10 Common Causes of a Missed Period That Aren’t Pregnancy

If you have missed your rules, your first thought may be that you are pregnant. But pregnancy is not the only cause of a missed period. If you have confirmed that you are not pregnant, it may be useful to consider what could cause a missed period.

It is normal for your rules to arrive once a month. The average menstrual cycle (time between periods) lasts from 21 to 35 days. The main symptom of a period is the blood flowing from your vagina, and it is also common to experience lower abdominal cramps, mood swings, headache, fatigue and painful breasts.

Having menstrual cycles of more than 35 days can be normal from time to time. When you have had a monthly period for several years, then you jump for three months or more, this is called secondary amenorrhea, another word for a missed period.

The main symptom of a missed period is simply not to have your period where you expect to get it. You may have additional symptoms depending on the cause of your missed period.

For example, if you are pregnant, you may feel fatigue, sore breasts and nausea when you expect your period. If hormonal conditions, such as menopause, breastfeeding or sopk, cause your missed period, you can have vintage symptoms, such as mood swings, tracking or cramps, but no period.

Several factors can make you miss a period or stop having your period for a while. Aside from pregnancy, current causes include puberty, menopause, breastfeeding, sopk, stress and rapid weight loss.

Many people will miss their rules or will have a late period at some point in their lives, and it is generally not a permanent problem. It is important to work with your health care provider to determine the cause of a missed period and respond to all underlying health problems.

Pregnancy

The most common cause of a missed period is pregnancy. Although some people bleed a little at the beginning of pregnancy, most people are entirely missing their rules when pregnant. Other symptoms of early pregnancy include a feeling of feeling very tired, endolris breasts and nausea.

You cannot know if you are pregnant for sure, unless you get a positive pregnancy test. You can take a home pregnancy test as soon as you have missed your period. If your test is negative but you always think you are pregnant, wait a day or two and pass another test, or contact a health care provider.

Adapt to puberty

When you get your first rules, it is common for it to be irregular. Your rules can occur every 21 days, or you can go up to 45 days between the rules. Some people go even longer between the periods at the start. This can last about a year or two at the start. Talk to your health care provider if you have any questions about your cycle.

Breast-feeding

When you are breastfeeding, your body releases high levels of a hormone called prolactin. Prolactin helps you make milk for your baby, but high levels will prevent your rules from coming. It is common to do without a period for several months during breastfeeding. Your rules will naturally come back as your baby is aging and you are breastfeeding less frequently.

Perimenopause and menopause

Menopause is the moment of quarantine when you stop getting your period. The years preceding menopause are called perimenopause. During the perimenopause, your estrogen levels change and will sometimes become very low, causing irregular periods. You may not have your period for several consecutive months. When you haven’t had any rules for 12 months, you are officially in menopause.

Hypothalamic amenorrhea

Hypothalamic amenorrhea is when you miss your rules due to weight loss or other related body changes. Having a very low body weight, 10% below a normal weight for your body, can make you miss your period.

You can also miss your rules when you have an excessive amount, when you have lost weight very quickly, or when you have been subjected to very high stress levels. People who suffer from food disorders such as anorexia or bulimia can also miss their rules.

Polycystic ovary syndrome (SOPK)

Sopk is a condition where your hormones are unbalanced. Symptoms include irregular periods, unwanted hair growth on your face, difficulty getting pregnant, weight gain and insulin resistance. It is common to miss your rules or spend a long time between periods, when you have sopk.

Other less common causes

Several other health problems can make you miss your period. These include:

• Primary ovary insufficiency (Po), where your ovaries stop operating before the age of 40
• Thyroid problems
• Take certain types of hormonal birth control
• Conditions affecting the pituitary glands, which can disrupt the production of hormones
• Chronic health problems, such as renal failure or inflammatory intestine disease (MII)

If you miss your rules and you are sexually active, you must pass a pregnancy test during the week following your planned period. If the pregnancy test is negative but you think you are pregnant, visit a health care provider.

If you have missed your period for three months in a row and you do not know why, visit a health care provider to determine the deep cause. Your supplier can ask you about your symptoms, how long you have had no rules and your medical history. They can also ask you questions about your diet, your sexual activity, the drugs you take, stress levels and exercise habits.

Sometimes blood tests may be necessary to check your hormonal levels. Your supplier may also need to ultrasound, which is an imaging test that uses sound waves to produce images of your uterus (uterus) and surrounding organs.

The treatments for missed periods depend on the cause. After making a diagnosis, your health care provider may recommend the appropriate treatment and the next steps.

Certain possible treatments for missed periods include:

• Changes in diet and activity level
• Hormone therapy for the primary insufficiency of the ovary
• Thyroid drugs for thyroid problems
• Mental health treatment for diets
• Sopk drugs, which may include drugs to help you ovulate, deal with problems with your metabolism or block androgens (male hormones)

It is not always possible to avoid missed periods, because all the causes of a missed period are not avoidable. If your missed period is caused by nutritional deficiency, excessive exercise, stress or food disorder, managing them can prevent you from continuing to miss your period.

Your health care provider may suggest food and lifestyle changes to help you gain weight, correct nutritional deficiencies and bring your body back to a balanced state.

Most people have no complications when they lack a period. However, if you miss your rules for a long time and you are not pregnant, breastfeeding or menopause, certain health problems may occur.

Benefiting from several months or years with low estrogen levels, a main menstruation hormone can cause conditions such as loss of bone mineral density and osteoporosis (low bone). You can also feel vaginal dryness and sexual problems. Sometimes people who have been missing their period for a long time can have an unusual thickening of the mucous membrane of their uterus.

If you have not had your period for several months, it is unlikely that you can get pregnant and you might encounter fertility problems. Fertility problems can be resolved once you have restored normal menstruation, depending on the original cause of missed periods.

It may be normal to miss your rules from time to time. But if you generally have regular rules, you are not pregnant and you have missed your period for three months, visit a health care provider to determine the cause.

Certain current causes of missed periods outside pregnancy are sopk, menopause, breastfeeding, low body weight and adaptation to your rules during puberty. A health professional may recommend treatment to restore your rules, depending on the underlying cause.