Why Would A Period Be Late

What To Do When Your Period Is Late

Why is my period late? & how to get it back using Reflexology

If your period is more than a week late and you got a negative pregnancy test, you may want to schedule an appointment with your health care provider to be safe. Your doctor can do a blood test to confirm that youre not pregnant.

If the blood test is also negative and your practitioner rules out any other possible concerns, its fine to sit back and go with the flow . Every woman skips a period now and then, especially if shes under stress or has been sick. Relax and do what you can to ease anxiety by eating right, getting enough sleep and exercising.

From the What to Expect editorial team and Heidi Murkoff, author of What to Expect When You’re Expecting. What to Expect follows strict reporting guidelines and uses only credible sources, such as peer-reviewed studies, academic research institutions and highly respected health organizations. Learn how we keep our content accurate and up-to-date by reading our medical review and editorial policy.

Could You Be Pregnant

If you missed your period, answer these 4 questions:

  • Am I trying to get pregnant?
  • Have I had sex during my fertile days?
  • Have I not used contraception?
  • Did I ovulate?
  • If you answered “yes” to all questions, there is a high chance that you are pregnant. But only a positive pregnancy test will confirm your suspicion.

    What Are The Signs Of Implantation

    Implantation is the process when an embryo attaches itself to the uterine lining. It doesnt always cause symptoms. However, some people report feeling light cramping, headaches, and mood swings around the time of implantation. Implantation bleeding can occur around the date when you expect your period, but its usually lighter and only causes pink or brown spotting or discharge.

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    Safety Of Skipping Your Period

    There are a number of reasons why you may want to skip your period.

    Its generally safe to do so if youre on birth control pills. However, its best to check with your doctor first. Youll want to make sure that theres no medical reason for you to continue with your current menstruation schedule.

    Taking birth control pills to reduce or eliminate your period is just as safe as taking them in the conventional way, says Gerardo Bustillo, MD, OB-GYN, at Orange Coast Memorial in Fountain Valley, California.

    Menstruation isnt physiologically necessary. In general, women today experience many more menstrual cycles over their lifetime compared to women of previous generations, says Bustillo. There are a few reasons for that, including the following:

    • Many women today start menstruating at a younger age.
    • Women today have fewer pregnancies on average.
    • Women today dont breastfeed for as long.
    • Women today generally reach menopause later in life.

    According to Lisa Dabney, MD, assistant professor of obstetrics, gynecology, and reproductive science at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, the monthly period that traditional birth control pills allow for may have had more to do with marketing than anything.

    When the birth control pills first came out, they were designed for women to get their periods every four weeks like a natural period, she says. This interval is really set up by the cycle of the pills and was set up that way so women would more readily accept them.

    You Have A Chronic Condition

    What Causes Delay In Period Aside Pregnancy

    Certain chronic health problems, especially celiac disease and diabetes, are sometimes associated with menstrual irregularities.

    Celiac disease is an autoimmune disease that affects your digestive system. When people with celiac disease eat gluten, their immune system reacts by attacking the lining of the small intestine.

    When the small intestine is damaged, it impairs the bodys ability to absorb nutrients from food. Subsequent malnourishment affects normal hormone production and leads to missed periods and other menstrual irregularities.

    Those with type 1 and type 2 diabetes might also experience a missed period in rare cases. This tends to only happen when blood sugar levels arent managed.

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    What To Do If Period Is Late

    If the expected date has passed and theres still no sign of your cycle, wait it out for at least 30 days. If you get your period within this time, it was probably due to stress, dietary changes, etc. If you still dont get your period or if you realize its been irregular for a while, consult your doctor.

    How Much Delay In Periods Is Normal

    Menstrual cycles are considered normal if they last anywhere between 21 to 35 days. Your cycle can vary, but your period is considered late after five days from the date when you expected it to come. A period is considered to have been missed if its been six weeks or more since the first day of your last menstruation.

    Also Check: Is It Normal To Pee Blood On Your Period

    How Many Days Your Period Can Be Late For

    You have every right to be confused and upset if you are trying to conceive but keep seeing a negative pregnancy test even when your period gets late. Under normal circumstances, the ovaries release an egg per month, around two weeks after the beginning of the period. The uteruss inner lining sheds if the egg remains unfertilized, marking the beginning of the period. But how late can your period be? How can you know if its a pregnancy or a just an irregular period?

    Change In Your Schedule

    5 Reasons Your Period is Late – Pandia Health

    Minor changes in your schedule arent going to have an impact on your menstrual cycle but intense ones, like switching to the night shift or having jet lag from traveling across the world , can. The good news is that its temporary. Once your body acclimates to your new schedule, your periods should resume as normal. If they dont, its worth calling your doctor about.

    Recommended Reading: I M On Birth Control And My Period Is Late

    You Asked: What Is Stress Doing To My Body

    Stress is often referred to as the health epidemic of the 21st centurythe culprit behind frazzled and exhausted populations worldwide. With at least 70 percent of people in the United States experiencing the physical and psychological effects of stress, its become somewhat of a personal pathogen. In fact, repeated bouts of stress may even take years off your life. A Texas A& M Health Science Center College of Nursing expert explains the damaging side-effects of the chronically over-stressed.

    According to the World Health Organization , a little stress is actually good for you. Little bursts of stress during working hours or during your day can help you to focus more and perform better, said Raquel Reynolds, M.S.N., RN, PHCNS-BC, PhD a clinical assistant professor in the Texas A& M College of Nursing, who studies workplace stress. When the stress is repeated over and over again, and translates to chronic stress, is when detrimental health effects happen.

    Forty-eight percent of people report stress has a negative impact on both their personal and professional lifewith 40 percent of workers suffering on the job. Individual factors like stress from your personal or social life play in, but, according to Reynolds, situational stressors are far and above the major reason so many peoples bodies are over-worked and pushed to their limit.

    Covid Vaccines And Infertility: Fact Vs Fiction

    Rumors have been circulating online that suggest COVID-19 vaccines currently available in the United States cause infertility and are not safe for women who are pregnant or planning to become pregnant. However, multiple medical societies and governing bodies in the medical profession have debunked these claims, stating no current scientific evidence supports them.

    The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists stated, We also assure patients that there is no evidence that the vaccine can lead to loss of fertility. Loss of fertility is scientifically unlikely. Similarly, the American Society for Reproductive Medicine supports vaccination against COVID-19 for women of reproductive age, stating, Patients undergoing fertility treatment and pregnant patients should be encouraged to receive vaccination based on eligibility criteria.

    So, if experts agree that authorized COVID-19 vaccines are safe for fertility and pregnancy, where did the rumor come from?

    One of the issues with this claim is that if the antibodies attack the placenta then that means the placenta actually formed, which means the patient got pregnant, said Hector Chapa, MD, FACOG, clinical assistant professor of obstetrics and gynecology at the Texas A& M University College of Medicine. So, it wouldnt be a cause of infertility, which is the inability to conceive and become pregnant. The issue would be pregnancy loss, but thats not actually being found in the data.

    Lindsey Hendrix

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    Diseases Such As Pcod

    Diseases of ovary such as ovarian cancer or PCOD affect the normal functions of ovaries. So due to cysts or benign tumors ovaries wont be able to ovulate and hence you wont get your periods.

    For those of you who dont know the reason for getting periods, the bleeding is due to sloughing off the vaginal lining. This vaginal lining is for implantation of the embryo if the egg and sperm fertilize.

    In cases of PCOD and other illness, you wont be able to get pregnant too. Hence when you are suffering PCOD, you will get a late period and negative pregnancy test.

    Calculator: Is My Menstrual Period Late

    What Causes Delay In Period Aside Pregnancy

    Is your period late or could you be pregnant? Use this menstrual period calculator to see if your period is late or if a baby may be the way!

    Missing a period, especially if you always had regular menstrual periods, is a significant event, so naturally, the next question that follows is, “Am I pregnant?” Pregnant women have no menstrual period. But not every woman who misses her period is pregnant.

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    I Got My Period Very Late Should I Take A Pregnancy Test Can I Take It On My Period

    By | Sept. 10, 2013, 3:21 p.m.

    Category:

    So, my period was 13 days late and I just got it today, should I still take a pregnancy test? If so, should I wait until Im off my period or is it ok to take it while Im still on it?

    Late periods can be stressful, but try to chill out: getting your period is a sign that youre not pregnant. Periods can be late for all kinds of reasons, like weight changes, increase in exercise, hormones, and stress. Its also really common for periods to change in timing and flow during the first few years of your menstrual cycle, while your body develops and settles into a pattern. This is probably whats causing your period to be tardy for the party.

    It is possible to be pregnant and have light bleeding that seems kind of like a period, but its not the same as a period. If you really feel like something is wrong, check with your doctor or a Planned Parenthood health center. And yes, you can take a pregnancy test even if youre having bleeding. If taking a pregnancy test will ease your mind, go for it theyre usually about $15 at the drug store.

    Since you asked about pregnancy, Im guessing its because youre having vaginal sex. Its great that youre thinking about the possible consequences of sex, like unplanned pregnancy. You should think about using a good method of birth control so you dont have to worry in the future. And remember that its also important to protect against STDs too, by using condoms and getting tested.

    Medications Or Drugs And Smoking

    Any medicines or drugs that are not prescribed by a doctor can also cause late period negative pregnancy test. Smoking is a cause of infertility in women. Taking drugs and other illegal stimulants is a reason for late period negative pregnancy test.

    Drugs make conceiving hard. Even if you get pregnant, the drugs can damage your pregnancy.

    Also Check: How Do You Know If Your Period Is Coming

    Reasons For A Late Period That Don’t Mean You’re Pregnant

    A menstrual cycle that’s off schedule doesn’t always mean you’re pregnant. Here are seven other reasons your period could be late.

    If you’re waiting for a late period, there’s one thought that’s likely going through your mind: Am I pregnant? “Everybody thinks they’re pregnant when their period is late,” says Wendy Goodall McDonald, M.D., aka Dr. Every Woman of Women’s Health Consulting in Chicago and the author of It Smells Just Like Popcorn: The Modern Woman’s A to V Guide to Her Vagina and Beyond.

    But mensuration could be late for a variety of reasons, and it doesn’t always point to pregnancy. This could be disappointing to learn if you’re TTC or a huge sigh of relief if you’re not ready for a baby. Before you run to the local pharmacy to pick up an at-home pregnancy test, read about these external factors and conditions that could cause delayed periods.

    Why Is Your Period Late 10 Causes Of Delayed Periods

    WHY IS MY PERIOD LATE? What Delays Ovulation

    Missing your period when a baby isnt due can be unnerving. There are a few factors that may be to blame.

    1. Excessive exercise or weight loss

    First of all, training for marathons or other extreme fitness forms can cause you to miss your periods.

    Having a sedentary lifestyle may trigger painful and irregular menstrual cycles. Conversely, over-exercising can stress your body. It may shut down its regular functions, like menstruation.

    2. Stress

    A traumatic event can trigger hypothalamic amenorrhea. The hypothalamus regulates menstrual hormones. Stress affects it and may cause you to miss your period.

    3. Thyroid Problems

    Thyroid imbalances may have adverse effects on your period. The thyroid is one of the largest endocrine glands, and the pituitary gland in the brand manages it. Therefore, it regulates the female hormones in the body. A damaged or malfunctioning thyroid may cause an irregular menstrual cycle.

    4. Polycystic Ovary Syndrome

    PCOS refers to a group of symptoms triggered by excess androgens, or male hormones, in women. One of the signs of these includes irregular periods and difficulty conceiving. Women who have PCOS may have related conditions like Type 2 Diabetes or Mood Disorders.

    5. Obesity

    Weight problems can affect your hypothalamus and interfere with your menstrual cycle. Being either under or overweight can put stress on this gland.

    Being overweight can cause the body to produce too much estrogen, and cause you to have miss periods.

    6. Shifts in routines

    Read Also: How To Tell When Your Period Is Over

    Is It Bad If Your Period Is Always Late

    There are many reasons why your period is late or skipped, and most, like stress, are no cause for alarm and your periods can return to normal with a few healthy lifestyle changes. However, to rule out any causes for concern, if you miss more than one period you may want to see your doctor for medical advice.

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