, the best option is to still use another form of birth control on vacation.

Can Stress Affect Your Period

Is stress behind your irregular or missed period? Hereâs how to tell.

Stress and periods go together like peanut butter and jelly.. in the worst way. As if getting your period wasnât anxiety-inducing enough , stress can also cause major shifts in your period and menstrual cycle, namely delaying it. A recent study found that high levels of stress can cause irregular periods.

Ironic right?

Stressing about not getting or missing your period can actually make you…not get your period. Itâs a real chicken-and-the-egg scenario. Or in this case, stress-about-the-not-fertilized-egg and the not-fertilized-egg scenario.

Stress less and use our period tracker to know when youâre period is scheduled to start and when it is scheduled to stop.

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How Else Can Antibiotics Affect Your Period

Maybe you just took Amoxicillin for bronchitis or another antibiotic for an uninvited UTI. Your bodys response to the infection itself could be to blame.

Whether its a cold, flu, UTI, or another infection, illness and stress can eff with your period. This could include:

• periods popping up early or late
• shorter periods

• patch
• vaginal ring

If youre prescribed rifampin for more than 2 months, you may want to switch to a different BC thats not affected, like an IUD or the progestogen-only injection.

A few medications and treatments that could be causing your period to go bye-bye include:

• certain birth control pills, injectable contraceptives, and hormonal intrauterine devices
• some anti-seizure meds and blood pressure medications
• chemotherapy and radiation treatments

If youre taking any of these medications and youre seeing a change in your menstrual cycle, always talk with your doc. Your healthcare professional may decide to switch medications or change the dosage to get your period back on track.

Diagnosis And Tests For A Late Period And Pregnancy

There are both at-home tests and blood tests available to determine if pregnancy has occurred. Both are considered safe methods of detecting pregnancy.

• At-home tests: These test your urine for a pregnancy hormone called hCG. At-home tests are easy, quick, and convenient. However, they are not able to detect pregnancy as early as blood tests. They are most accurate if you wait one week after a missed period to use them.
• Blood tests: Blood tests require a visit to your doctor. But they can detect pregnancy much earlier than at-home tests.

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Q: Can Ibuprofen Help Reduce Heavy Periods

A: We do recommend high-dose anti-inflammatories like ibuprofen to slow down heavy periods. They have some potential to help in the short term. But they only slow the flow by about 10 to 20%.

While we recommend ibuprofen a lot for women with significant cramping, most of them dont notice major changes in their flow.

Q: Is This Something Youd Recommend To Patients

A: I have not seen this proposed in any medical journals, and I would not advise patients to try this on their own.

If you want to delay your period, your doctor can instead prescribe the hormones progesterone or estrogen, or a combination of the two. Some formulations can delay a period by a couple of weeks others for only a few days, depending on your needs.

Other options include birth control medications that suppress periods for a couple of months.

A non-hormonal medicine is also available. However, it only decreases blood flow by about 50%.

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What Are The Most Common Reasons Your Period May Be Late

There are a variety of reasons your period might be late. Fortunately, many of them arent a cause for serious concern.

You might have a late period one month, but then be back to your normal cycle next. However, a late period can be a sign of something more serious happening in your body, so it shouldnt be ignored. Reasons you period might be late include:

While its rare, a late or missed period can also be a sign of ovarian cancer.

If youve been under extra stress lately, you might be able to get your period back on track by working on lowering your stress level. However, if youve had multiple late and unpredictable periods, its a sign to see a healthcare professional.

When to see a doctor if your periods are late

• if your periods have stopped and youre under 45
• if youve missed three periods in a row
• if youre experiencing bleeding between your periods
• if youre experience bleeding after sex
• if youre experiencing sudden changes to your normal menstrual cycle
• if you have reason to think you might be pregnant

The remedy for late periods depends on the reason behind it. Some steps you can take to stay more regular include:

• reducing your stress levels
• moderating exercise levels
• maintaining your weight

While there are things people have tried to induce a period, such as having an orgasm, soaking in a warm bath, or taking vitamin C, these methods are considered ineffective and not scientifically proven.