Pregnancy is the most common cause of a missed period. If you might be pregnant, treat yourself as if you are pregnant until you know for sure. Use a home pregnancy test as the first step to finding out whether you are pregnant. If you are not pregnant, there could be other causes of missed or delayed periods.
There can be several causes of missed or delayed periods.
- Stress - Stress affects many things in our lives, including our periods. Stress decreases the amount of a hormone called GnRH, which causes us to not ovulate or menstruate. Consult your doctor to figure out what you need to do to relax and get your regular menstrual cycles back.
- Illness - A sudden, short illness like fever, cold, cough etc. or even a longer illness can delay your periods. This is usually temporary and once you recover from the disease, your periods get regular.
- Change in routine - Changing schedules, which can involve working night shifts, going out of station or even a wedding at home, can throw off your body clock. Your periods usually get back to normal when either the body gets used to the changed schedule or when you come back to your normal schedule.
- Breastfeeding - Many women do not resume regular periods until they have completed breastfeeding.
- Birth control pills - These pills and certain other medications can change the menstrual cycles and cause lighter, less frequent, more frequent, or skipped periods or no periods at all. The doctor should be reported about the same.
- Being overweight - Obesity can lead to irregular menstrual cycles and cause periods to get delayed as well as missed. Although low body weight is a common cause of missed or irregular periods, obesity also can cause menstrual problems.
- Eating disorders - Such as anorexia or bulimia. For more information, see the topic Anorexia Nervosa or Bulimia Nervosa.
- Body fat - If you do not have enough body fat, you will not have regular periods, sometimes you can eve cause your periods to stop all together. This is called amenorrhea. So, a healthy weight is essential for regular periods.
- Early Menopause - Pre-menopause is time where a woman starts transitioning from reproductive age to a non-reproductive age. As a result, the periods may turn lighter, heavier, more frequent or less frequent.
- A Thyroid Irregularity - The thyroid gland, located in your neck, regulates your metabolism. It also interacts with many other systems in your body to keep things running smoothly. If you're dealing with any type of thyroid imbalance, whether it's hypo- or hyperthyroidism, that can have implications for your period. If you notice other symptoms of a thyroid disorder, check in with your doctor for an official diagnosis.
Disclaimer: This content including advice provides generic information only. It is in no way a substitute for qualified medical opinion. Always consult a specialist or your own doctor for more information. NDTV does not claim responsibility for this information.
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