A late/absent
period causes anxiety in single ladies, especially the ones that are sexually
active. The fear of an unwanted pregnancy
and all the problems that follow it, including the dangers of unsafe abortion
forces the lady to desperately search for the cause of her late period.
The most
common cause of absent menstruation (known as amenorrhoea in medicine) is
pregnancy. However pregnancy may not be the case if a period is simply late.
Let me
briefly describe the menstrual cycle:
This is
simply a process that occurs every month, to remove the outermost lining of the
womb. This lining was generated to hold any pregnancy that might occur. Therefore
menstruation has been described as the womb ‘crying’ because pregnancy did not
occur.
A normal
menstrual cycle length is considered to be 21-35days. In a woman who has a
regular 28-day cycle, ovulation occurs on the 14th day (for a 21and
35-day cycles, ovulation occurs on the 7th and 28th day
respectively). I want to assume you know your cycle length (that is why you
think it is late).
The menstrual
cycle is controlled by a lot of hormones; changes in these hormones can alter
the cycle.
There are a
lot of reasons your period can be late, apart from pregnancy. Let’s talk about
them.
Stress/anxiety
Excessive stress
can cause your period to be late because stress triggers the release of a lot
of hormones which alters the menstrual cycle. Nature has a way of protecting you
from getting pregnant if your body is under such extreme stress. Your body
prevents ovulation so you don’t have a lot of estrogen. So if you’re dealing
with death in the family, huge breakup, or any other life event, it could be
the cause of your late period.
Now the
problem is this; a late period can cause a lot of anxiety and anxiety can cause
a period to be late. It is therefore advisable, that once you have done a
pregnancy test and it is negative, try and relax.
Excessive weight gain or weight loss
The body
requires an optimal weight for menstruation to occur. Excessive weight loss can
cause your period to temporarily cease.
After an abortion or excessive blood loss
If you had an
abortion before missing your period, and the method you used is what is called
dilatation and curettage (a sharp instrument is used to scrape the lining of
the womb), you might have what is known as Asherman’s syndrome. This occurs
when the ‘scraping’ was done too far and a layer of the womb that shouldn’t
have been removed, was removed. This layer is very important because it is the
layer that makes the outermost layer that is lost during ovulation to grow
back.
If you lost
excessive blood during childbirth, a disease known as Sheehan’s syndrome is
likely.
These two cases
require medical attention. They are usually permanent.
Birth control pills/family planning pills
Menopause
Are you
above 50 years? If yes, then perhaps it is time to retire. Menopause is normal
phase every woman that lives long enough will attain. Cessation of menstrual
cycle occurs during menopause. In fact, it could be a sign of endometrial
cancer if a woman starts bleeding again after menopause.
If a period
is late and pregnancy has been ruled out, just wait for the next month. If it
doesn’t come, then you might want to see your doctor.
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