What does missed period mean

People have different names for it such as a late period, skipping a cycle, or a missed period. In essence, it simply means that your normal menstrual cycle or period didn't happen when it should have happened.

Throughout your lifetime, you may have a missed period for a variety of reasons. Many women will go through various cycle abnormalities in their life due to various factors. This is not necessarily a problem for all women, but can also indicate a larger health concern for some. Watch all episodes of our Stay Calm Mom video series and follow along as our host Tiffany Small talks to a diverse group of women and top doctors to get real answers to the biggest pregnancy questions.

There are many reasons why you may have missed your period. Some women miss periods regularly because they don't ovulate regularly. You can also miss your period if your weight is too low. After a certain amount of body fat, you may not have the hormone production to sustain your periods. This is often true if you're a very competitive athlete or suffer from disordered eating like anorexia or even bulimia.

Sometimes stress can be a reason that your period is missing. Though there is nothing more stress-inducing than not having your period when you expect it!

This can usually be determined easily by a discussion with your doctor. If you miss your period, you should wait at first. Give it a few days to make sure you didn't miscalculate or do something to mix up the dates or that you aren't simply late. Many practitioners at this point, may recommend a pregnancy test. You can take a pregnancy test at home or your can go into your doctor's office.

If it's positive, you have your answer: You missed your period because you were pregnant. If it is negative, you may want to wait a bit and try again. Seeing your doctor if you are worried is never a bad option. If you are planning to get pregnant soon, you can use the visit to start your preconception health plan. This helps you have the healthiest pregnancy possible. If you are not ready to be pregnant , they can help you determine what your reproductive life plan may look like to stay healthy and avoid pregnancy until the point where you make a decision to have children or permanently decide to not have children.

Get diet and wellness tips to help your kids stay healthy and happy. Prevalence of irregular menstruation according to socioeconomic status: A population-based nationwide cross-sectional study.

A change in your schedule shouldn't cause you to completely miss your period, but it can cause your period to start earlier or later than expected. Your cycle can also change by a few days if you experience jet lag. Some medications, such as antidepressants, antipsychotics, thyroid medications, anticonvulsants, and some chemotherapy medications, may cause your period to be absent or delayed. Different types of contraceptives can affect your menstrual cycle in different ways.

Some contraceptives are associated with heavy periods, some with light periods, and some with amenorrhea. Being overweight, underweight, or experiencing drastic changes in weight all impact your cycle.

Obesity influences estrogen and progesterone regulation and may even lead to issues with fertility. Very high body mass index BMI is associated with missed periods, and weight loss can help regulate the menstrual cycle for women who are obese.

Being severely underweight interferes with regular menstrual cycles as well. When the body lacks fat and other nutrients, it cannot produce hormones the way it should. Women who have anorexia very low caloric intake or who burn far more calories with exercise than what they consume may experience amenorrhea.

Typically, weight gain will help your periods to return. Rapid weight changes due to illness, medication, or dietary changes may interfere with hormone production or release. In turn, this may cause you to miss one period or more.

A normal menstrual cycle lasts from 21 to 35 days in healthy women, but it can vary. This is especially true for young women who are just starting to get their periods, or for women who have not had periods for several years and are starting again. A young woman who has only had a few cycles may go months without another one until a regular pattern begins. And women who have not had a period due to contraceptive use, hormonal therapy, or illness may not resume regular, monthly periods right away.

Perimenopause is the period of transition between reproductive age to non-reproductive age. Your periods may be lighter, heavier, more frequent, or less frequent during this time. In most cases, they'll just be different than what you're used to. Menopause is when you have reached the point in your life where you will no longer ovulate or menstruate. The average age of menopause is 51 years old. You may have light periods, infrequent periods, or amenorrhea when breastfeeding, particularly if breastfeeding provides your baby with all or almost all of their calories.

Many women believe that breastfeeding is a form of birth control, but it's not. Even if you don't have periods when you are breastfeeding, you can get pregnant.

If you are not ready for another child, you should still use a contraceptive. If you think that you can't be pregnant because you have an IUD, there is a small chance that your missed period could be a sign of an ectopic pregnancy. Ectopic pregnancy can sometimes happen due to the shape of the IUD, and you may not test positive on a pregnancy test, either. Your healthcare provider can check for it with a pelvic examination or an ultrasound.

Symptoms of ectopic pregnancy include cramping in your lower abdomen, shoulder pain, weakness or dizziness, nausea, and breast tenderness. Some women have missed periods, while others have vaginal bleeding or spotting. In addition to the use of an IUD, other factors that are associated with ectopic pregnancy include:.

Ectopic pregnancy is a life-threatening condition. Seek medical attention right away if you miss your period and think you might be at risk. Missing a period every once in a while is usually not cause for concern.

That said, you should see a healthcare provider if you miss more than one period, or your missed period is accompanied by new or unusual symptoms. Seek medical attention right away if you also experience any of the following:. There are many reasons for late periods, and while most are not cause for alarm, you do need an evaluation and treatment if you have completely missed more than one period.

How your missed periods are treated depends on why you aren't having your period. The treatment can include lifestyle changes, such as diet or stress reduction, or may involve hormone replacement therapy. Healthcare providers usually ask women when they had their last period. However, many women simply don't keep track of their period, and in some cases, they may be too busy to notice they missed a period at all.

If this sounds like you, consider placing a red dot on period days in your calendar. You can also download a "period tracker" app for your smartphone to make tracking your menstrual cycle much easier.

Sign up for our Health Tip of the Day newsletter, and receive daily tips that will help you live your healthiest life. If the home pregnancy test is negative but you continue to have pregnancy symptoms, it is a good idea to see your doctor to confirm the results.

Practice good health habits until you see your doctor. Call your doctor if any of the following occur during home treatment:. If you participate in endurance sports , you may miss periods or stop menstruating. Eat a healthy, balanced diet, and keep track of your periods. Tell your doctor about any changes in your menstrual periods. To prepare for your appointment, see the topic Making the Most of Your Appointment.

You can help your doctor diagnose and treat your condition by being prepared to answer the following questions:. Blahd Jr. Author: Healthwise Staff. Medical Review: William H. This information does not replace the advice of a doctor.

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Updated visitor guidelines. You are here Home » Missed or Irregular Periods. Topic Overview Most women have between 11 and 13 menstrual periods each year. If you are not pregnant, other causes of missed or irregular periods include: Excessive weight loss or gain. Although low body weight is a common cause of missed or irregular periods, obesity also can cause menstrual problems. Eating disorders, such as anorexia or bulimia.

For more information, see the topic Anorexia Nervosa or Bulimia Nervosa. Increased exercise. Missed periods are common in endurance athletes. Emotional stress. Medicines such as birth control methods, which may cause lighter, less frequent, more frequent, or skipped periods or no periods at all.

Hormone problems. This may cause a change in the levels of the hormones that the body needs to support menstruation. Illegal drug use. Problems with the pelvic organs , such as imperforate hymen , polycystic ovary syndrome , or Asherman's syndrome.

Many women do not resume regular periods until they have completed breastfeeding. Check Your Symptoms Have you missed any periods, or have your periods been irregular? Irregular means different than what is normal for you more or less often, longer or shorter, heavier or lighter. How old are you? Less than 15 years. Are you male or female? Why do we ask this question? The medical assessment of symptoms is based on the body parts you have.

If you are transgender or nonbinary, choose the sex that matches the body parts such as ovaries, testes, prostate, breasts, penis, or vagina you now have in the area where you are having symptoms.

If you have some organs of both sexes, you may need to go through this triage tool twice once as "male" and once as "female". This will make sure that the tool asks the right questions for you. Are you pregnant? Yes, you know that you're pregnant. No, you're not pregnant, or you're not sure if you're pregnant.

Do you have symptoms of shock? Do you feel lightheaded or dizzy, like you are going to faint? It's normal for some people to feel a little lightheaded when they first stand up. But anything more than that may be serious. Do you have new pain in your lower belly, pelvis, or genital area that is different than your usual menstrual cramps? How bad is the pain on a scale of 0 to 10, if 0 is no pain and 10 is the worst pain you can imagine? Have you started having periods? Do you think that a medicine could be affecting your periods?

Think about whether the problems started when you began taking a new medicine or a higher dose of a medicine. Is there any chance that you could be pregnant? Has a home pregnancy test shown that you are pregnant? Have you been planning to get pregnant?

Do you use a form of birth control that contains hormones? This could be birth control pills, implants, vaginal rings, skin patches, injections, or an IUD that contains hormones. Have your periods been different than what your doctor told you to expect with your birth control? This could mean that they are lighter or heavier or that you have missed periods when you weren't expecting to. Have you missed two periods for no clear reason, such as pregnancy?

If a recent home pregnancy test has said that you are not pregnant, then there is no clear reason for your missed periods. Have your problems lasted more than 2 cycles? These include: Your age. Babies and older adults tend to get sicker quicker.