Late Period, What Can Be the Causes?
A late period can have different causes, including pregnancy. However, other possible explanations exist, such as hormonal disturbances, a change in habits or environment or even a strong emotion. It is quite possible to experience a late period of five days or more without being pregnant.
Is Stress A Cause of Late Periods?
Periods occur 14 days after ovulation when a pregnancy has not started. But in the case of occasional or chronic stress, if you are in a state of tension or worry, the body can put ovulation on hold to protect itself. And then the period is delayed or disappears for a while. Rest assured, it is temporary and it is not serious.
How Many Days Can Stress Delay Periods?
We cannot define a precise duration; it depends on each person.
In the event of acute stress, it will probably be a brief delay, of a few days.
If, on the other hand, you are experiencing significant stress that lasts, your periods may stop altogether for a few months.
Consult a gynecologist, your doctor or a midwife without hesitation if you are worried, and in any case if your periods have stopped for 3 months. Because other pathologies than stress can disrupt your menstrual cycle.
Ask Your Questions by Teleconsultation
Take the time to understand what is happening in your body: make an appointment with a general practitioner, a gynecologist or a midwife
Blocking Periods Under The Pill
The pill puts your natural cycle to sleep. The blood flows that appear each month are not really periods, since the pill blocks ovulation. They are called withdrawal bleeding. They are generally less abundant than periods and sometimes absent.
A late period while taking the pill should; however, lead to a pregnancy being investigated. It can happen to have a pregnancy while taking the pill (forgetting a pill, episode of vomiting or diarrhea after taking a pill canceling its effectiveness, etc.).
Some pills can also make your periods disappear completely: progestin-only pills or pills taken continuously. This does not mean or you should not think that you are pregnant. Moreover, if you stop taking the pill, your periods might take a few months to return and this is completely normal.
Late Period, Could the IUD Be the Cause?
Hormonal IUDs (IUDs) contain a hormone that blocks ovulation. With this type of contraception, periods are less abundant or even absent depending on the hormonal dosage of the IUD.
On the other hand, Copper IUDs (IUDs) have no hormonal action, so periods are present and their regularity is not changed. Sometimes the flow of periods is increased, to the point of causing so-called hemorrhagic periods. A late period with a copper IUD should lead to the possibility of pregnancy being investigated.
Biological Reasons: Adolescence Or Menopause
During adolescence, the first cycles can be very irregular, sometimes very short with periods close together, sometimes with interruptions. There can be 41 days without a period once, then 28 days the next time, then again 36 days without a period for example. It takes 1 year for a woman’s cycle to get into its cruising speed. After a year, it can always be useful to consult a gynecologist or midwife to take stock.
When menopause is on the horizon, periods can become irregular again. This is pre-menopause: cycles are longer or disappear from time to time. We speak of menopause when periods have disappeared for at least 1 year.
Late Period, Other Possible Causes
Other psychological and physical causes can explain a late period or amenorrhea (the scientific name for the absence of periods):
A major psychological shock: bereavement, dismissal, depression, etc.
A change in lifestyle: If you travel to the other side of the world with a time difference for example. Or if you work at night, with staggered hours. Nurses and flight attendants are familiar with this situation.
With the lockdown situation, many women have noticed a delay in their periods. This is nothing abnormal, confinement generates stress in some, a feeling of latent worry. And at the same time, it is a brutal upheaval in our lifestyle.
Intensive sport: this is a phenomenon known to high-level athletes. Periods can become less frequent or disappear for several months.
Rapid weight gain or, more often, rapid weight loss or anorexia.
Certain medications, particularly certain antidepressants.
Good to know: A late period can also be a sign of other underlying pathologies. Do not hesitate to consult your gynecologist or midwife if you are not sure of the reason for your amenorrhea.
Prevention is better than cure!
If you have any doubts, talk to a gynecologist or midwife via teleconsultation
When Do We Talk About A Late Period?
We cannot quantify a late period; it depends on each woman. If your periods are as fast as clockwork, you will ask yourself questions as soon as your period is 3 or 4 days late. If your cycles are very irregular, on the contrary, a period delay of less than 10 days does not mean anything. Generally speaking, the length of the female cycle can vary slightly each month. We cannot really talk about a period delay before 7 days.
If you think you are pregnant, it is better to wait 8 days after the theoretical date of your period to take a test; this way you will be sure of the result. A urine test carried out too early can be falsely negative.
When Should You See A Doctor?
Are you more than one month late in your period? Do not hesitate to talk to a doctor or midwife. It could be a pregnancy or another problem that needs to be treated. Often a blood test will be useful if the cause is not obvious.
If stress is the reason for your period delay, practicing sophrology, relaxation or any other form of alternative medicine can help you get back to a normal cycle and greater serenity.
But remember, even when a late period is not due to pregnancy, it is rarely serious. On the contrary, it is a way for the body to adapt to circumstances and its environment.
Good to know: If you have an early period followed by a late period, you may be pregnant. It is possible that this period is metrorrhagia corresponding to the implantation of the embryo.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q- What symptoms can you feel when your period is blocked?
A- In general, blocked periods are not accompanied by any particular symptoms. In the event of pain associated with a late period, it is imperative to consult a doctor.
You may also have dark, brown discharge or periods that can mean an infection when associated with an unpleasant odor. In this case, a medical consultation will propose a diagnosis and the appropriate treatment.
A late period associated with brown discharge and lateralized pain in the lower abdomen can also indicate an ectopic pregnancy and should lead to an emergency consultation.
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