How many days of delay in periods is normal?

GynaecologistJune 10, 2022

239 5 minutes read

Every woman at least once in life must have gone through this when she might have thought about a delay in periods. Women often ask about why periods are late when they can’t see the natural cycle of bleeding coming on the way. In reality, the menstrual cycle may vary from person to person and month to month. If you worry about your periods, you need to understand it is also a symptom- worries- that bring delay in periods!

Also, in the case of severe change or delay, you may need to visit a Gynecologist in Bhubaneswar. Otherwise, you can also download an application that may help you track your period cycle, symptoms logging, and cycle prediction.

Is it normal to have a delayed period?

If you are not going through any severe disease or medical condition, your period may start within the gap of 21 to 35 days starting from the last period of your last cycle. You may need to understand that regular periods may vary because of various reasons and the routine that we go through. If your period cycle is 28 days and you still do not have your period on the 29th day, your period is officially late. Similarly, if you have a regular 32 days of the period cycle and you still have your period on the 33rd day, your period is still late.

Periods get late because of these two scenarios.
First, it may technically be late because of the natural process like it may vary in terms of a week or may happen a week before your exact day or a week late.
Second, it may fall under the category of a more than 28-day cycle.
If you go without bleeding for more than 6 weeks, you can consider your period to be late technically.
There can be several reasons for the delayed period. However, if you have a significant delay for more than 3 months, you need to see your doctor.

Reasons for why periods are late

Stress

The brain consists of a stress-response system that is being handled by the hypothalamus. While you are no longer trying to cope with your hard situations, your body is trying to help you create a stress response in your uncontrollable situations. When you are facing the peak of your stress level, your brain cells send signals to your endocrine system helping to secrete the hormones to produce fight-or-flight mode. These hormones help to produce responses in the body that help to manage the stress peak and protect the brain from further damage. If you are having lots of stress, your body can stay in fight-or-flight mode, which will temporarily affect your ovulation. This temporary termination in ovulation makes your period delayed by a week or more.

Weight gain or weight loss

If you eat healthily and still wonder why periods are late, you may need to understand other factors also. Several changes are brought in the body in response to stress and other environmental conditions. In certain conditions, you tend to eat more and in other conditions, you tend to eat less. An extreme increase or decrease in weight can cause wonders in your body. For example, the change in body weight can bring hormonal imbalance causing your period date to change and stop entirely. Despite this, if you are restricted to high calories, you will develop a part of the brain that will respond to the endocrine system and will give instructions to maintain the level of hormones in the body. Also, if you have a delay in the level of communication between your brain and endocrine system, you will surely have a change in hormone level.

Unmanaged workout intensity

If you are following strenuous exercise, it can lead to missed or delayed periods. This is common for people who indulge themselves in a routine of training for several hours. No matter whether you are causing the burning of your calories or intentionally involved in strenuous exercises, you can get no longer periods even for months. When you burn too many calories for the sake of maintaining your figure, you are producing stress on your body to make you feel full even without any food intake. This will put pressure on the hormones working to maintain the cycle in your body. A hormone in stress produces no favorable results. Periods can typically go back to normal routines once you change your intense routine of training sessions.

PCOS

PCOS is abbreviated as Polycystic ovary syndrome, which is the production of various water-filled ovaries in the reproductive system of the female body. It is sure that if you have PCOS, you will have a change in the pattern of your periods because of a change in the level of hormones or hormonal imbalance. Many people going through PCOS do not ovulate in general. Because of PCOS, you may have other conditions rather than delay periods:

Lighter or heavier periods
Inconsistent periods
Disappearance of periods

Early menopause

If you are wondering why periods are late and you are more than 40 years of age, you may have early menopause conditions. Early menopause is also known as premature ovarian insufficiency, which can lead to a permanent stop in your bleeding pattern before you turn 40. When your ovaries are not working the way it works in a normal human body, it causes a delay in hormone levels. As soon as the hormone called estrogen drops or becomes minimal, you start experiencing menopause. If you are going through late periods, it can also be a sign of early menopause. You can connect with your doctor if you experience:

Hot flashes
Night sweats and inability to sleep
Non-sleepy nights

Thyroid condition

Now, if you think managing body weight will solely help you manage your hormonal level, you’re not wrong but also you are not right. Confused!

The thyroid is the butterfly-shaped gland present in the neck. It is responsible for the production or management of the body’s activities, one of which is the menstrual cycle. The medical conditions concerned with the thyroid can split into two categories- hypothyroid and hyperthyroid.

Both of these conditions of the thyroid affect how you bleed during your monthly cycle. Both of these conditions can bring irregularity in your periods, however, hyperthyroid is more likely to cause a delay in your periodic cycle or missed periods, or even late periods. Because of this particular condition, your periods can disappear for several months also.

When is the right time to ask for help and look for a doctor?

If you have a delay in your monthly bleeding pattern, there can be chances that you may be pregnant. You can go for any local pregnancy test which may help you confirm the surety. Also, it is important to look for a doctor, if you have the following symptoms:

Heavy bleeding
Severe abdominal pain
Vomiting and nausea
Fatigue
High fever

Conclusion

The periods are generally late if it doesn’t fall under the time frame of your regular monthly cycle since the start of your ending period. Many things can lead to a delay in period and it can also be the consequence of lifestyle change or any kind of medical condition. If you are facing a regular delay in your periods, you can have an appointment with your nearby Gynecologist in Bhubaneswar.