What Does Your Late Period Mean?
When I was a teenager, I remember a friend confiding in me that she feared she was pregnant. I was a bit shocked because she was so young, and because she was not involved with anyone of which I was aware. I asked her why she thought this, and she told me that she had a late period, and she knew that meant she was going to have a baby. Upon further questioning, I realized she was still a virgin, and there was no way she was pregnant. Sadly, this type of misinformation is common with young girls, and even some who are well into adulthood.
There are many times when a late period does mean that there is a baby on the way. You obviously cannot get pregnant if you are not actively having sex, but those without knowledge about their own bodies get scared. There is no reason to panic over a late period if you are not sexually active, and there are a few reasons why you may not be having one. If you arent sure, you can always go to your doctor, tell them your fears, and then see what they have to say.
One common reason for a late period is stress. Some believe that stress will delay the period, but that is not the case. Once you have ovulated, and if you are not pregnant, your period will come in about two weeks no matter how stressed out you may be. However, you can have a late period due to stress when you are overly stressed-out mid cycle. Stress can delay ovulation. If that happens, your period is going to come later than you think it should. The degree of stress it takes for this to happen varies from woman to woman. Some rarely have a problem with this, and some are very sensitive and it may happen often.
There are a variety of fertility issues that can cause a late period. Women with Poly-Cystic Ovarian Syndrome may start out with periods that come right on cue, but later in life their cycles may become sporadic or out of whack. When that happens, their first fear is that they are pregnant. There are other fertility issues that can cause a late period, or that can take a period away all together. Dont forget about some methods of birth control, as they can cause a late or missing menses. Always have a test done if you are on birth control, but for the most part, you are going to find that there is another answer, other than pregnancy, for your erratic cycle.
