"My period is late..." Don't Panic!

My period is late! As much as this idea sounded great when I was waiting to be pregnant, as much as it sounds alarming when my brain and body are not ready for a positive test. The fact is that any woman can experience a late period at a certain time due to many factors other than being pregnant. The most likely reasons are:

• Weight change: A major change of weight whether it is gaining or losing can disrupt the hormone function and thus affect your ovulation cycle. Underweight creates amenorrhea and overweight affect the hormones.

• Exercise excessively: Overdoing physical exercise for a certain period of time can put your body under physical stress. Most athletes experience menstrual delay.

• Stress: The silent danger that can affect your body and be the primary cause of illness. Actually stress is the most common cause for late periods. Stress affects the hypothalamus which is the part of the brain that regulates hormones. If any woman is having a stressful period in her life, her hormones will be disrupted and thus a delay in her menstrual cycle can occur.

• Medications or illness: An illness can affect the ovulation as well since some medications affect the hormone regulations. It is very imperative to tell your doctor if you had been sick lately or you have taken any new drugs.

• Thyroid: If your thyroid is not functioning properly, this can affect the production of prolactin therefore affect the ovulation and thus the cycle will be disrupted.

• Pre-menopause or Menopause: It is the period where you are passing into the non-reproductive age. Your cycle can be irregular and your periods are much lighter than before. Pay attention since you can still be fertile during this period.

• Lifestyle changes: A change to a new job, change of place of living, traveling, etc. All these changes can affect your body and your routine which can cause a cycle delay.

Your cycle is linked directly to the well-being of your body. Any reason that affects your body can create a disruptive cycle. Try to manage a healthy and a relaxed lifestyle!