FAQs

My period is late. Apart from pregnancy, why else may this have happened? I am 19 yrs old.

Answer

As you may already know, the most common cause for late periods in a young, sexually active young woman is pregnancy. It is important that this is ruled out with a pregnancy test done when the period is more than seven days overdue.

Once this has been done, the following may be considered.

1.Emotional stress: for example, exams, relationship difficulties, family crisis, travelling, fear of pregnancy following unsafe sex
2.Crash diets: rapid weight loss or gains or a dramatic change in exercise patterns
3.Women taking the Pill or other hormonal methods of contraception can find themselves missing periods from time to time. Pregnancy needs to be ruled out before they can assume it is the Pill causing this.
4.Rarely, this be caused by problems with the pituitary gland, this gland controls the ovary and periods

If more than one period is missed, then a visit to your local doctor or family planning centre can work out what needs to done next.

For more information, call Family Planning's Healthline on 1300 658 886. This is a free call and a confidential service.

Further reading:
Problem Periods