I’m not pregnant so why is my period late?

By Jess Matthews

When we think of missed periods our minds often automatically go to being pregnant, but what if we’re not? In this post I’m going to look at the other reasons as to why your period may be late when you know you are not pregnant. Research shows that the prevalence of irregular menstrual cycles is 5-35.6% depending on your age, your occupation, and where you live. Most people who haven’t reached menopause usually have a period roughly every 28 days. However, this changes person to person and can be between every 21 and 35 days and can vary slightly every month. Don’t panic if you period is a few days late, if you are still within the35-day range. If your period doesn’t fall between one of these ranges, it could be due to one of the following reasons:

● Stress

● Polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS)

● Sudden weight loss

● Being overweight

● Being underweight

● Over exercising

● Taking contraception

● Breastfeeding

● Perimenopause

Stress

If you are dealing with stress or suffer from chronic stress it can throw off your hormones, disrupt your daily routine and can affect the part of your brain responsible for regulating your period: your hypothalamus. If you have been dealing with stress for a significant amount of time it can cause illness and/or sudden weight gain or loss. If you think stress is affecting your period it is important that you speak to a healthcare professional to address this issue. Panicking about your delayed period can exacerbate the issue, so try some stress-relieving activities such as taking a bath, yoga or practicing mindfulness.

Polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS)

PCOS is a chronic condition that causes your body to produce more of the male hormone called androgen. This causes cysts to form on the ovaries because of the hormone imbalance. Due to this it can make ovulation become irregular or stop altogether. PCOS can also cause other hormones such as insulin to become unbalanced. This is due to insulin resistance, which is often associated with PCOS. Symptoms of PCOS include but are not exclusive to weight gain, excessive hair growth, hair loss on the head, oily or acne prone skin. If you are experiencing any of these symptoms and are worried it may be PCOS, speak to your GP and discuss your concerns. It can be good to keep a diary of symptoms as well as tracking your periods to show your GP as this can help speed up the diagnosis process.

Sudden weight loss

Sudden weight loss can lead to your period being late, irregular or stopping completely. This is due to your body not being able to produce the hormones required for menstruation through a lack of nutrition. If your weight loss is unexplained, it is extremely important to speak to your doctor as this can sometimes be an indicator of other health issues. If your weight loss is due to an eating disorder and you are not seeking help, speaking to your doctor will enable you to be referred to the appropriate service that can give you help.

Being overweight

If you are overweight this can be a reason for having a late period. Having a high body weight can cause hormonal changes. This can cause the body to produce an overabundance of estrogen, which is a key reproductive hormone. Having too much estrogen can cause irregularities in your cycle and can cause it to stop altogether. If your doctor has told you that this is the reason for your menstrual cycle abnormalities, they may advise you to lose weight and may also offer you assistance in doing this. As above, if your weight gain is sudden, with no changes to your lifestyle/eating habits, talk to your GP so they can rule out other health issues.

Being underweight

In the same way that being overweight can affect your period, being underweight can too. When you do not have enough body fat this can pause ovulation. People who have eating disorders such as anorexia nervosa or bulimia nervosa may also experience irregularities in their cycle. Getting treatment for your eating disorder and getting your body healthy again can return your cycle back to its original state.

Over exercising

When you over exercise, it places intense stress on your body, and it can affect the hormones responsible for your period. It can stop you ovulating which will ultimately lead to late, irregular or stopped periods. If you feel that over exercising is an issue for you, speak to your GP. They will most likely advise you to reduce your exercise levels to help your menstrual cycle. If you are a professional athlete speaking to a doctor who specializes in sports medicine may also be helpful.

Taking contraception

Some contraception will stop your period all together and they will only return if you stop taking them. Other kinds of contraception means that you still bleed once a month. Although this is due to a withdrawal from the hormones found in the medicine and not through having a typical menstrual cycle meaning you are still protected from getting pregnant. When you come off contraception it can take several months for your cycle to return to your normal. This will vary and can be a different experience for everyone depending on the type of contraception you were taking. Medical professionals may not warn you that your contraception can stop your menstrual cycle as they can affect everyone differently, if you are concerned or want your contraception to be checked, speak to your GP or local sexual health clinic.

Breastfeeding

When you have a baby and are breastfeeding your periods may not return for a while and may be irregular when they do come back. There are many reasons for this, but they can include: breastfeeding less, your baby's sleep pattern, when you stop breastfeeding your baby. When your periods do come back it is not abnormal for you to miss periods or for them to be late. This is due to the hormones associated with the postpartum phase and breastfeeding. Many people report their periods changing after having a baby (i.e from heavy to light or vice versa) so don’t be surprised if your periods never go back to ‘normal’. If you are concerned about your periods after you have a baby, it is important to speak to your GP.

Perimenopause

Perimenopause usually happens to people who menstruate between the ages of 40-44 but can occur in your mid-to late 30s or even into your 50’s. Perimenopause is when someone’s body begins to prepare for the menopause, hormones can fluctuate wildly during this time, before eventually stopping completely at menopause. This is what causes the symptoms we associate with the menopause such as hot flushes, mood swings and disturbed sleep to name just a few. To begin with you may only experience a change to your menstrual cycle and have late or missed periods, you may also find that your periods get lighter or heavier. Menopause is your last period, due to the irregularity of periods during the perimenopause it is only possible to know this in hindsight. If you are over 50, this can be confirmed 1 year after your last period, if you are under 50 it is 2 years after your last period. Once you’ve had your last period you are classed as post-menopausal. Although unlikely it is still possible to get pregnant during the perimenopause as you may still be ovulating, so you may wish to continue using contraception during this time. If you are struggling with the symptoms related to either perimenopause or menopause your GP can offer treatments to make the transition easier for you.

In conclusion, it’s important to remember that menstruation requires your body to use a lot of energy which is why your periods stop for many of the above reasons. If your body is already over exerted due to things such as stress, illness or undernourishment your body will stop your periods to reduce the strain on your body. If you had any unprotected or risky sex during your cycle its always worth taking a pregnancy test if your period hasn’t arrived by day 35 of your cycle. If you aren’t pregnant and your period hasn’t arrived by day 35 begin recording your symptoms and when your period does arrive so you can provide evidence to your GP, as this will help them identify the cause of your period delay. Also note, it is not medically classed as an irregular period unless your period arrives before day 21 of your cycle or after day 35 of your cycle, therefore if your period is usually turns up like clockwork on day 28 but this month turns up on day 33, this would just be deemed a natural fluctuation of your cycle. If you decide to seek medical help for any of the above, keeping track and writing down any symptoms you may be having related to your late period can help be a good indicator to the doctor of what the underlying issue may be, It will also save time as the doctor may have asked you to do this anyway.