The most common causes for your period to be late are: stress, pregnancy, Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS), peri-menopause, menopause, recently stopping hormonal birth control and thyroid conditions.
The most common causes for your period to be late are: stress, pregnancy, Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS), peri-menopause, menopause, recently stopping hormonal birth control and thyroid conditions.
The amount of time your period can be late varies depending on your normal cycle length.
If you cycles are usually regular, a delay of more than a few days may signal something is out of balance, whereas if you commonly experience irregular cycles (such as in PCOS) it may be normal for your periods to arrive late.
While pregnancy is the most common cause for missed periods, there are many other reasons your period may not be on time this month.
One big contributor is stress as this can both delay and halt ovulation, which in turn makes your period late or disappear.
Ongoing, chronic stress (like that low-grade stress caused by deadlines at work) can cause a ripple effect to the delicate balance of your reproductive hormones which are responsible for keeping your cycles regular and symptom-free.
Stress can lead to changes in the length of your period, as well as a whole host of other hormonal symptoms like PMS, painful periods, acne breakouts and fatigue.
11 comments
Hey Susan,
Thanks so much for your lovely comment and taking the time to leave your feedback. I’m so glad to hear my advice has been so helpful for you.
All the best on your hormonal journey,
Tam.
Thank you! Your site has been very helpful and informative to me.
Hi Susan,
It is very common for stress and the birth control pill to impact on your cycles like this, particularly if you have noticed a pattern with what’s going on in your life. Lactation when you aren’t pregnant or breastfeeding is best examined by your doctor to rule out any underlying causes. I would suggest visiting for a checkup and mentioning the changes to your cycle as well just to make sure there isn’t anything else going on. If all clear, then come back to this post and have a look at some of my top tips to manage stress as it sounds like this will be really helpful for you.
All the best,
Tam.
Hey Angelina,
Thanks so much for your lovely feedback. I’m so glad this was helpful for you :)
Tam.
Loved this! Thank you 😊