Having a missed period can be stressful, especially if you are concerned about an unexpected pregnancy or if you are fairly regular. Late or missed period can happen for numerous reasons other than pregnancy. Common causes can range from lifestyle factors, medical conditions, and hormonal imbalances that can influence your menstrual cycle. If you experienced a late period for the first time, you are advised to start looking for best gynaecologist in Ghaziabad to get yourself checked and tested. An experienced gynaecologist would be able to tell you the reason(s) why you missed your period along with the treatment.
You may miss a period once or twice or may experience amenorrhea, which indicates no periods or lack of menstruation for three months or more. Thus, it is important you pay a visit to your gynaecologist the first time you miss a period.
Here are the common reasons why your period may be delayed:
#1 Perimenopause and Menopause
Women entering the perimenopause state may experience missed periods. Perimenopause is a woman’s transition from reproductive age to a non-reproductive age. During this phase, your periods may be more frequent, less frequent, heavier, or lighter. Most commonly, your periods will be different from what you are used to. Most women reach menopause at the age of 50 when they have not had a period for last the 12 months. Some women start experiencing the perimenopause stage as early as 10 to 15 years before menopause. During the perimenopause stage, the body begins producing less oestrogen. This fluctuation in the oestrogen levels influences the woman’s menstrual cycle.
#2 Stress
Stress is one aspect that can alter your menstrual cycle. Stress hinders the production of the gonadotrophin-releasing hormone that can interfere with regular menstruation and ovulation. If you are experiencing prolonged anxiety or coping with an overwhelming situation, you might miss your period. You need to cope with your situation and make sure that your mental health is not taking a toll at your overall health. Get counselling and if you have already missed your period, consult an experienced gynaecologist. The gynaecologist will be able to tell you the ways you can tackle this situation and have a healthy period next time.
#3 Intense Exercise
Engaging in extreme exercise is another reason why you may miss your period or had a late period. Intense exercise directly influences the thyroid hormones and pituitary hormones that can bring changes to your menstruation and ovulation. Bodybuilders and women engaged in the fitness industry are more prone to experiencing a late period or missed period. However, if you exercise daily for one or two hours, you don’t have to worry about missing your period. Doing strenuous exercise for hours without proper consultation and workout gears can lead to many other problems as well.
If you are into fitness and can spare an hour or two of yours doing exercise, you must first consult an experienced trainer or a sports medicine doctor who can work with you in designing an optimal diet plan for maintaining optimal nutrition, blood testing as needed, and recommended stretching. This will allow you to determine your strengths and weaknesses before beginning your fitness program.
#4 A Sudden Change in your Schedule
It takes your body at least a week to come to terms with your daily schedule. Once your body gets used to with the schedule, any slight changes in the plan may throw your body off the clock. For example, if you sleep daily at 9 pm, your body will automatically tell you that it is time to relax when it rings nine of the clock. However, if you force your body to not sleep, you will feel tired and weak for the next hours until you sleep. The same goes for the other functions of your body. If you have an erratic work schedule, like sometimes day shifts and other times, night shifts, your period can be fairly unpredictable. Although experts say that changes in your schedule shouldn’t cause you to miss your period, it can cause the period to start later or earlier than expected.
#5 Sudden Weight Changes
Experiencing drastic changes in your weight – weight gain or weight loss – can also impact your menstrual cycle. If you are overweight or obese, it can influence the production of progesterone and oestrogen levels in your body that can also cause decreased fertility. On the other hand, if you are underweight, your body lacks essential fat and other nutrients. This can also interfere with your regular menstrual cycles. Women on a diet, especially with extremely low food intake and burn far more calories than required can suffer from amenorrhea. This can influence their menstrual cycle.
You must seek professional help the moment experience any hindrance or abnormality with your menstrual cycles.