A nightmare for those trying to conceive, a late period can feel like an eternity! Now think: a one-day delay already gives you hope, imagine having your period late by 5 days? How do you cope with something that could turn into a wonderful joy? A late period can shake up someone’s life, especially if a woman is trying to conceive, and it’s not always easy to handle the situation.

The problem is anxiety! And we must remember that not every late period, even if a woman’s cycle is regular, is a sign of pregnancy. It is possible for it to happen for a variety of physiological reasons, but if it persists for more than 5 days, we can consider the possibility of pregnancy. And why wait so many days? To ease anxiety and give time for the amount of HCG in the body to rise, avoiding false negatives and disappointment. Now, if you can’t control your anxiety, opt for more reliable and highly sensitive pregnancy tests like those by Famivita, which can detect HCG even before your period is late.

Main Causes of Late Period

See below for some possible reasons:

Late ovulation: the cycle delays ovulation, so it doesn’t happen when it should and causes a delay in the whole post-ovulatory cycle. Remember that the phase that varies is always the one before ovulation. The post-ovulation phase (luteal) usually has a fixed number of days, generally between 12 and 16 days1. If your cycle tends to be long, then your follicular phase is longer. In this case, consider your longest-ever cycle to know when to take any kind of test—at least 5 days late.

Anovulatory cycle: every woman may occasionally have cycles where she doesn’t ovulate. Is this a problem? No! This cycle is the body’s way of letting our ovaries rest. Contrary to what people believe, not every woman ovulates every month. This pause in the cycle is known as an anovulatory cycle2. The issue is that some women may have long anovulatory cycles, including periods being more than 5 days late. Menstruation can be delayed by as much as 2 months, for example! So consider this reason if your period hasn’t shown up for a long time. Don’t confuse an anovulatory cycle with pregnancy: menstruation will usually show up a few days after your period is delayed. While in a cycle without ovulation, it can take 15 days to up to 4 months.

Temporary or treatable hormonal imbalance: much like the anovulatory cycle, hormonal imbalance can cause confusion and isn’t helpful at all. When it happens, women tend to think they’re only having a cycle without ovulation, but it’s good to stay alert. If late periods happen repeatedly, the best option is to see a doctor and take a series of hormone tests to find out what’s going on. In the vast majority of cases, hormone levels will normalize easily with the right treatment. If you experience spotting during this time (brown discharge, pink blood, very small amounts of fresh blood) it is advisable to take a pregnancy test just to rule out pregnancy before starting treatment.

IMPORTANT: Don’t be fooled by just a 5-day delay, okay? It’s best to wait and run tests before getting your hopes up.

For women hoping to get pregnant, a period overdue by 3 or 5 days can be a light at the end of the tunnel. However, it’s important to stay calm and not test too early. Remember: the more time passes, the higher your HCG level will be, making it easier to detect in pregnancy tests.

Period Overdue by 2 Months: What Now?

But what about the opposite case? When you don’t want to get pregnant and your period keeps being late? Similarly, the situation can be caused by hormonal or external factors. A period that’s late by 2 months is much more serious than just 5 days late. However, we should consider other possibilities besides pregnancy. Anovulatory cycles, hormonal imbalance, and late ovulation, for example, are all factors that can lead to a delay of 2 months or more in menstruation.

Causes of Prolonged Delay

Hormonal medications: some birth control methods can cause your body to have anovulatory cycles, like injectable birth control. Most of these are based on estrogen and progesterone, which lead to these types of cycles and stop menstruation from happening.

Other medications that can cause this effect are synthetic birth control pills and the morning-after pill! Believe it or not, it can easily make your period late for up to 2 months! So, think twice before taking it and use it only in cases of emergency.

But what if you want to get pregnant and your period is late for 2 months? Chances are reduced and it’s important to talk to your doctor. That’s because the cause may or may not be temporary, and most professionals prescribe appropriate medications to help bring the period. If it doesn’t show up even after using medication, other measures may be necessary. However, remember: before any procedure, it’s crucial to do a pregnancy test to check if you’re pregnant.

But the burning question is: how many days of being late is considered pregnancy? To be detected, you need to wait for HCG to rise in your body. It takes 48 hours to almost double its level. If you took the test and it was negative, it’s better to wait another 2 or 3 days and repeat the test to be sure.

Readers’ Questions:

How to calculate if your period is late?

To see if your period is late, you need to know how your menstrual cycle works and when your next period is due. If it doesn’t come on the expected day, the following day is counted as the first day of the delay.

How to regulate a late period?

Treatment to regulate a late period is theoretically simple. If the cause is hormonal, birth control or cycle regulators appropriate for the case may be used.

Most treatments are based on birth control, but for women who want to get pregnant, medications that regulate menstruation are recommended, while not preventing ovulation, such as those with cicloprimogyna or progesterone-based drugs like Ultrogestan or Evocanil.

Is it normal to have a late period after stopping birth control?

Yes, since taking birth control is essentially taking hormones. Thus, when we stop the medication, the body needs time to naturally adjust to the new hormone levels.

See Also: Is a Late Period a Sure Sign of Pregnancy?