The woman's body is still a mystery to science. But there are points that have long been studied. Only not all citizens know about them. Today we will be interested in the delay of menstruation. What it is? For what reasons can it appear? And how to deal with the corresponding phenomenon? We will have to figure out all this and not only further. Actually, it's not that difficult. Especially if a woman carefully monitors her body.
Menstruation and its formation
What is menstruation? And when does she show up?
This is what menstruation is called. In the people they are called critical days. A woman bleeds during her period. It is not hazardous to he alth. Critical days are a symbol of the fact that the egg in the body has not been fertilized.
The menstrual cycle is the length of time between the beginning of two "extreme" periods. During this period, the egg matures, exits the follicle, travels through the fallopian tubes, fertilization or death of the female cell.
Accordingly, if conception does not occur, the death of the egg occurs. This period endsthen comes the preparation for the critical days.
Phases of the monthly cycle
In order to accurately judge the delay of menstruation, it is important to understand what phases the female reproductive organs have to go through at one time or another.
The monthly cycle is divided into 4 stages. Namely:
- menstrual bleeding;
- follicular;
- ovulatory;
- luteal.
As already mentioned, first the egg matures in the follicle. This period lasts about 14 days. Next comes ovulation - the time when the female cell exits and travels through the body. This is the best moment to conceive. Ovulation lasts up to 48 hours.
If fertilization does not happen, the body goes into the luteal phase. This is a condition in which the egg dies, and the organs prepare for critical days. A new cycle begins with the next menstruation. But what if there is a delay?
Puberty
There is no definite answer to this question. It all depends on the circumstances under which the deviation from the usual cycle occurred.
Delayed menstruation is most common in teenagers. Girls first experience critical days during puberty. There is a hormonal restructuring of the body, and the cycle is only being established.
Accordingly, a few years after the first menstruation, a teenage girl may experience a delay in critical days or early menstruation. The situation does not require medical supervision and is completelynormal.
For newborns
Can there be a delay in menstruation after childbirth? Yes, and this is also normal.
The thing is that after giving birth, a woman is faced with a serious restructuring of the body. At first, there will be no critical days. And after their resumption, "jumps" of the cycle are possible. It either lengthens or shortens. This situation can last up to several years after childbirth.
Important: some girls do not experience menstruation throughout the entire lactation period. This phenomenon is very common. If a woman has her period while breastfeeding a baby, they will be established throughout lactation + about 1.5-2 more years after it stops.
Hormon failures
Delayed menstruation (menstruation) is a problem faced by many women and girls of all ages. But why is this happening?
Quite often the cause of untimely critical days is hormonal failure. It either speeds up ovulation or delays it. And therefore, menstruation comes earlier / later than the due date, respectively.
If you suspect a hormonal failure, you should consult a doctor. The specialist will prescribe a series of tests to clarify the situation. It is possible that some disease or illness is the cause of the hormone failure.
Everything is fine
The reasons for delaying menstruation are different. And among them you can get confused. Especially if you don't take care of your body.
It is far from always necessary to panic if critical dayscame sooner or later. The point is that even a he althy woman may have a standard deviation from the norm.
This means that critical days may come a little earlier or disturb the girl a little later than the due time. A deviation of 5-7 days in one direction or another is considered normal.
However, more often than not, problems with the menstrual cycle make a girl wonder what's wrong. What other scenarios can be encountered in practice?
"Interesting position", or Soon I will become a mother
What does a missed period indicate? Pregnancy is what women suspect when critical days are late or completely absent.
The menstrual cycle ideally stops immediately after successful conception. The fertilized egg attaches to the uterus, and then the development of the fetus begins. New female cells do not mature. Ovulation does not happen and periods do not come.
To determine pregnancy, it is better to do a home test and go to a gynecologist. Studies are recommended to be carried out for 1-3 days of delay. Otherwise, you may encounter false results.
Important: sometimes a girl experiences menstruation during pregnancy. This happens in the first trimester. It is better to see a doctor with a related problem.
Test negative but pregnant
Did you miss your period? Is the test negative? Some girls believe that such a situation is a guarantee of the absence of pregnancy. Is that right?
Not at all. The woman can seea false negative result of a pregnancy test if the test is of poor quality or expired. In addition, in the first days of delaying critical days, the level of hCG in the urine is often too low. And that's why the pregnancy test shows one line.
To eliminate the "interesting situation", you will need to repeat the test for 5-7 days of delay. If you don’t want to wait, you should do an ultrasound and donate blood for analysis for hCG.
Ectopic pregnancy
Woman's period is 5 days late and the test is negative? If there is a possibility of pregnancy, you should hurry with its diagnosis. Why?
The thing is that sometimes girls hear a disappointing diagnosis - an ectopic pregnancy. In this case, the period will not come, and the pregnancy test will either show a negative result, or it will show a second strip, but its color will be dim.
This is due to the fact that when the fetus attaches outside the uterus, the level of hCG does not rise as quickly as when it is in the uterine position. An ectopic pregnancy is dangerous for a woman and almost always ends in miscarriage or abortion. And therefore, you should not hesitate to visit a specialist.
Important: no one is safe from an ectopic pregnancy. Doctors still cannot say exactly under what circumstances this type of "interesting situation" occurs. But he althy girls living in a calm environment are less likely to encounter an illness.
Late "dayX"
Do you miss your period? Is the test negative? If a girl is confident in her he alth, maybe her ovulation came later than the due time. This resulted in a delay in the menstrual cycle.
In fact, "Day X" is influenced by various factors. For example, emotional shock or severe stress. Overloading the body also negatively affects ovulation. And sometimes it comes sooner or later due to hormonal failure or standard deviation.
As a rule, late ovulation occurs as a one-time event. The easiest way to diagnose it is according to the basal temperature chart. During "Day X", BT rises to 37-37.5 degrees Celsius, and then stays at 36.8 to 37.2 degrees.
No ovulation
Delaying your period for a week is cause for concern. Especially if the woman had protected sex.
Nevertheless, untimely critical days should not always make you panic. Even a he althy girl meets with a lack of ovulation. This process is called anovulation.
Usually, the absence of ovulation can be observed up to two times a year. With more frequent manifestations, you will have to consult a doctor for treatment.
Important: with anovulation, the menstrual cycle is delayed by 1 month or more. It all depends on the duration of the cycle. After two full monthly periods, the critical days will still come.
In older women
Immediately after birth, the body begins to develop. This is an inevitable process. It is calledgrowing up. At one fine moment, a person begins puberty, and then he becomes ready for procreation.
Nevertheless, at some point the body begins not to grow, but to age. Life processes undergo certain changes. And girls over 40 experience delayed periods.
Why is this happening? Usually late menstruation is a sign of aging and the onset of menopause. The body simply stops producing eggs for fertilization. And so the menstrual cycle first "jumps" and then stops altogether.
Important: in the rhythm of modern life, even women aged 30-35 can suffer from menopause. Therefore, it will not be possible to independently determine it. I'll have to go to the gynecologist and pass all the tests prescribed by him.
Diseases and the cycle
Delayed period? Is the test negative? If a woman thinks about the causes of deviations in the monthly cycle, one should not forget about such a factor as diseases.
During an illness, the body begins to work differently than before. All his forces are aimed at strengthening immunity and fighting the disease. Therefore, critical days come late.
It follows that even a common cold can become an impetus for adjusting the monthly cycle. After full recovery, the process under study will return to normal.
Important: STDs also affect menstruation. If a girl has diseases "according to gynecology", menstruation will return to normal after completing the full coursetreatment with recovery.
Tumors and Cancer
Long delay (2 months or more) with a negative pregnancy test is a serious cause for concern. After all, sometimes menstruation can indicate the presence of hidden or chronic diseases.
Most often, menstrual cycle adjustment occurs with tumors and cancer. Diseases of the endocrine and genitourinary systems, as well as inflammatory processes also affect critical days.
The most common ailments are:
- ovarian dysfunction;
- polycystic;
- multifollicular ovaries;
- endometriosis;
- uterine fibroids;
- inflammation of the uterus and its appendages;
- kidney problems;
- thyroid disorders.
In any case, only a comprehensive examination will help to identify the disease. It is impossible to diagnose yourself on the basis of signs and signs.
Food and lifestyle
Delayed menstruation is not ruled out due to malnutrition or a passive lifestyle. It's hard to believe, but even diets can cause early or late ovulation.
Bad habits are another factor that negatively affects the body. If you abuse alcohol, tobacco or drugs, critical days can be adjusted. The cycle is broken, ovulation comes earlier / later than the due date.
Obesity or dystrophy also often negatively affects critical days. The cycle returns to normal immediately after adjusting the weight.
Other circumstances
We have studied the main points associated with the untimely arrival of monthly bleeding. But, as already mentioned, there are a lot of options for the development of events. And you can consider them indefinitely.
Among other things, a woman's menstrual cycle can be disrupted under the following circumstances:
- stress;
- emotional turmoil (including positive ones);
- depression;
- being in physical, psychological or mental stress;
- use of certain medications;
- abortion;
- treatment for infertility;
- taking hormonal drugs;
- use of oral contraceptives (especially if they are incorrectly selected);
- long trips;
- acclimatization or a sudden change in weather.
In fact, the causes of delayed menstruation are varied. And not all of them can be easily diagnosed. Sometimes you have to go through many doctors and pass a huge number of tests to clarify the situation.
Signs of delays
A few words about how in some cases it is possible to suspect the untimely arrival of critical days. Consider several scenarios.
A girl may experience these signs of missed periods:
- Basal temperature chart does not indicate ovulation. The worst thing is when BT doesn't have any schedule. The points marked on it are a chaotic set of temperatures. A similar picture occurs with anovulation.
- Nausea, fatigue, vomiting, slight bleeding from the vagina (more often - bloody smears) indicate pregnancy. Sometimes there is pain in the ovaries.
- Pain in the lower abdomen and elevated body temperature for several days may indicate illness or inflammation. Most often - problems in the genitourinary system and tumors.
- Increased hair growth, weight gain and deterioration of the skin are signs of PCOS.
Perhaps, in other cases, you just have to go to the hospital and get tested. Preferably stop at:
- general blood test;
- hCG study;
- ultrasound;
- visit to the endocrinologist, urologist, gynecologist.
All other tests will be prescribed by a specific specialist. Usually you have to donate blood for various hormones and do a tomography. Going to a psychologist and a nutritionist will also not be superfluous.
