Contributed by: Healthians Team
Introduction
Worried about delayed periods, especially when you are not pregnant?
There are several reasons behind late or missed periods other than pregnancy. It could be a hormonal imbalance or several medical reasons for missed periods.
Many women get stressed out when they experience issues like delayed periods. But pregnancy is not the only reason for which a woman faces this situation. As time passes by, your body also transforms and with these transformations, the period cycle can become irregular.
Females who may not have reached menopause generally have a 28-day cycle which is a balanced menstrual cycle. On the other hand, it might last anywhere from 21 to 40 days in some cases.
If your period does not fall between these parameters, then it is a matter of concern.
Here are some common reasons behind your late or missed periods other than pregnancy:
Stress
Stress can easily dominate your period cycle. Researchers have determined that as the level of stress increases the body produces a hormone called cortisol which induces stress hormones.
In response to stress, menstruation or period cycle gets affected and sometimes it gets missed.
If you’re under prolonged stress and missed more than one period, you should take that sign seriously and plan to visit the doctor soon.
Weight gain or loss
Being underweight, overweight, or experiencing sudden weight instabilities affect your menstrual cycle.
Hormone levels in the body get affected by the rapid weight changes and this leads to missed periods or skipped periods.
In the case of obesity or weight gain, the period cycle is disturbed or gets heavy.
Women who experience sudden weight loss or are underweight can experience late or no periods. This commonly happens in competitive athletes and women with serious eating disorders.
Breastfeeding
After pregnancy, women go through breastfeeding and it is also a reason for no period at all or infrequent periods.
According to doctors, after pregnancy for some time it is normal to experience period cycle fluctuations or no period at all.
Many women misunderstand this situation as a medical issue but it is totally normal.
Regular intense workout
Routine exercise is a wonderful life habit that helps in keeping the body and the system active.
However, sometimes excessive and intense regular workout lowers the estrogen level, which is a hormone that regulates the female reproductive system.
Many female athletes undergo secondary amenorrhea, indicating they don’t get a period for at least six months or even longer, due to rigorous training and work.
Medication
If you have started taking new medications, then there are chances that you may experience side effects of it.
Irregular periods are one of the side effects that are experienced when you start taking some new medicines.
Some birth control methods, such as an IUD, implant or shot, may cease your periods while you are them.
Pre-menopause
Pre-menopause is the initial stage of menopause. Women who are about to enter the menopause phase, experience infrequent or late periods. This is due to the decrease in the level of estrogen hormone.
While entering this stage, you may have lighter, heavier, more frequent, or less frequent periods.
Thyroid
Thyroid disease affects many women, and there are two types: hypothyroidism and hyperthyroidism, both of which can disrupt your menstrual cycle.
Because the thyroid controls your body’s metabolism, hormone levels may be impacted.
Thyroid problems are often managed with medicine. Your menstruation will most likely revert to its usual cycle after therapy.
Final thoughts
If you’ve discovered that your menstrual cycle has been irregular recently, or if you’ve missed a period but aren’t pregnant, you should consult your doctor immediately.
The sooner they can determine a diagnosis, the sooner you can start working on regaining control of your cycle.
Women get disturbed when they experience sudden missed, delayed or no periods at all.
The above-mentioned reasons will give clarity on what can be the reasons behind your disturbed cycle.
After knowing the reasons you can take further steps to cure this situation or visit a doctor.
Also, ayurvedic medicines and herbs are a good option which can considerably reduce the problem of missed and delayed periods.