5 reasons why your period might be late

Let’s get the most obvious one out of the way – you could be expecting a baby. If your period is a few days late and you had unprotected sex, you need to take a pregnancy test. If it shows up negative, but there is still no sign of your period, go and see your doctor – you may need to take another test, or there could be something else at play.

 

 

If there’s one sign that you need to calm down and reassess your daily routines, it’s missing a period due to stress. Increased stress levels trigger a boost in production of the stress hormones cortisol and adrenaline; these have a significant impact on your brain’s hormonal function, which could delay your reproductive cycle. Do try mediating and taking active steps to reducing your stress, but you may need to visit your doctor to check that everything is okay.

 

 

If you have recently lost or gained a significant amount of weight, this could be throwing your menstrual cycle out of sync. Again, this can lead to a hormonal imbalance, which has a domino effect on your reproductive system. Fluctuating oestrogen levels could prevent an egg from being released, and failing to ovulate can create irregular patterns with your period.

Again, this all comes back to hormones. Your thyroid gland produces a range of hormones that are required in order to keep your body functioning as it should. If you have an under- or over-active thyroid, then it could be affecting your period, causing you to miss one. Go and visit your doctor for a check-up, as a simple set of tests can reveal all.

PCOS, as the condition is commonly known, typically occurs where your ‘male’ hormone levels are higher than your ‘female’ hormones. Naturally, this can disrupt your menstrual cycle, causing you to miss your period.