5 Most Common Reasons for a Delayed Period

If you are worried about not having had your period for a few days (or even longer), then it is important that you realize that there is a myriad of reasons as to why this is happening. 

So, if you are growing increasingly concerned, then here for your information—and in an attempt to help alleviate any panic—are the five most common reasons for a delayed period.

1.  Stress and Anxiety

One lesser known—but still surprisingly common—reason why your period could be delayed, or else skip a month or more entirely, is if you are currently under heightened levels of stress and/or anxiety. 

Stress can also make your periods generally more painful and it may well be a good idea, if you are going through a stressful time, to instead choose to stay in control of your menstrual cycle and contact Chemist Click to find out ways of dealing with such matters.

2.  Weight Problems

If, over the last few months or even the past few years, you have put on a substantial amount of weight (like so many people across the length and the breadth of the country due to the pandemic), this could also be why your period has become more irregular.

For women who are overweight, it is likely that their bodies produce more estrogen than necessary; and as estrogen is the hormone that regulates the menstrual cycle, this explains the correlation. 

3.  Pregnancy

Obviously, the most common reason of all as to why your period may either be incredibly irregular or else seems to have stopped entirely is that you are pregnant. 

You may well be planning to have a baby with your significant other, in which case this is extremely happy news; or else it may be the case that for some reason your contraceptive pill or other form of contraception has failed.

If there is any possible chance that you have fallen pregnant, it is important to first take an at-home pregnancy test to see if this shows you are pregnant, and then to book an appointment with your nurse at your first available opportunity.

4.  PCOS

PCOS, which is the abbreviation of the condition known as polycystic ovary syndrome, is when a considerably large volume of harmless individual follicles where a woman’s eggs develop mean that the sacs containing the eggs are simply unable to release.

PCOS is, unfortunately, becoming more and more common and therefore it is also worth having a test to determining whether this is indeed the reason why your periods are delayed. 

5.  The Menopause

If you are over the age of 45, then it may well be the case that the reason why your periods are becoming more and more irregular and either heavier or lighter, is because you are approaching the menopause.

The menopause is an entirely normal and natural part of the cycle of being a woman, and the average age is around 51—although obviously every single woman is an individual so this can vary.