Delayed menstruation: why it happens and what to do about it
At least once in her life, every woman has had similar thoughts. Are they just late or is there a serious reason? What if they don’t appear right away?” The whole point is not in the delay of guests, but in the natural process occurring in a woman’s body — menstruation. A delay in menstruation can cause anxiety in women, which is understandable. Cycle disorders are often a symptom of many problems with the female body, which puts women in an “interesting position.”
Contents of the article:
- The body is not a machine
- “Or maybe it’s pregnancy?”
- Oral contraceptives “relax”
- Stress, anxiety, worries
- The pursuit of thinness
- Flights
- Living together with other girls
- Let”s take some medicine
- Flu, acute respiratory viral infections and acute respiratory infections
- Diseases of the pelvic organs
- Premenopause and menopause
- Polycystic ovary syndrome
- Delayed menstruation: what to do?
The body is not a machine
It is important to understand that the body is not a clock, but a very finely organized system. It may experience breakdowns and malfunctions, as well as fluctuations in life processes that are not medical indications. Therefore, a delay of up to nine days is considered normal. About 30% of women experience such cycle fluctuations throughout the year. They are not pathological in nature and do not indicate health problems in women.
Fluctuations in the cycle are considered normal for young girls whose menstruation has recently begun and the cycle has not yet established itself.
If the delay lasts more than nine days, you should consult a doctor to identify and correct the problem. However, before consulting a doctor, you can at least try to determine the cause of the disturbances in your body for your own peace of mind.
“Or maybe it’s pregnancy?”
Of course, this is the first question that sexually active women of all ages ask themselves. There is no 100% guarantee that oral contraceptives will not lead to pregnancy. Barrier methods of contraception are even less reliable. Such “folk” methods as interrupting sexual intercourse and counting “risky” days do more to improve the demographic situation than to prevent unwanted pregnancy. Therefore, the reasons for this delay should not be completely ruled out.
What can you do yourself? The easiest way is to take a pregnancy test, of which there are many on the market today. However, it should be remembered that although manufacturers promise results from the first day of the delay, in practice this is not always possible. For some women, tests may not show pregnancy, even if the ultrasound result confirms it. This can happen if the wife has kidney problems.
A more reliable method is a blood test, which shows elevated hCG levels at any time. Ultrasound to confirm early pregnancy (8 weeks before the start of the last menstrual period) is almost always useless.
Oral contraceptives “relax”
Constant long-term use of oral contraceptives “relaxes” the body’s regulatory mechanisms. If the “magic” pill itself brings ready-made hormones on the right day of the cycle, why be nervous. After stopping taking contraceptives, the regulatory mechanisms of reproductive function need time to learn to work and “tune in.” For this reason, it is not recommended to become pregnant sooner than 6 months after stopping these medications.
During the period when the body relearns self-regulation, unstable cycles and even missed periods are possible. There is nothing unusual or dangerous about this phenomenon. Unless, of course, there are other alarming symptoms in the form of copious white or yellow discharge, pain or a general deterioration in well-being.
Stress, anxiety, worries
Stress, which has long become a familiar companion of modern man, can cause cycle disorders. Moreover, the “background stress” that COs talk about, which does not change daily, does not pose a direct threat to the regularity of the cycle, but lays the foundation for more serious problems. Once something happens that goes beyond the normal routine, the cycle breaks down.
Before you panic about missing your period, it”s worth considering whether you”ve recently had any difficulties at work, problems in your personal life, or difficult exams. Don”t worry if any of these factors cause your period to be late. Take care of yourself and ensure you have adequate rest and relaxation.
The pursuit of thinness
In pursuit of a slim figure, women sometimes get a little carried away: they eat too strict diets, spend a lot of time in the gym, and do exercises in their free minutes, completely eliminating fats from the diet. All these experiments are not in vain for the body.
He (the body) has great respect for fat in the barrels, small bellies and even cellulite in the waist area. Moreover, he considers these elements, perhaps, essential attributes of femininity. If a woman tries with all her might to get rid of this luxury, the body may protest in the form of a delay or absence of menstruation.
Flights
Flying breaks the cycle. There is no explanation for this phenomenon yet, but it has long been noted that flight attendants suffer from cycle disorders much more often than women of other professions.
Read also: Delayed menstruation: 10 reasons for lack of menstruation
Under normal circumstances, menstruation begins within 30 days of the start of the previous menstruation. As a rule, if a woman does not start anymore.
Living together with other girls
Another little-known but well-established fact: the cycles of women who constantly live together or communicate frequently are synchronized in time. Presumably, a delay in menstruation is caused by this synchronization if a friend has recently appeared.
Let”s take some medicine
Often, while taking medications, disruptions in the regularity and duration of the cycle may occur. For some drugs, some drugs (for example, some antidepressants, antipsychotics, etc.) and for some medications, such reactions are not typical and represent variations in the individual response of the body.
Flu, acute respiratory viral infections and acute respiratory infections
Colds can cause a delay in menstruation, especially if they are not treated properly and are tolerated “on your feet.” Any disease is stressful for the body, and viral diseases are especially stressful. The body has to make more efforts to defeat the disease and its intensity. There is simply no reproductive system that can be regulated.
Diseases of the pelvic organs
Inflammatory diseases of the appendages, cystitis, disseminated thrush and the presence of sexually transmitted infections — all this can cause a delay or complete absence of menstruation. Therefore, symptoms of pain, abnormal discharge, or a strange or unpleasant odor emanating from the perineum should alert you and prompt you to visit a gynecologist as soon as possible.
Premenopause and menopause
Gynecologists note that menopause, and people were very young when they first went through menopause. If earlier the period of 45-50 years was considered early, now it often occurs at 35 years, and sometimes earlier. Before menopause there is a constant period (loss of fertility) during which the function of childbearing gradually disappears.
Delayed menstruation: signs, symptoms, what to do?
Polycystic ovary syndrome
This is an endocrine disorder that leads to dysfunction of the ovaries, pancreas, adrenal cortex, hypothalamus and pituitary gland. About 10-15% of women suffer from this condition, which often manifests itself only in the form of irregular cycles or periodic “delays”.
In addition to the breakdown of cycles, it is often accompanied by fat deposits on the sides, abdomen and back (apple-shaped male obesity), hair growth (mustache and bone growth), acne, chronic pain in the lower abdomen and back and many other symptoms. Should such symptoms explain why you shouldn’t put off going to the doctor?
Delayed menstruation: what to do?
Missing your period can be very stressful and can cause a woman to do many ridiculous and unhelpful things to clear the air. Therefore, such a plan of action can be provided for daily delays.
Don”t panic on the first day of your delay. It could just be stress. But you shouldn’t run to the pharmacy for pregnancy just yet — at such a short period of time, the test may not show a clear line, and you risk spending half a day looking at the “ghost” second line based on 10 on the test count. Advice — you need to somehow distract yourself: clean up, go to the store, perform.
The second day is still not terrible: you can still have a good time. Your period may start tonight or tomorrow morning. If the thought of pregnancy makes you very anxious, you can donate blood. This test is called the hCG test. It is donated in the morning, blood is taken from a vein on an empty stomach. Therefore, it is better to postpone visiting the laboratory until the next day. Pregnancy test strip advice may not be based on information yet. It”s better to wait a few more days.
Day 3 — you can conduct a test to determine the likelihood of pregnancy. It’s too early to relax, even if it’s negative. This is because tests often turn out to be wrong in such a short time. Using the information from the article and self-test, you can calculate the possible reasons for the delay.
Day 4 — Usually at this stage the pregnancy test is rarely wrong. However, if it is negative, the easiest way is to get tested for hCG, if such an opportunity arises. This test is not very expensive and is sometimes done as an additional service in regular clinics, but the results are usually ready within one to two days. If the hCG result is greater than 50 IU/L, there is a 99% chance that you are pregnant.
On day 5, the expression test does not show the second line, but the hCG test is negative? You should schedule a visit with your doctor. It is better not to rush and give your body the opportunity to “think about its behavior” for several days. However, a visit to the doctor is not typical for premenstrual syndrome; painful sensations are hasty.
Day 6 — If you”re worried about anything other than your missed period, help your body reduce stress levels and relax. Any method will do: salt and aromatic fragrant baths, trips to the spa, sex with your beloved man, massage. Menstruation will not be long in coming if the cause is severe stress and overwork.
Day 7 of the delay — if a visit to the doctor has not yet been scheduled, now is the time to do it. Without professional help, your body still seems to be faced with problems it can”t handle.
Day 8 of the delay is ideal if your visit to the doctor is today, as this is the first day of the delay and the doctor will be able to help you with any problems that arise. If the cause of decreased sexuality is the genital organs or diseases that are contagious to the microflora, then the causative physician can diagnose it earlier and begin treatment.
The 9th day of delay is the deadline for delayed menstruation, which can still be called normal. At this stage, you should already decide on the date of your visit to the gynecologist. To exclude pathology and layers of the reproductive organs and system, an ultrasound examination of the pelvic organs may be planned. This test is usually performed transvaginally (inserting a probe into the vagina). This procedure is painless, safe and is often recommended for preventive purposes for women of reproductive age.
Even if menstruation occurs at this very moment, it is better to have an examination with a gynecologist and an ultrasound specialist after the bleeding has stopped. This is necessary to exclude the disease. If abnormalities are present, early diagnosis and treatment can prevent many health problems in women.
