How Late Can a Period Be? When to Be Concerned

Factors that can affect your monthly cycle include weight change and stress. A period that is a few days late is not usually a cause for concern. But, if it’s a few weeks late, it may be a sign of pregnancy or an underlying condition.

If you don’t have any known condition affecting your menstrual cycle, your period should start within 24 to 38 days of your last period, depending on your usual cycle.

If you’re 7 days past your expected due date, it is considered late. After 6 weeks, you can consider your late period a missed period.

If your period is a day or two later than usually, it’s unlikely to be an immediate cause for concern. Variations in menses can occur due to various reasons.

Several things can delay your period, from basic lifestyle changes to chronic health conditions. Here’s a look at 10 possible causes.

High stress levels can lead to irregular menstruation.

Your body’s stress-response system is rooted in a part of the brain called the hypothalamus. While you may no longer be running from predators, your body is still hardwired to react as if you were.

When your stress level peaks, your brain tells your endocrine system to flood your body with hormones that switch on your fight-or-flight mode. These hormones suppress functions, including those of your reproductive system, that are not essential to escaping an imminent threat.

If you’re under a lot of stress, your body can stay in fight-or-flight mode, which can make you temporarily stop ovulating. This lack of ovulation, in turn, can delay your period.

Severe changes in body weight can affect your period’s timing. Extreme increases or decreases in body fat, for example, can lead to a hormonal imbalance that causes your period to come late or stop entirely.

In addition, severe calorie restriction affects the part of your brain that “talks” to your endocrine system and gives instructions for the creation of reproductive hormones. When this communication channel is disrupted, hormonal patterns can change.

A strenuous exercise regimen can also cause missed or irregular periods. This is most common in those who train for several hours a day. It happens because, whether intentionally or not, you’re burning more calories than you’re taking in.

When you burn too many calories, your body doesn’t have enough energy to keep all its systems running. More strenuous workouts can increase hormone release that can affect your menstruation.

Periods typically go back to normal as soon as you lessen training intensity or increase your caloric intake.

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a set of symptoms caused by an imbalance of reproductive hormones. Many people with PCOS do not ovulate regularly.

As a result, your periods may:

• be lighter or heavier than standard periods
• arrive at inconsistent times
• disappear altogether

Other PCOS symptoms can include:

• excess or coarse facial and body hair
• acne on the face and body
• thinning hair
• weight gain or trouble losing weight
• dark patches of skin, often on the neck creases, groin, and underneath breasts
• skin tags in the armpits or neck
• infertility

Many people love the pill because it makes their periods so regular. However, it can sometimes have the opposite effect, especially during the first few months of use.

Similarly, when you stop taking the pill, it can take a few months for your cycle to get back to normal. As your body returns to its baseline hormone levels, you may miss your period for a few months.

If you’re using another hormonal birth control method, such as an intrauterine device (IUD), implant, or shot, you might completely stop getting your period.

Perimenopause is the time leading up to your menopausal transition. It typically starts in your mid- to late 40s. Perimenopause can last for several years before your period stops completely.

For many, missed periods are the first sign of perimenopause.

You may skip a period 1 month and be back on track for the following 3 months. Or, you may skip your period 3 months in a row and find that it arrives unexpectedly, often lighter or heavier than you’re used to.

Early menopause, also known as premature ovarian insufficiency, happens when your ovaries stop working before you turn 40.

When your ovaries are not working the way they should, they stop producing multiple hormones, including estrogen. As your estrogen levels drop to all-time lows, you will begin to experience the symptoms of menopause.

Late or missed periods may be an early sign. You may also experience:

• hot flashes
• night sweats
• trouble sleeping

Other signs of premature ovarian insufficiency include:

• vaginal dryness
• trouble getting pregnant
• decreased sexual desire
• mood disturbance or mood changes

Your thyroid is a butterfly-shaped gland in your neck that produces hormones that help regulate many activities in your body, including your menstrual cycle. There are several common thyroid conditions, including hypothyroidism and hyperthyroidism.

Both hypothyroidism and hyperthyroidism can affect your menstrual cycle and cause irregularity, but hyperthyroidism is more likely to cause late or missed periods. Sometimes, your period may disappear for several months.

Other symptoms of a thyroid issue include:

• heart palpitations
• appetite changes
• unexplained weight changes
• nervousness or anxiety
• slight hand tremors
• fatigue
• changes to your hair
• trouble sleeping

Certain chronic health problems, especially celiac disease and diabetes, are sometimes associated with menstrual irregularities.

Celiac disease is an autoimmune disease that affects your digestive system. When people with celiac disease eat gluten, their immune system reacts by attacking the lining of the small intestine.

When the small intestine is damaged, it impairs the body’s ability to absorb nutrients from food. This can lead to malnourishment, which affects normal hormone production and leads to missed periods and other menstrual irregularities.

Those with type 1 and type 2 diabetes might also experience a missed period in rare cases. This tends to only happen when blood sugar levels are not managed.

Amenorrhea is when you stop having periods for 6 months or more. It is normal during pregnancy, but it can also be a sign of an underlying condition, such as:

• problems affecting the hormonal system
• a tumor
• a condition you were born with, such as Cushing syndrome

Treatment for amenorrhea will depend on the cause.

If there’s a chance you may be pregnant and your cycles are typically regular, it may be time to take a pregnancy test.

It’s best to do this about 1 week after your period was supposed to start. Taking a test too early can result in the test being negative even if you’re pregnant, as it’s too early for the test to pick up the pregnancy hormone in the urine.

If your periods are typically irregular, it can be harder to find the right time to take a pregnancy test. You may want to take a few tests over the course of several weeks, or talk with a healthcare professional to be sure.

Other early symptoms of pregnancy to watch for include:

• tender, painful breasts
• swollen breasts
• nausea or vomiting
• fatigue

Can periods be late by 10 days?

If your period is seven days late, it’s considered late. If you’ve gone 6 weeks without a period, it’s called a missed period. This can and does happen, and there are many possible reasons.

What is considered a very late period?

What you can consider a very late period will depend partially on your cycle. Menstrual cycles can vary widely, usually from 24–38 days. If you go 6 weeks without a period, it’s considered a missed period.

Why is my period 10 days late but I’m not pregnant?

Pregnancy is not the only reason for a late or missed period. Other factors include excessive exercise, changes in body weight, and stress. Maybe you are pregnant but tried a pregnancy test too early to confirm the result. If applicable, try testing again 21 days after you had unprotected sex.

How long after a missed period should I worry?

People’s menstrual patterns vary widely. If you miss a period and this is unusual for you, it’s a good idea to seek medical advice. Also, see a doctor if you miss a period and a pregnancy test shows negative but you have other symptoms. It could be a sign of an underlying condition that needs medical attention.

Your period is generally considered late if it has not occurred within your cycle’s usual time frame since the start of your last period.

Many things can cause this to happen, from routine lifestyle changes to underlying medical conditions. If your period is regularly late, make an appointment with a healthcare professional to determine the cause.

How Late Can a Period Be? When to Be Concerned

Factors that can affect your monthly cycle include weight change and stress. A period that is a few days late is not usually a cause for concern. But, if it’s a few weeks late, it may be a sign of pregnancy or an underlying condition.

If you don’t have any known condition affecting your menstrual cycle, your period should start within 24 to 38 days of your last period, depending on your usual cycle.

If you’re 7 days past your expected due date, it is considered late. After 6 weeks, you can consider your late period a missed period.

If your period is a day or two later than usually, it’s unlikely to be an immediate cause for concern. Variations in menses can occur due to various reasons.

Several things can delay your period, from basic lifestyle changes to chronic health conditions. Here’s a look at 10 possible causes.

High stress levels can lead to irregular menstruation.

Your body’s stress-response system is rooted in a part of the brain called the hypothalamus. While you may no longer be running from predators, your body is still hardwired to react as if you were.

When your stress level peaks, your brain tells your endocrine system to flood your body with hormones that switch on your fight-or-flight mode. These hormones suppress functions, including those of your reproductive system, that are not essential to escaping an imminent threat.

If you’re under a lot of stress, your body can stay in fight-or-flight mode, which can make you temporarily stop ovulating. This lack of ovulation, in turn, can delay your period.

Severe changes in body weight can affect your period’s timing. Extreme increases or decreases in body fat, for example, can lead to a hormonal imbalance that causes your period to come late or stop entirely.

In addition, severe calorie restriction affects the part of your brain that “talks” to your endocrine system and gives instructions for the creation of reproductive hormones. When this communication channel is disrupted, hormonal patterns can change.

A strenuous exercise regimen can also cause missed or irregular periods. This is most common in those who train for several hours a day. It happens because, whether intentionally or not, you’re burning more calories than you’re taking in.

When you burn too many calories, your body doesn’t have enough energy to keep all its systems running. More strenuous workouts can increase hormone release that can affect your menstruation.

Periods typically go back to normal as soon as you lessen training intensity or increase your caloric intake.

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a set of symptoms caused by an imbalance of reproductive hormones. Many people with PCOS do not ovulate regularly.

As a result, your periods may:

• be lighter or heavier than standard periods
• arrive at inconsistent times
• disappear altogether

Other PCOS symptoms can include:

• excess or coarse facial and body hair
• acne on the face and body
• thinning hair
• weight gain or trouble losing weight
• dark patches of skin, often on the neck creases, groin, and underneath breasts
• skin tags in the armpits or neck
• infertility

Many people love the pill because it makes their periods so regular. However, it can sometimes have the opposite effect, especially during the first few months of use.

Similarly, when you stop taking the pill, it can take a few months for your cycle to get back to normal. As your body returns to its baseline hormone levels, you may miss your period for a few months.

If you’re using another hormonal birth control method, such as an intrauterine device (IUD), implant, or shot, you might completely stop getting your period.

Perimenopause is the time leading up to your menopausal transition. It typically starts in your mid- to late 40s. Perimenopause can last for several years before your period stops completely.

For many, missed periods are the first sign of perimenopause.

You may skip a period 1 month and be back on track for the following 3 months. Or, you may skip your period 3 months in a row and find that it arrives unexpectedly, often lighter or heavier than you’re used to.

Early menopause, also known as premature ovarian insufficiency, happens when your ovaries stop working before you turn 40.

When your ovaries are not working the way they should, they stop producing multiple hormones, including estrogen. As your estrogen levels drop to all-time lows, you will begin to experience the symptoms of menopause.

Late or missed periods may be an early sign. You may also experience:

• hot flashes
• night sweats
• trouble sleeping

Other signs of premature ovarian insufficiency include:

• vaginal dryness
• trouble getting pregnant
• decreased sexual desire
• mood disturbance or mood changes

Your thyroid is a butterfly-shaped gland in your neck that produces hormones that help regulate many activities in your body, including your menstrual cycle. There are several common thyroid conditions, including hypothyroidism and hyperthyroidism.

Both hypothyroidism and hyperthyroidism can affect your menstrual cycle and cause irregularity, but hyperthyroidism is more likely to cause late or missed periods. Sometimes, your period may disappear for several months.

Other symptoms of a thyroid issue include:

• heart palpitations
• appetite changes
• unexplained weight changes
• nervousness or anxiety
• slight hand tremors
• fatigue
• changes to your hair
• trouble sleeping

Certain chronic health problems, especially celiac disease and diabetes, are sometimes associated with menstrual irregularities.

Celiac disease is an autoimmune disease that affects your digestive system. When people with celiac disease eat gluten, their immune system reacts by attacking the lining of the small intestine.

When the small intestine is damaged, it impairs the body’s ability to absorb nutrients from food. This can lead to malnourishment, which affects normal hormone production and leads to missed periods and other menstrual irregularities.

Those with type 1 and type 2 diabetes might also experience a missed period in rare cases. This tends to only happen when blood sugar levels are not managed.

Amenorrhea is when you stop having periods for 6 months or more. It is normal during pregnancy, but it can also be a sign of an underlying condition, such as:

• problems affecting the hormonal system
• a tumor
• a condition you were born with, such as Cushing syndrome

Treatment for amenorrhea will depend on the cause.

If there’s a chance you may be pregnant and your cycles are typically regular, it may be time to take a pregnancy test.

It’s best to do this about 1 week after your period was supposed to start. Taking a test too early can result in the test being negative even if you’re pregnant, as it’s too early for the test to pick up the pregnancy hormone in the urine.

If your periods are typically irregular, it can be harder to find the right time to take a pregnancy test. You may want to take a few tests over the course of several weeks, or talk with a healthcare professional to be sure.

Other early symptoms of pregnancy to watch for include:

• tender, painful breasts
• swollen breasts
• nausea or vomiting
• fatigue

Can periods be late by 10 days?

If your period is seven days late, it’s considered late. If you’ve gone 6 weeks without a period, it’s called a missed period. This can and does happen, and there are many possible reasons.

What is considered a very late period?

What you can consider a very late period will depend partially on your cycle. Menstrual cycles can vary widely, usually from 24–38 days. If you go 6 weeks without a period, it’s considered a missed period.

Why is my period 10 days late but I’m not pregnant?

Pregnancy is not the only reason for a late or missed period. Other factors include excessive exercise, changes in body weight, and stress. Maybe you are pregnant but tried a pregnancy test too early to confirm the result. If applicable, try testing again 21 days after you had unprotected sex.

How long after a missed period should I worry?

People’s menstrual patterns vary widely. If you miss a period and this is unusual for you, it’s a good idea to seek medical advice. Also, see a doctor if you miss a period and a pregnancy test shows negative but you have other symptoms. It could be a sign of an underlying condition that needs medical attention.

Your period is generally considered late if it has not occurred within your cycle’s usual time frame since the start of your last period.

Many things can cause this to happen, from routine lifestyle changes to underlying medical conditions. If your period is regularly late, make an appointment with a healthcare professional to determine the cause.

Delayed menstruation: the main reasons – article of the polyclinic “Virmed”

Irregular periods indicate violations in the body of a woman. There are many reasons for this. But it is impossible to be indifferent to such a phenomenon, it can lead to serious consequences if not treated in time. Gynecology in Tula allows you to cope, including with such problems.

Initially, the delay is observed in adolescence, when the process of growing up of the body and preparing it for future childbearing takes place. Installing the cycle in such a case can take up to two years. But if an irregular cycle is observed at a more mature age, this may indicate a number of diseases.

Possible causes

Often a woman does not attach importance to delays, especially if they have become the norm. To find out the cause, you need to undergo a thorough examination by a gynecologist, but first do a pregnancy test to exclude it as a possible delay option. If the test is negative, the doctor will examine you and order the following tests:

All reasons for the delay are divided into two directions. The first is pathological causes associated with diseases, including:

The second category is related to external factors, which include:

• Emotional or physical overstrain, psychological trauma.

• An abrupt change in the established daily routine or climate.

• Diet.

• Maturation or extinction of the reproductive system.

• Stop taking hormonal contraceptives.

• postpartum period.

Additionally, an ectopic pregnancy must be excluded. It is determined only by ultrasound. Only after carrying out all the necessary tests and identifying the cause of the delay, the doctor prescribes the necessary treatment.

Often the cause of the delay is stressful situations. In this case, infusions of motherwort, peony and valerian will help. Irregularity of menstruation can also be observed in a teenager, the main causes of cycle failure:

• Malnutrition.

• High physical activity.

• Diseases of the endocrine or reproductive systems.

• Stress.

• The period of formation of the menstrual cycle.

Delayed menses

In any case, you need to calm down and, if necessary, drink sedatives. If stressful situations were not observed or sedatives did not help, you should immediately contact a specialist. A gynecologist in Tula will conduct a complete examination. In no case should you engage in self-treatment, as well as ignore the problem and delay treatment. If no measures are taken and treatment is delayed, more severe consequences may occur, the treatment of which will take more time and effort.

Delayed menstruation 9 main reasons

Home / Gynecology / About women’s health / Delayed menstruation 9 main reasons

Delayed menstruation (menstruation) is the absence of menstruation at the expected time. Delayed menstruation is observed during pregnancy, and can also be observed in the anovulatory cycle, with a corpus luteum cyst and other gynecological and endocrine diseases, when taking oral contraceptives, after stress and when the climate changes.

Delayed menstruation can occur at various ages in a woman’s life: puberty, puberty, and premenopause.
A delay of up to 5 days should not cause much concern.

A condition in which menstruation is absent for 6 months or more is called amenorrhea. Let’s consider the main groups of causes:

1. The reason for delayed menstruation is pregnancy

The first thing a woman should think about when her period is delayed is the onset of pregnancy. Pregnancy is always possible if a woman is sexually active. It happens that women manage to get pregnant even with a single intercourse during menstruation. If you use oral contraceptives but miss the time and day of taking your pills, you may also become pregnant.

2. The reason for the delay in menstruation is stress

Stress – long-term or strong short-term – is the cause of malfunction of the central structures (cerebral cortex, hypothalamus) that regulate the functioning of the ovaries and uterus. An example of such disorders is the so-called wartime amenorrhea, when menstruation stopped in conditions of stress in women. Nowadays, serious problems at work, family relationships, any stress can cause hormonal changes and delay menstruation.
The advice is simple: learn not only to work, but also to relax, go to a psychologist.

3. The reason for the delay in menstruation is physical activity

Very often, especially young girls complain about the delay in the cycle after they have begun to actively engage in aerobics, sports, dancing. This is the body’s reaction to a too drastic change in living conditions.

4. The reason for the delay in menstruation is a sharp change in climate

Do not be surprised if the delay in menstruation occurs due to a vacation that you spent in Egypt or Thailand. Some women respond to less extreme climate change as well. Gradually, the body will adapt to the new conditions.

5. The reason for the delay in menstruation is a strict diet

The reason for the absence of menstruation can also be a strict diet, after which the weight decreases sharply due to the exhaustion of the body. To restore your monthly cycle, you need to start eating right, taking multivitamins.

Doctors have such a thing as critical menstrual mass – this is the weight at which adolescent girls, as a rule, begin menstruation. However, we are more interested in the fact that with a strong desire to lose weight, reaching this critical menstrual mass (45-47 kg), a woman can get not only the desired result, but also a long delay in menstruation.

6. Causes of delayed menstruation – gynecological, endocrine, infectious diseases

Delayed menstruation in polycystic ovaries

Periodic delays in menstruation are characteristic of such a disease as polycystic ovaries. Under this concept, they combine a number of pathological processes in which the production of hormones is impaired. In this case, ovulation does not occur in the body (the release of an egg from the ovary) and infertility occurs.
Polycystic ovaries is observed when the function of various organs is impaired: the hypothalamus, pituitary gland, adrenal glands, thyroid gland and the ovaries themselves. Therefore, the disease can manifest itself in different ways, depending on the causes of its occurrence, and it is not enough to use any one diagnostic feature or method to establish a diagnosis.

Delays in menstruation with ovarian corpus luteum cyst

If ovulation did occur, the corpus luteum formed, and hormonal failure occurred shortly before menstruation, then the corpus luteum continues to “work” for some time as a result of stress. Accordingly, menstruation does not come on time.

Delays in menstruation with inflammation of the internal genital organs

With inflammation of the internal genital organs, the ovaries experience significant stress, the processes of maturation of the follicle, ovulation and the functioning of the corpus luteum are disturbed, therefore menstruation may be delayed. The causes of inflammatory processes can be very different, including infectious diseases.

Delayed menstruation can be caused by various gynecological diseases, such as inflammation of the uterine appendages (salpingoophoritis), uterine fibroids (benign tumor of the uterus) and others. However, it should be noted that uterine bleeding is more common in these diseases.

7. The cause of delayed menstruation is termination of pregnancy

Delayed menstruation can also occur after termination of pregnancy. The reason is a violation of the hormonal balance, as well as the fact that during the instrumental curettage of the uterus, an excessive amount of tissue can be removed, including that part of the inner lining of the uterus, which normally grows during the menstrual cycle and is excreted in the form of menstrual blood. To restore this functional layer, sometimes it takes a little more time than during a normal cycle. That is, after an abortion, menstruation may occur not after 28-32 days, but after 40 days or more. Such a delay is not normal: the woman needs examination and treatment.

8. The reason for the delay in menstruation is menopausal ovarian dysfunction

At the age of over 40, ovarian function begins to fade, ovulation often lags in time or does not occur at all, so delays in menstruation at this age are quite common.