The first sign that may alert a woman to a possible pregnancy is a late period, right? But did you know that the absence of menstruation doesn’t always mean she’s having a baby? Sometimes, a late period can be caused by internal or external factors, such as using contraceptives or other medications containing hormones. But when should you be concerned about a late period? How can you suspect pregnancy when your period is missing?
For women with regular cycles, suspicion becomes stronger, as it is not common for their period to be late. In more irregular cycles, a delay may not cause as much concern, since it’s expected to be late by up to 10 days, for example1. Pay close attention if your period is later than expected.
If a woman has short and regular cycles, such as 21 days, 24 or 25 days in the cycle may be enough to clear any doubts and take a test. For long and punctual cycles, starting at 35 days, a delay of 4 or 5 days may also be acceptable.
But what about long, irregular cycles? The best way to consider a menstrual delay is to consider the longest cycle that the woman has ever had. That way, you can find the maximum limit to start counting the days of delay. But what can cause these late periods?
A Late Period Is Not Always Pregnancy!
Unfortunately, for some women who really want to get pregnant, a late period does not necessarily happen due to pregnancy. It could be, for example, because of hormonal medication, such as contraceptives. Even if contraception has been stopped for some time, it can take a few cycles for hormones to leave the body, especially in the case of injectable contraceptives. The body may take a while to readjust without the amount of hormones taken or injected at the start of each cycle2.
There are various external factors that can disrupt your cycle. For example: poor diet and excessive physical exercise can make your period late. That’s why it’s always recommended to follow up with a doctor and nutritionist if a woman becomes an athlete and starts exercising heavily. Everyday stress and also stress related to a specific situation can contribute to a late period.
But we can’t forget that internal factors can also play a part in a late period. For example, hormonal problems like polycystic ovaries. This condition changes your hormone levels and can cause an imbalance of estrogen and other hormones. That can trigger a chain reaction disrupting the peak of other hormones responsible for your cycle. This way, the endometrium might not thicken as it should, and often it may even change the menstrual blood color from bright red to a dark or coffee-ground like discharge.
The thyroid is also an organ that can cause late periods, if something is wrong. Sometimes, an imbalance in the hormones it produces, such as T4 and T3, can cause delays. In addition, problems can also occur in hormones linked to the pituitary gland, like GnRH, which signals for ovulation.
In fact, a delayed ovulation can cause your period to be late. In the vast majority of cases, ovulation happens later than it should, which can cause small variations of a few days. If you don’t have a regular cycle, ovulation does not have a set day to occur, and that’s why there is variation. Remember, what changes in these cycles is how long the hormones take to mature the follicles for ovulation. The post-ovulatory phase is usually regular, between 11 and 18 days of luteal phase.
Still talking about hormones, the cycle can be disturbed by an excessive drop in estrogen levels. In these cases, a woman may simply stop menstruating. This situation is somewhat worrying, because if the correct hormone levels can’t be reached for ovulation to occur, pregnancy also becomes impossible.
There’s also the possibility of premature menopause3. This can be caused by diseases, genetic problems, or even certain surgeries. Usually, hormone replacement therapy is used in these cases to prevent discomfort and serious illnesses, such as uterine cancer. A late period caused by possible premature menopause will be accompanied by vaginal dryness and a sudden drop in libido, along with other common symptoms of menopause.
Anxiety also impacts your cycle and is one of the most common causes of a late period. A woman who really wants to get pregnant, or who doesn’t want to and is waiting for her period, can disrupt her cycle purely due to psychological reasons! The body can pick up signs of stress and cause a temporary stop to menstruation.
This can turn into a snowball effect: stress delays the period, which causes more stress. That’s why it is best to always stay calm when waiting for your period, to avoid false hopes or unwanted scares.
