Reasons For Missed Period

WHY YOU MISSED YOUR PERIOD OR DID NOT SEE YOUR MENSTRUATION

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1) Pregnancy

The most common reason for a missed period is pregnancy. If this is a possibility, take a home pregnancy test to see if this is the cause of your missed period. If you skip a period and then have one the next month at the expected time, it’s possible that a non-viable pregnancy occurred, and the period is actually an early miscarriage.

 2) Breastfeeding

Breastfeeding can suppress your period, depending on how frequently you are nursing. You may get a period while breastfeeding, and then not have another one for several months or more, particularly if your baby is nursing exclusively. You can ovulate before you get your period, so it’s important to use birth control during this time, if you don’t want to get pregnant.

3) Menopause.

A skipped period may be a sign that you are entering menopause and your periods are beginning to become less regular, especially if you are experiencing other symptoms of menopause (e.g., hot flashes). If you are 45 or older, there is a good chance this is the cause of a missed period.

4). Stress

Both psychological and physiological stress can cause a missed period. If you are going through a difficult period of life (e.g., moving, new job, loss of a loved one), or experience a physical trauma (e.g., surgery, illness) it is not unusual to miss a period. There are many things you can do to help manage your mental stress levels. Talking to a trusted friend or family member about what you are going through can help. Carving out small blocks of time for activities that help you relax, such as exercise, yoga, painting, or reading can also help. If you are finding your stress very hard to manage, talking to a therapist with expertise in cognitive behavioural therapy can help you change some of your thinking patterns and learn to cope better.

5)  Weight loss

Excessive exercise and rapid weight loss can result in a missed period. If your caloric intake is very low, the hormones that cause ovulation to happen are suppressed. If you are underweight, a dietitian can help you plan your dietary intake to promote weight gain.

If you are struggling with an eating disorder, there is help out there. Counseling, support groups, self-help strategies, and support from a team of health care providers such as a dietitian, psychiatrist, and your family doctor can all be part of recovery. There are also medications that can help you out.

6) Birth control

If you take the birth control pill continuously without taking a seven day break where the pills do not contain hormones (or you don’t take a pill at all), you will miss a period. Similarly, if you are using the birth control shot, patch, vaginal ring (without removal for the seven day break) or have a progestin IUD, you will likely have few or absent periods.

7) Hormonal changes

Hormonal changes can also result in missing periods. The most common causes of hormone changes are PCOS, PITUITARY TUMOURS And THYROID DISORDERS  

8). Medications

Some medications that can cause a missed period include antidepressants, antipsychotic drugs, chemotherapy agents, and steroids.

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Written by TIMAH DAWUDA

Laboratory scientist at Timah Diagnostic Center Bamenda-Cameroon