{"id":23205,"date":"2022-07-19T10:05:34","date_gmt":"2022-07-19T10:05:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dev.blog.hormona.io\/?p=23205"},"modified":"2023-02-07T14:36:01","modified_gmt":"2023-02-07T14:36:01","slug":"how-late-can-a-period-be-causes-and-reasons-for-late-periods","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.hormona.io\/blog\/how-late-can-a-period-be-causes-and-reasons-for-late-periods\/","title":{"rendered":"How late can a period be? Causes and reasons for late periods"},"content":{"rendered":"

Late periods can be really stressful! For a lot of reasons. If you are trying not to get pregnant then a late period can make you panic! If you are trying to get pregnant then a late period might make you really hopeful, only to be devastated when your period eventually arrives. Today we are going to talk about what causes our periods to be late.<\/p>\n

What is a late period?<\/h2>\n

If your periods are usually regular (you can predict when they are going to start) then a late period is one that is at least a few days behind schedule. If you have irregular periods<\/a> then it is much harder to predict when your period should start and whether it is late.<\/p>\n

What happens \u201cnormally\u201d?<\/h2>\n

Remember that \u201cnormal\u201d is different for everyone. But to have periods that are regular and on time, we need to ovulate<\/a> (the ovary releases an egg in the middle of the cycle). Ovulation requires a coordinated change in hormone levels over the course of the menstrual cycle. The hormone changes are shown in the diagram below.<\/p>\n

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If there is anything that disrupts these hormonal changes then it is likely you will not ovulate. After ovulation, the cells left behind are called the corpus luteum. The corpus luteum is what produces the progesterone in the second half of the cycle (luteal phase<\/a>). If we don\u2019t get pregnant, then the corpus luteum \u201cdies\u201d and is reabsorbed by the body. It then stops producing progesterone. This fall in progesterone is what triggers the period<\/a> to start.<\/p>\n

Without this coordination, your womb (uterus) doesn\u2019t get the message that it is time to bleed and your period might be late.<\/p>\n

Textbooks always say that a \u201cnormal\u201d menstrual cycle is 28 days long. This means that you would get a period every 28 days. Everyone is different though and a \u201cnormal\u201d cycle is actually anywhere between 21-35 days long.<\/p>\n

Whatever is normal for you is your normal. <\/strong>Everyone is different. When we are talking about late periods we mean anything that is later than normal for you.<\/em><\/p>\n

What causes a period to be late?<\/h2>\n

There are a lot <\/strong>of reasons that your period might be late. Our hormones control our periods. So any disruption in our hormones can disrupt our periods.<\/p>\n

If the coordinated increase and decrease in progesterone don\u2019t happen in the luteal phase then your period is unlikely to start on time.<\/p>\n

The most common cause of a late period is pregnancy. If your period is late and there is a chance you could be pregnant then it is always worth doing a pregnancy test to check.<\/p>\n

IMPORTANT NOTE: If you think you might be pregnant and experience pain in your lower abdomen then please see a doctor urgently. There is a chance that this could be an ectopic pregnancy which can be very dangerous if not treated quickly.<\/em><\/p>\n

There are also a lot of other reasons that periods can be late:<\/h3>\n