However, the 21st century has brought with itself many wonders, one of them is the understanding of human anatomy and a deep understanding of bodily functions. Doctors suggest that if your period has been delayed by 5-7 days, it would be counted as delayed periods, you can however hit the panic button if you haven’t started menstruating even after 10 days of your expected date of the start of your periods. This in no way means that you are pregnant, there are several causes for delay in periods. Here are 8 reasons for delay in your period apart from pregnancy:
- Excessive Traveling or Extreme Change in Schedule:
Extensive and excessive travel at odd hours, travelling to different time zones, staying up late at night, and insomnia are some of the reasons which disrupt the schedule your body is used to. This disruption of your schedule, also throws your internal clock off and disturbs the delicate balance between the functions of your hypothalamus, pituitary and ovaries which together regulate your menstruation. This kind of stress may lead to delayed periods, or even cause one to miss periods for a month. On Site Medical Services Get Occupational Health Services and Solutions, On Site Medical Services, Wellness Services, Healthcare Services in Johannesburg, South Africa. Contact Bluecollarhealth for Health and Productivity Management Services, Call us at +27 11 892 0627 or Email us at [email protected]
- Stress:
Both physical and psychological stress are the worst enemy of the human body. While a little stress can be overcome easily, women tend to suffer from chronic stress caused by the double burden of work life balance and sickness including medical procedures. This chronic stress releases cortisol in their systems, sending their bodies into emergency mode, leading the body to shut down all unnecessary bodily functions like menstruation and focus only on the survival of the body.
- Extreme Weight Fluctuation:
Sudden loss of weight or gain of weight can cause a delay in your periodic cycle or may even lead you to skip a month’s cycle entirely. Weight loss due to trauma (illness or medical procedures) or eating disorders can cause stress on the body. Being underweight also means that the body will not have enough means to produce adequate amounts of hormones for the regulation of the menstrual cycle.
On the other hand, weight gain can be caused by diseases, eating disorder, even lack of sleep and activity. Excessive fat affects the production of oestrogen in the body, resulting in its over production. Excessive fat in the body could also lead to unregulated endometrial growth, which then negatively affects the menstrual cycle.
- Polycystic Ovary Syndrome/Disease (PCOS/PCOD):
Polycystic Ovary Syndrome or Disease or Disorder is the most common health issues among women of childbearing age. Other symptoms for PCOS apart from irregular periods are weight gain, growth of facial and chest hair, hormonal changes, male pattern baldness to name a few. PCOS is caused when the levels of male hormones in a woman’s body rise, disturbing the delicate balance between testosterone, progesterone and oestrogen in a woman’s body. This imbalance causes the formation of cysts in a woman’s ovaries leading to irregular or no periods at all. The lack of period blood, however, does not mean that the uterus is not bleeding, the cysts are only blocking their passage, which means the blood remains clogged up in our bodies. If PCOS remains unchecked, it could cause severe infections due to the clogging up of blood in the uterus, in extreme cases these may cause insulin resistance and/or endometrial cancer.
- Thyroid:
The thyroid gland regulates the body’s metabolism, when it is thrown off balance, it also leads to the imbalance in the production of hormones in a woman’s body. Hypothyroidism as well as hyperthyroidism cause a hormonal imbalance in the human body, leading to the delay or missing of periodic cycle.
- Illness:
Severe viral or bacterial illnesses, chronic diseases, or medical procedures like operations can cause the body stress, leading to the production of Cortisol in the body. If your period is delayed because you are suffering from illnesses like typhoid, malaria, dengue, other autoimmune diseases or minor operations, you may not worry. Your body is in survival mode for now, and would return to normal, once all other bodily functions resume their normal rhythm.
- Diet:
A bad diet is the biggest contributor to several health issues in young adults today. If your diet largely consists of oily, junk food, it could lead to you suffering from deficiency of various important vitamins and minerals. This in turn would affect the function and regulation of several body parts, including some which produce. This would create a hormonal imbalance in your body leading to irregular and painful periods.
- Too much Exercise:
Exercising regularly for 30-60 minutes is great for health but exposing your body to strenuous work out sets for a longer period may lead to low development of oestrogen in the body. It is a known fact that athletes with rigorous training schedules tend to not have periods for as long as six months at a stretch.