Reasons For A Late Period
One important thing to remember is that a delayed period doesn’t immediately mean you should worry if you’re not actively trying to conceive. But how late can a period be without being pregnant? There’s no one-size-fits-all answer to that question, but there are some perfectly reasonable alternative explanations for a period that’s gone MIA. So, what are they?
During the early stages of puberty, its common to have irregular cycles. Its normal for adolescents to have irregular cycles for the first three years after they get their period. This is because the ovaries may not be releasing an egg every month yet, since hormone levels are still changing. However, for people who are already past that phase, there are lots of other things that can cause a late period and irregular periods.
Here are eight common causes of a late period:
What Should I Do When My Child Starts Their Period
It is best to be prepared for your childs first period by having menstrual hygiene supplies in the home, and discussing what they should expect to experience before their period begins, so that it is not a complete surprise. Make sure they understand what causes a period, what kinds of symptoms they might experience, and most importantly that they know that periods are a normal and healthy part of having a female body. You might wish to put together a period preparation kit that they can keep in their locker or backpack, with a couple of menstrual pads, wet wipes and a clean pair of underwear, in case their first period arrives while they are in school.
The key is to help your child view this transition toward adulthood as a positive and natural event, not something that is shameful or embarrassing.
It can be helpful to celebrate or mark the first period in some significant way, such as with a card, a favorite sweet treat, or an at-home spa night. If your child is interested, you might also consider a larger celebration, such as a party or sleepover with your childs friends. The key is to help your child view this transition toward adulthood as a positive and natural event, not something that is shameful or embarrassing.
Which Period Products Should I Use
The products you use on your period are personal and entirely up to you! All that matters is that you feel comfortable, confident and arent worrying about leaking. There are lots of options, from ultra pads and tampons to mooncups and reusable pants. Check out our full guide to find out which product is right for you.
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What About Birth Control Pills
Your doctor may talk to you about taking birth control pills to help ease some of your PMS symptoms. Birth control pills help by evening out your hormone levels throughout your cycle. Some womens PMS symptoms get a lot better when they take birth control pills. However, the pill can also cause side effects of its own, and it doesnt help all women.
Fatigue Is An Early Sign Of Pregnancy And Implantation
Very soon after implantation and at the very start of pregnancy, you may begin to feel fatigued.
According to Dr. Tina Pagano on WebMD, the change in hormone levels takes a toll on your body and you will feel more tired than usual. Dr. Pagano says that the feelings of fatigue can occur as soon as a week after conceiving. Therefore, it is safe to say that you may start feeling fatigued a week or more before you expect your period.5
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Backaches Can Indicate That You Are Pregnant
Backaches in your lower back can also be one of the signs of implantation.
Dr. Melissa Conrad Stöppler says that aches in your lower back can start early on in pregnancy and continue for the full term.11
You can find helpful methods to relieve back pain naturally in my article on the best ways to naturally relieve backaches and muscle tension. You can also do gentle back exercises to help get rid of lower back pain. This will also strengthen your back and make it easy to carry your growing baby.
The Actual Cause Of Feeling Bloated Is The Digestive System And Not Your Reproductive System
According to Dr Penelope Law, a consultant Obstetrician and Gynecologist at the private Portland Hospital, the uterus contracts in a very subtle manner every day. As you get closer to your period, these mild contractions, which usually happen at the upper end of your uterus, gradually move down to the cervix with an increased frequency of about every 40 minutes. This becomes more intense by the time you get to your period and can be responsible for the pains some women experience during their period. Although period bloating is linked to these contractions, Dr Law explains that the actual cause of feeling bloated is the digestive system and not your reproductive system.
During your period, the bowel becomes slow as the increased contractions of the uterus slow down the speed of food through the bowel . This process creates the swollen feeling many women experience during their periods and this can also be linked to constipation during menstruation.
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Your Ovulation Timing Depends On The Length Of Your Cycle
Ovulation is when one of your ovaries releases an egg.
You only ovulate once per cycle. You may release more than one egg at a time . But youll never ovulate, then ovulate again without having a period in between.
Ovulation occurs near the middle of your cycleafter your follicular phase, and before your luteal phase. The events play out like this:
Your cycle starts with your period.
Day 1 is considered the first day of steady bleeding . Periods last 5 days on average, but anywhere between 2 and 7 days is normal.
Your follicular phase varies in length.
It starts when your period starts , and ends with ovulation. The length of your follicular phase depends on how quickly youre able to make enough of the hormones that activate your folliclessacs in the ovaries that each contain an egg. Once activated, one dominant sac will rupture and release its egg.
Ovulation takes about 1 day.
The release of an egg triggers the production of hormones that prepare the body for a potential pregnancy.
Those pregnancy hormones rise and fall during your luteal phase.
They rise during the first half of the luteal phase, and you may feel a natural high and more energy as a result. Then they fall during the second half, and you may experience PMS symptoms.
If no egg was fertilized that cycle, pregnancy hormones are no longer needed. Their levels will continue to fall, which will trigger a period, and the cycle starts over again.
Does Irregular Periods Mean Infertility
Having an irregular cycle, including missing periods, can contribute to infertility, as it means a woman may not be regularly ovulating. Ovulation is when the ovary releases an egg. Irregular ovulation can be due to many issues, including polycystic ovary syndrome , obesity, being underweight, and thyroid issues.
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My Yearly Period Tracker
- My Yearly Period Tracker is a simple and convenient way to track your period throughout the year.
- Refer to the Key at the bottom to learn how to fill in the box with the appropriate letter. Place a T in the box for the hormone pill taken and place an R for reminder pills.
- Be sure to indicate if youve taken a pill during your period by putting a B/T or B/R in the box.
- Remember to bring My Yearly Period Tracker with you to your medical appointments.
- Talk to your HCP about whether you should use the monthly and/or yearly tracker to track your period.
While Youre On Your Period
As any woman with a calendar and a bunch of best friends will tell you, the amount of days each woman spends menstruating can vary a lot.
Your menstrual flow may start to diminish and lighten in color, or turn brown towards the end of your cycle. It feels and looks like youre still menstruating, but your body is already gearing up for your next fertile time.
If you have sex towards the end of your period, you may actually be getting close to your fertile window, especially if you have a short cycle. Lets take a look at the math.
Say you ovulate early, about six days after your period starts. You have sex on the third day of your period. The sperm have no egg to fertilize, but theyre also in no hurry to die so they hang out, doin what sperm do.
A few days later, while theyre still swimming around, you ovulate and theyre drawn to that egg like a fish to water. One gets through, and there you have it fertilization has occurred as a result of period sex.
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Your Menstrual Cycle And Conception
“There are two phases to the menstrual cycle: the follicular phase occurs before ovulation, and the luteal phase occurs after ovulation,” says Lauren Sundheimer, M.D., MS, FACOG, an OB-GYN practicing in Orange County, California. Dr. Sundheimer explains that people who have 28-day cycles typically ovulate approximately 14 days after the first day of their period.
Though ovulation tends to occur 14 days prior to the next period, cycle length varies for from person to person and even cycle to cycle. This variation can make predicting ovulation especially tricky if you have irregular cycles since you don’t know when your next period will arrive.
The egg that’s released during ovulation survives for only 24 hours. Sperm, on the other hand, can survive three to five days in the uterus and fallopian tubes under the right circumstances, says Barbara Stegmann, M.D., a triple board-certified OB-GYN and women’s health clinical lead at Organon, a global health care company. So having PIV sex during ovulation or the days beforehand can result in pregnancy since the egg can meet with existing sperm in the reproductive tract.
Is It My Period Coming Or Am I Pregnant
When you have your period, the flow is noticeably heavier and can last up to a week. Pregnancy: For some, one of the first signs of pregnancy is light vaginal bleeding or spotting that’s usually pink or dark brown. This typically happens 10 to 14 days after conception and is usually not enough to fill pads or tampons.
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How Many Days After My Period Can I Get Pregnant
Whether you are a woman trying to get pregnant or youre trying to avoid getting pregnant, it is entirely your choice.
In both cases, it can be helpful and extremely important to do your research on fertility and help you identify the best time to get pregnant or prevent possible pregnancy. This article should be able to help and will tell you all about fertility and your period.
To learn more about fertility and pregnancy, you can also read our guides to working while pregnant and whether you can run when pregnant.
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When Does Menstruation Start
On average, a young woman in the U.S. has her first menstrual period at about age 12. This is generally 2 to 3 years after her breasts start to grow. This is also soon after she notices pubic and underarm hair. Stress, strenuous exercise, and diet can affect when a girl first has her period.
The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists recommends that a young woman consult her healthcare provider if she has not started to menstruate by the age of 15, or if she has not begun to develop breast buds, pubic hair, or underarm hair by the age of 13.
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How Do I Know When I Get My Period
One of the best ways to predict when your period is coming is to track it.
Whether you use an app, your phones built-in health trackers, or an old-fashioned pen and paper, tracking your period is definitely something wed recommend.
And its not just to ease your mind so you know roughly when your period will start its also important for your health.
Irregular periods or changes in your menstrual cycle can be early signs of infections, stress, or sometimes illnesses.
But if youre already tracking your period and youre still not sure when its going to start, check in with yourself.
How are you feeling? How is your skin looking? Have you noticed any more or less discharge than usual?
Even the smallest changes can be an indicator that your period is coming soon.
Ultimately, the signs your period is coming tomorrow can vary widely, and some really arent all that fun.
If you are struggling with premenstrual symptoms, you dont have to just battle through this.
There are ways to reduce your pain.
Talk to the healthcare provider about the best options for you.
What If You Have A 28
The average menstrual cycle is 28 days, with the first day of menstruation as cycle day 1.
Most periods last two to seven days. Pregnancy is uncommon during this time, because your peak fertility window is still about a week or so away.
Around days 6 to 14 of your cycle, your body will start releasing follicle-stimulating hormone .
This helps develop an egg inside your ovary. Your body will also begin rebuilding the endometrial lining in your uterus.
Pregnancy is slightly more likely during this time. Sperm can live up to five days inside the body, so it could still be present when the egg matures.
Once the egg is mature, your body will release lutenizing hormone , triggering the eggs release from your ovary .
Ovulation usually occurs around cycle day 14. Pregnancy is likely on ovulation day.
That said, ovulation doesnt always happen like clockwork. It can occur anywhere from four days before to four days after the midpoint of your menstrual cycle.
The bottom Line
If you ovulate later in your cycle or start your period sooner than usual, you could become pregnant if you have sex in the days leading up to your period.
Lots of people dont have 28-day cycles. Some have cycles as short as 21 days and others as long as 35 days.
In fact, in one study , only about 30 percent of participants had their fertile window fall within days 10 to 17 of their cycle. Only 10 percent had ovulation fall exactly 14 days before their next period.
You can do this a number of ways, including:
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Negative Pregnancy Tests While Pregnant
Many women can be misled by a negative pregnancy test when they are, in fact, pregnant. These tests, in general, arent as accurate as wed like to believe .
When you use a home pregnancy test, what its searching for is hCG, a hormone your body produces during pregnancy. For a positive test, the amount of hCG needs to be detectable, so if you havent produced enough, youll see a negative result.
Facts You Should Know About Breasts
- The breasts are medically known as the mammary glands.
- The mammary glands are made up of lobules, milk-producing glandular structures, and a system of ducts that transport milk to the nipple.
- Lymphatic vessels in the breast drain excess fluid.
- Breast growth begins at puberty in humans, in contrast to other types of primates in which breasts enlarge only during lactation.
- Breast tissue develops in the fetus along the so-called milk lines, extending from the armpit to the groin.
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Menstrual Bloating Remedies To Feel Better Fast
When bloating comes on strong and all you want to do is live in yoga pants and stay in bed, there are things you can do.
Here are four natural remedies to help you get back to your life, bloating be gone:
1. Make Some Diet Modifications: The power of nutrition is incredible, and with just a few dietary modifications prior to and during your period, you may be surprised at how much less bloated you feel. Here are some nutrition hacks to beat period bloating.
2. The Power of Plant-Based Healing: We cant downplay just how amazing Traditional Chinese Medicine and potent, healing herbs are for countless ailments and symptoms like period bloating. And Elix can help with your menstrual bloating. Our Cycle Balance formulas not only help balance hormones and help get to the root of all your symptoms, but the herbs in our formulas can help reduce the water retention that often leads to that uncomfortable bloated feelingso you can feel better, faster.
In need of a natural remedy right away? Try using a chasteberry tincture or sipping on some chasteberry tea. Studies have found this berry to be incredibly beneficial for easing PMS symptoms including water retention and even cravings.
Dandelion leaf tea can also be great for period bloating. It acts as a natural diuretic to help reduce some of that uncomfortable fluid retention while also giving the body a little extra potassium boost.
Know When to See a Doctor
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What About The Copper Iud And Your Cycle
The copper IUDshouldnât affect your cycle length since copper IUDs are non-hormonal. You will experience the same fluctuations of estrogen and progesterone across your cycle as you did when you werenât using a copper IUD . That means the majority of your cycles should be 24â38 days long, which is the typical range for cycle length in adults . Some people using a copper IUD may notice that their period is heavier and longer, or they may experience unscheduled spotting, but these side effects often improve over time .
to track your menstrual cycle length.
Article was originally published on May 17, 2018.
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