Why is my period late

There are a multitude of reasons why your period could be late aside from pregnancy. If you are 100% sure you are not pregnant then maybe one of these other reasons could be the underlying cause behind missed periods.

1. Breastfeeding
   Mothers who are breastfeeding often experience Amenorrhea (an absence of periods). This is perfectly normal and ovulation and pregnancy can still occur during this time even without periods.
2. Stress
   Many women find that excessive stress or tensions can lead to a late or missed period. If you are suffering from stress recently this could be the cause of your late period and eliminating the stress will likely remedy the problem.
3. Medication
   Sometimes Amenorrhea can be caused with certain medications depending on the person. If you are taking medication check the side effects for period irregularities or Amenorrhea.
4. Eating Disorders
   If you are suffering from an eating disorder where your body becomes severely underweight it can cause Amenorrhea. Conditions like Anorexia and Bulimia commonly cause these problems. It can be permanent in serious cases but in most other situations the periods will return when the person reaches a healthy body weight.
5. Illness
   If you have been ill for along period of time suffering from a chronic or severe illness you may undergo temporary Amenorrhea. If this is the case you can expect your periods to return once your body has recuperated properly.

There are also more serious causes of a late or missed period that will need to be looked into. If your period has stopped for 3 months or more you need to get your doctor to investigate the cause of this. This will ensure any serious problems are ruled out and the Amenorrhea and causes are accurately diagnosed and treated. You may undergo different diagnosis methods depending on the suspected cause of the absent period.

The most common diagnosis your doctor will probably complete is a pregnancy test beforehand. This is because it is the most common cause for a missed or late period and needs to be ruled out before hand. If your period is only a few weeks late try a home pregnancy test (if you are worried about this) or try reducing the stress in your life first and see if this has any affect. You can also cut down on exercise (if you exercise excessively) and make sure you eat plenty of healthy food. Doing this will be likely to trigger your periods again, many women that are concerned about pregnancy find that their period arrives the day after a negative pregnancy test. This is likely due to the stress, worry or anxiety about the issue of pregnancy when you aren’t sure.

Remember that a late period doesn’t necessarily mean a missed period or that anything is wrong. It’s important not to stress or worry about a late period as this could be causing further delays to your period. Try to relax and forget out it for a while to allow your period to arrive naturally in it’s own time.