Many girls and women are faced with such a problem as a constant delay in menstruation. The reasons for this phenomenon may be different. However, the first thing that comes to the mind of the fair sex is pregnancy. Most women immediately go to the pharmacy to buy a test. But when it is discovered that there is no pregnancy, then women do not understand what are the reasons for the constant delays in menstruation. It is worth understanding the features of this problem in more detail.
Normal cycle indicator
Every he althy woman should observe the regulation of the menstrual cycle. On average, its duration is 28 days. If there are no he alth problems, then the menstrual cycle should not cause severe pain to the woman. At the same time, it is worth paying attention to the fact that in some cases its beginning is postponed for a couple of days. As for the duration of menstruation, the norm is from 5up to 7 days.
The amount of blood released is small, normally it should be between 50 and 100 ml. This volume includes not only menstrual blood, but also elements of the rejected uterine membrane, as well as parts of a dead egg.
Certain hormones, the pituitary gland and the cerebral cortex are responsible for the normal regulation of the menstrual cycle.
Girls start their period between the ages of 12 and 15. During the first year, the cycle is only being established in girls, for this reason it may be irregular. At this age, many girls have a menstrual cycle of 40 days.
How to recognize a delay
But how to diagnose menstrual irregularities? To do this, you must constantly keep track of menstruation. If about a week has passed from the moment when menstruation was supposed to begin, then this indicates a delay. Experts say that such a delay is absolutely normal if it occurs in women no more than once every 12 months. However, the constant delays in menstruation, the causes of which will be described below, indicate some kind of violations occurring in the body. A delay of no more than 8 days is also considered normal.
Normal or not
The absolute norm is a delay, the duration of which is from 4 to 6 days. However, it is worth paying attention to the fact that a woman should feel good at this time. But if there are constant delays in menstruation, the causes of which may be different, and in parallel with this pain is felt, the generalmalaise, dizziness, you should definitely visit a gynecologist.
As mentioned earlier, the menstrual cycle during puberty in young girls can be set for a year or a year and a half. For example, if girls aged 11 to 15 started menstruating, then for 1 year they do not come every month, which is the absolute norm.
In addition, the norm of menstrual irregularities in women is pregnancy. Menstruation often does not occur after childbirth, when a young mother is breastfeeding a child. The fact is that at this time the fair sex in the body has a hormone called prolactin, it is designed to produce milk. It is he who is the main reason for the suspension of the cyclic function of the ovaries.
At the end of breastfeeding, menstruation should begin in 2-3 months. If, after this time, menstruation has not appeared, then you should seek the advice of a doctor who will tell you how to normalize the menstrual cycle.
Signs and symptoms of delay
Irregular menstruation is often accompanied by the following symptoms:
- Soreness of a different nature. The pain can be cutting, pulling, stabbing.
- Bloating.
- Increased body temperature.
- Nausea and vomiting.
- Excessive irritability.
- Rashes on the skin.
- Excessive sweating.
- Increased appetite.
- Nastysecretions.
- Frequent urination.
Symptoms, like causes, can be individual. They will depend on the disease that provoked the delay in menstruation, as well as on other provoking factors, which are described below.
Reason for delay
Many women complain that their periods are constantly delayed by 10 days or more. If there are no signs that are considered the norm of such a delay, then it is imperative to visit a gynecologist. If all the normal physiological causes that have been described above, as well as pregnancy, have been excluded, then an increase in the menstrual cycle can occur for two reasons. They are divided into two main groups:
- Gynecological.
- Non-gynecological.
To begin with, it is worth familiarizing yourself in more detail with all the causes of this phenomenon related to the first category, as well as with methods of dealing with them.
Adenomyosis
Endometrium is called the mucous membrane of the inner walls of the uterus. A disease such as endometriosis is diagnosed when endometrial cells spread outside the boundaries of this membrane. The disease is divided into two main types: extragenital and genital. The latter, in turn, is divided into external and internal. It is the internal in medicine that is commonly called adenomyosis, in which cells begin to grow into the myometrium. During this, the uterus becomes round in shape, and also increases several times. Its dimensions become as if the sixth orseventh week of pregnancy. During such a phenomenon, hormones in the fair sex are produced incorrectly, this is the reason that the menstrual cycle has increased.
At the same time, it is worth paying attention to the fact that menstruation can linger for a very long time. Therefore, if the menstrual cycle is 40 days or more, then this may indicate the presence of this disease. In parallel with this, the disease can provoke uterine bleeding. Another symptom of the disease are heavy and long periods. There may also be spotting bleeding for several days before and after your period.
As for the treatment of this pathology, hormonal drugs are most often prescribed for these purposes, for example, Danazol, Dienogest, Gestrinon. In some cases, surgery is required.
Ectopic pregnancy
Such a phenomenon in medicine is considered to be one of the complications of pregnancy. This pathology is characterized by the development of a fetal egg outside the uterus. It attaches to the fallopian tube, after which its development occurs on the ovary. In other cases, the fetal egg adheres to the peritoneum. Thus, during an ectopic pregnancy, the embryo is not attached to the wall of the uterus, but to another organ, which disrupts its work. As a result of all this, bleeding begins, which enters the abdominal cavity.
However, the female body in this period works as if it were leakingnormal pregnancy. Progesterone begins to be actively produced, which causes a delay in menstruation.
If a woman takes a test during an ectopic pregnancy, in most cases it will be positive. For this reason, immediately after the test at home, a woman should consult a doctor to rule out the development of this pathology.
The symptoms of an ectopic pregnancy are as follows:
- Severe pain in the area of the abdomen where the embryo has attached.
- Feeling pain while urinating.
- Slight bleeding.
- High heart rate.
- Lower blood pressure.
- General weakness.
The most reliable examination is ultrasound.
As for the methods of treatment, surgical intervention is used in all cases to combat this pathology.
Hormonal disruption
In any female body, hormones play one of the main roles. Their main purpose is to promote the proper functioning of the reproductive system. If there is a constant delay in menstruation for a week or more, then quite often this happens due to a malfunction in the production of thyroid hormones and sex hormones. To diagnose the cause of the delay, a woman needs to visit a gynecologist, as well as take a blood test for hormones.
Ovarian dysfunction
The ovaries are called sex paired female glands. They are responsible for the development of germ cells, andthey also produce hormones. The ovaries function according to a certain cycle. Endocrine changes or an inflammatory process can lead to their dysfunction. And this, in turn, is the cause of the failure of the menstrual cycle. In some cases, delays last from 2 to 6 months, which may cause uterine bleeding. In addition, the menstrual cycle with existing ovarian dysfunction may, on the contrary, be reduced and be less than 3 weeks.
Uterine fibroids
This is the name of a benign tumor that develops in the muscle layer of this organ. The reasons for the development of uterine fibroids have not yet been identified. The main signs of this disease are the violation of the menstrual cycle, while the discharge is abundant, and their duration is more than 8 days. In addition, menstrual flow can be observed twice a month.
Therapy for this disease involves conservative treatment, which uses combined oral contraceptives, as well as GnRH. In some cases, treatment requires surgery.
Abortion
As a rule, termination of pregnancy can be carried out with the help of medicines, as well as by surgical intervention. Abortions are allowed up to 20 weeks of gestation. If the period is short, then it is best to use medical termination of pregnancy. If the period is longer, then vacuum aspiration is used for abortion, as well as an instrumental method. early termination of pregnancycarried out at the request of the woman. However, from the 13th week, abortion should only be performed for medical reasons.
The following bleeding after this procedure occurs depending on the type of abortion. As a rule, after medical termination of pregnancy, menstruation occurs in 1-2 months. After 3 months, the menstrual cycle is fully restored. But if this did not happen, then this is considered to be a complication. In this case, it is imperative to contact a gynecologist.
If a vacuum abortion was used, then the delay in menstruation can last for 3 months, but no more.
After an instrumental abortion, the female body recovers within 1-2 months. It must be remembered that copious discharge may occur within 2 weeks after such a procedure.
Cervical cancer
Such a malignant formation in women in most cases is asymptomatic. Menstruation during cancer is irregular, mostly there are delays. In addition, menstrual flow will not be plentiful, and may also be repeated several times throughout the month. Menstruation may be accompanied by soreness that was not felt before. The color of the discharge may change from light brown to darker.
Polycystic ovary syndrome
This syndrome is a dysfunction of the ovaries. As a rule, with such a diagnosis, menstruation does not occur at all or it occurs quite rarely. For example, menses canbe 3-5 times a year. At the same time, they are either scarce, or, conversely, abundant, accompanied by soreness.
Climax
Quite often there are violations of the menstrual cycle with menopause. As a rule, age-related changes in women are always accompanied by the extinction of the reproductive system. This period is also called menopause. Symptoms of menopause include the complete cessation of menstrual flow. On average, menopause occurs in women around 50 years of age. However, the symptoms of menopause in some cases appear at a younger age. It directly depends on the physical and psychological state of the woman.
In most cases, the fair sex is hard going through menopause only at the beginning of its development. During menopause, a woman feels periodic hot flashes, frequent headaches, sleep disturbance, weight gain, frequent mood swings, pain during urination, itching in the vaginal area, and shortness of breath. It is pointless to treat menopause, you can only alleviate its symptoms. At the same time, experts recommend adhering to a proper balanced diet, maintaining psychological calmness, and also taking vitamins in case of menstrual irregularities.
Now it's worth taking a closer look at non-gynecological causes of menstrual irregularities.
What else causes violations
Other causes of irregular menstruation include:
- Intoxication. Any chemical or alcohol poisoning can cause a malfunctionmenstrual cycle.
- Colds, for example, influenza, acute respiratory infections, SARS. In this case, the immune system is very weakened, which can cause a delay in menstruation.
- Change in body weight. Body weight has a great influence on the frequency of the menstrual cycle. If a woman is obese or underweight, then the hormonal background begins to change dramatically, which leads to the cessation or delay of the menstrual cycle.
- Medication taking. There are such varieties of drugs that can cause menstrual flow or, conversely, delay them. Therefore, before using any medicine, you must carefully read its instructions.
- Diabetes. In most cases, diabetes provokes irregular menstrual flow, as well as early menopause.
- Stressful situations. Any emotional upheaval provokes dysfunction of the hypothalamus, which is the cause of the failure of the menstrual cycle.
- Physical activity. If a woman constantly exhausts herself with physical activity, then male hormones begin to prevail over female ones, which causes a delay in menstruation.
- Climate change. Quite often, the female body, with a sharp change in climate, goes through a period of adaptation, during which deviations in the cycle are observed.
- Diets. Various diets can negatively affect women's he alth. If an inadequate diet was chosen, then this is a huge stress for the body.
Methodsdiagnostics
To identify the root cause of a missed period, a gynecologist may prescribe the following examinations:
- Ultrasound of the pelvic organs, thyroid gland, adrenal glands to determine or exclude pregnancy, gynecological and endocrine diseases, tumors.
- Examination for the absence or presence of various sexually transmitted diseases.
- Various kind of study of the hormonal background of the female body.
- Creating a graph that will display the basal temperature.
- General blood and urine tests.
- Examination of the pituitary gland, which should include magnetic resonance imaging, electroencephalography, computed tomography and radiography.
- Detecting the level of hCG in the blood.
- Consulting with a nutritionist, endocrinologist and psychotherapist.
Only after a complete examination, the specialist should prescribe certain medications and procedures to normalize the menstrual cycle.
Features of treatment
But what to do with a constant delay in menstruation? Treatment for menstrual disorders includes:
- Hormonotherapy.
- Treatment of the underlying diseases that caused the delay.
- Reception of homeopathic medicines and vitamin complexes.
- Gynecological massage and physiotherapy.
- Proper nutrition and giving up bad habits.
- Acupuncture.
Specialists quite often prescribe progesterone for this woman if it was detected during the examinationflaw. This hormone is in most cases prescribed in the form of tablets or injections. The use of progesterone normalizes menstruation, but there are some contraindications. It should not be used during vaginal bleeding, existing breast tumors, or liver disease.
When menstruation is delayed, a homeopathic remedy Pulsatilla can also be prescribed by a specialist. It is prescribed in the event that the delay in menstruation was caused by stress. The granules of this remedy include lumbago extract, which has a large number of healing properties. Avoid coffee, chocolate, tea, mint, citrus fruits, and alcohol from your diet while using this drug as these foods reduce the effectiveness of the drug.
Prevention of menstrual disorders
Most of the diseases associated with the function of the reproductive system are asymptomatic, so it is so important for successful treatment to detect them at an early stage. To do this, you need to regularly visit a gynecologist. But in order to avoid menstrual irregularities, you also need to follow some preventive measures, which are as follows:
- Stop the diet or reduce its requirements.
- Reduce physical activity.
- Avoid stress and also seek counseling and take sedatives.
In conclusion, it is worth noting that every woman at least once in her life has encountered violationsmenstrual cycle. In most cases, this is normal. But if such delays are observed constantly, then this is a reason to see a doctor.
