My Period Is Late, Should I Panic?

Why Is My Period Late?

The period, or menstrual cycle is something all women go through once they reach puberty. This is a more intimate post, it's about time we tackled some lesser spoken about topics online. It's only natural and is nothing to be ashamed about, as a woman myself, I know how scary it can be having a late period. It is worth mentioning that my periods are completely irregular, sometimes being weeks late to me missing them completely, but this is all down to diet and weight changes. Irregular periods aren't abnormal, particularly as there are a number of reasons as to why this may happen, most of which are completely safe and are nothing to worry about. Even though I am a virgin, I still tend to worry about pregnancy if I miss a period, as ridiculous as it may sound, and I know I'm not alone on this one. Enough about me, here is some advice that you may find useful into finding out when is a good time to see a doctor, if you need to at all.

I wouldn't consider a period to be 'late' unless it was around six days past the due date, only because missing a few days in between is pretty common. If you are six or more days late, here is a quick list of things that could be going on:

★ Recent illness.

★ Stress.

★ Weight gain or weight loss.

★ Excessive exercising.

If you have recently started (a couple of years prior), it is normal to have fluctuating menstrual cycles, just as your body needs time to get used to the hormone changes and this should fix later down the line.

It's important to remember our bodies don't hold a clock, just because it doesn't arrive exactly 28 days later, it doesn't necessarily mean your period is late. Hormone changes, having shorter or longer periods, and the varied amount of blood coming away are all factors which prevent periods from being exactly on the day they are due every single month. Considering most months don't have just 28 days in them makes it even harder to predict at times.

After reading the bullet points, if you believe that your irregular periods could be down to one of them, it's a good start to try and get yourself back on track. It's a matter of trial and error to find the culprit, but they are relatively easy to fix. There's very little you can do to induce a period if you are late, (though I try having a bath when I'm due, as water seems to have a positive effect on the regularity of my cycle).

The technical term for missing a period is 'anovulation'. Which means you have failed to ovulate, meaning the egg isn't where it's supposed to be. Nobody knows your own body better than you do. If you have had unprotected sex in the last month, you should see a doctor straight after missing a period. However if you haven't had any unprotected sex, there are other avenues you can follow.

Stress and Your Period

To treat my irregular periods, I try my best to eat a balanced diet as recommended, and also bath more regularly a week before I'm due. The bath-inducing method could be a complete coincidence, but it hasn't failed me yet. Although I'm not completely on track all the time, it has made the gaps between each period smaller, and I continue to use this method to this day. Another method I use to further help with my period is using an app on my phone. The 'Flo' app is absolutely incredible. It's free to download on the App Store, and holds so many different sections of advice, even your own period calendar to mark symptoms, physical changes, or how you have been eating, drinking and exercising in the days leading up. It works better the more accurate you fill in each day, but as you record more periods, the predictions become more accurate too. There are regular help sections posted with questions from those needing advice or help on similar topics. When the time is right, Flo is able to tell you when is best to try for pregnancy based on your cycle, and will match the ovulation dates so your chances are as high as they can be. Overall, this is a fabulous app for managing your period, as the detailed personalisation options make your calendar very specific to you, rather than just receiving generic advice from professionals, or computerised methods.

It seems we are the worst offenders when it comes to missing periods. We worry so much about being on time that sometimes the extra stress prevents our period from coming at all. The best thing you can do is take a deep breath, take a moment to examine how late you are, what the reasons can be, even give my tips and tricks a go. If you have missed more than two periods in a row, I would certainly recommend seeing a doctor as there may be an underlying issue. Other than that, they typically fix themselves within the next cycle so don't worry - there is nothing wrong with you, they are bound to feel more irregular than they are, wait a little longer, chances are it will start very soon!