Reasons your period is late when you’re not pregnant

WHEN Aunt Flo fails to show in sexually active women with a regular menstrual cycle, most women immediately think that the culprit may be a little human growing inside. But in the event this is not the case, medical internist at Imani Medical Centre, Papine Plaza, Dr Samantha Nicholson, recommends that you have this investigated because there are a number of other lifestyle and medical issues which could be interfering with your periods.

“It’s a monthly expectation and when your period doesn’t flow it can be a little scary, especially if you aren’t actively trying to conceive. Once you confirm that you aren’t pregnant and your period doesn’t show up, you don’t want to just ignore it, you want to make sure that you find the root cause so you can work on whatever the issue may be,” Dr Nicholson advised.

The next step is identifying some of the other possible reasons Aunt Flo is MIA. Below, Dr Nicholson shares a list:

Stress

It seems to turn up everywhere these days and according to Dr Nicholson, a missed period is just one other bodily concern that stress may have triggered.

“Stress can disrupt your hormonal balance and when this happens then this may result in delayed, irregular, heavy and sometimes missed periods,” Dr Nicholson explained.

Extreme dieting

Calorie restriction is one way of inducing weight loss and when this becomes excessive and you lose weight, and the faster you lose it, the more likely it is that your period will be affected because of the stress that is caused on the body. What happens is that this will result in changes to hormone levels, which interrupts ovulation and causes you to miss your period.

Athletes who are training hard

Strenuous exercising — such in the case of athletes who are training for long distance activities — can cause physical stress. When your body is physically stressed, Dr Nicholson explained that this can lead to a hormonal imbalance.

“These people tend to have their fertility impaired — they tend not to ovulate when they should and so they tend to miss periods,” Dr Nicolson explained.

Chronic illnesses

People who are experiencing extreme chronic illnesses such as those dealing with rheumatic fever, kidney disease or significant heart disease may find that the periods are late because these diseases create a significant stress on the body and can cause hormonal shifts that can block ovulation which can sometimes cause those suffering from these illnesses to miss a period or two.

Hormone-related illnesses

When women have the challenge of some hormone-related issues there is also the likelihood of them experiencing missed periods.

“Polycystic ovarian syndrome is an ailment that occurs because there are multiple cysts on the ovary caused by failed ovulation. It is characterised by missed periods and is also associated with obesity, diabetes, or a tendency towards diabetes. They will miss one to two periods and some will only see one or two periods in a year,” Dr Nicholson explained.

She underscored that what happens is that the lining of the womb will still get thick and it gets progressively thicker and so when you finally get a period and all that lining has to shed, this can be very heavy and painful. In addition, this can expose you to conditions such as cancer of the endometrium.

Hormone imbalance

When there are excessive levels of hormones such as prolactin, which is produced in the pituitary gland located in the brain, then there is also the likelihood that you will have a missed period. This is often seen in high levels in pregnant and lactating/breastfeeding women as well as people who have a tumour of the pituitary gland. If the thyroid hormone is out of whack it may also result in missed periods, so too can the cortisol hormones, which can all interplay and affect the oestrogen, progesterone, gluttonising hormone, policy stimulating hormone axis.

Ovarian failure

A more sinister cause of a missed period is ovarian failure or what we may know as premature menopause.

“So you are 30 years old and all of a sudden your period stops and you suddenly begin to experience hot flashes — this could be one sign that you have entered early menopause,” Dr Nicholson said.

While there may be underlying issues, Dr Nicholson said one or two missed periods would not be a cause for panic. In fact, she says doctors usually reassure the patients that they will be fine; however, she says once the patient misses her period a third time or a pattern begins to generate, then, of course, the physician will become concerned.

“Some doctors may wait up to six before a thorough investigation is done depending on the other pre-existing issues or what is going on with the patient at the time. However, after about three to six months the doctor will order a hormonal evaluation to see what is happening,” Dr Nicholson advised. She said that there may be instances, however, when a patient may insist, ask to have their period induced, and the doctor might give them medication to achieve this. She says if the woman still doesn’t experience a flow, then that is an immediate cause for concern because this could be an indication that the ovaries have failed.