WEBVTT - What Can Cause a Late or Missed Period?

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to brain Stuff, a production of iHeartRadio. Hey brain Stuff,

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<v Speaker 1>Lauren Bogelbaum Here to the uninformed, a missed period can

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<v Speaker 1>only mean one thing, You're pregnant, But in reality, there

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<v Speaker 1>are numerous reasons why your period might be late or missing. Altogether,

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<v Speaker 1>the menstrual cycle is closely tied to your overall well being.

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<v Speaker 1>Every Body is different, so every cycle works a little differently.

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<v Speaker 1>The typical cycle is twenty eight days long, with three

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<v Speaker 1>to five days of period bleeding, but anything from a

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<v Speaker 1>cycle of twenty one to thirty five days is considered normal.

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<v Speaker 1>And your period might be a couple days longer, shorter,

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<v Speaker 1>and again that's just normal variation. And no, it's not

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<v Speaker 1>literally tied to the cycle of the moon. We're not

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<v Speaker 1>wear wolves, or at least not most of us. But

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<v Speaker 1>if your body is out of balance, that can affect

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<v Speaker 1>the timing of your period or prevent it entirely. The

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<v Speaker 1>medical term for absent menstruation is amenorrhea. Primary emenoriea refers

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<v Speaker 1>to late onset of menstruation or not having started menstruation

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<v Speaker 1>by the age of sixteen. However, the condition is quite rare,

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<v Speaker 1>affecting less than one percent of the population. By the way,

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<v Speaker 1>it's also very common for people to miss periods during

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<v Speaker 1>the first couple years that they start menstruating because their

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<v Speaker 1>bodies haven't settled into a normal cycle yet. A secondary

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<v Speaker 1>amenoriea is more what we're talking about today. It's when

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<v Speaker 1>you've begun menstruating but later stop four to three or

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<v Speaker 1>more cycles. This affects about four percent of the population

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<v Speaker 1>and can be caused by a host of factors, though

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<v Speaker 1>most involve heightened stress, whether physical, mental, or emotional. That's

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<v Speaker 1>because stress can prevent your body from ovulating, that is,

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<v Speaker 1>releasing an egg, which is the precur search to menstruation

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<v Speaker 1>and occurs about fourteen to sixteen days before most periods.

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<v Speaker 1>A stress is a silent menace. It's the primary cause

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<v Speaker 1>of lots of physical ailments. Emotional stress is a particularly

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<v Speaker 1>common cause of late or misted periods in teenagers and

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<v Speaker 1>can affect adults as well. That's because emotional or mental

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<v Speaker 1>anxiety can negatively affect the hypothalamus, which is the part

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<v Speaker 1>of the brain that regulates hormones. It controls the creation

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<v Speaker 1>of the gnatotropin releasing hormone, which in turn signals the

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<v Speaker 1>pituitary gland to secrete the hormones that cause both ovulation

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<v Speaker 1>and menstruation. So if your hypothalamus is impaired by stress,

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<v Speaker 1>there's a distinct possibility that your system won't release an

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<v Speaker 1>EG and won't build up your uterine lining, so there

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<v Speaker 1>will be nothing for you to menstruate, meaning you'll miss

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<v Speaker 1>your period. A stress can include factors like travel and

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<v Speaker 1>other changes to your daily routine like getting a new job.

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<v Speaker 1>Anything that disrupts your usual sleeping and eating schedules can

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<v Speaker 1>potentially affect your period. Obviously, some stress is normal, that's life,

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<v Speaker 1>but being mindful of how it affects you personally that,

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<v Speaker 1>since everyone processes stress differently, is the key to getting

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<v Speaker 1>a handle on it. If you miss periods but they

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<v Speaker 1>return once some anxious situation passes, make a note of it,

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<v Speaker 1>then look into ways to manage your stress. Obviously, this

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<v Speaker 1>is a personal and complicated matter, and you might want

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<v Speaker 1>to talk with the healthcare professional about it, but common

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<v Speaker 1>solutions include exercise in general, breath focused exercise like yoga

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<v Speaker 1>in particular, meditation, mindfulness practices, talk therapy or psychiatric medications.

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<v Speaker 1>And Okay, I know I just said that exercise is good,

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<v Speaker 1>but there is such thing as too much exercise. The

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<v Speaker 1>physical stress that you put your body under during particular

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<v Speaker 1>long or intense exercise sessions can cause your body to

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<v Speaker 1>sort of reallocate resources to prevent injury, sort of like

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<v Speaker 1>on Star Trek when they divert power to the shields.

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<v Speaker 1>After all, your period isn't technically a necessary function. As

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<v Speaker 1>many as forty four percent of women and other people

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<v Speaker 1>who menstruate who exercise vigorously experience a man a rhea

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<v Speaker 1>compared with just two to five percent of the whole population.

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<v Speaker 1>This also ties into body weight and for professional athletes,

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<v Speaker 1>emotional stress. Speaking of body weight in general, medical professionals

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<v Speaker 1>can overemphasize body weight alone as a cause of physical ailments.

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<v Speaker 1>Everyone has their own healthy weight, but whatever healthy looks

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<v Speaker 1>like for you, if you're severely under or over that weight,

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<v Speaker 1>it can place stress on your organs, which can delay

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<v Speaker 1>or prevent menstruation. In most cases, a gradual weight gain

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<v Speaker 1>or weight loss will allow the return of a normal cycle.

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<v Speaker 1>It's critical to avoid doing that rapidly, as that can

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<v Speaker 1>place further strain on your body. This is definitely a

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<v Speaker 1>good reason to consult with the healthcare professional to discuss

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<v Speaker 1>your particular needs. They can help you avoid fad diets

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<v Speaker 1>in favor of a variety and balance of foods that's

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<v Speaker 1>right for you. In some cases, elate or missed periods

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<v Speaker 1>can also be the result of more complicated or serious

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<v Speaker 1>medical conditions. These can include everything from polycystic ovarian syndrome,

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<v Speaker 1>thyroid disease, petuitary disease, a peituitary tumor sexually transmitted infections,

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<v Speaker 1>other infections, or even diabetes, liver ailments, or irritable bowel syndrome.

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<v Speaker 1>So if you've ruled out everything else or are experiencing

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<v Speaker 1>other symptoms, definitely talk to a health care provider. Just

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<v Speaker 1>remember that there are lots of normal things, like some

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<v Speaker 1>methods of birth control, other medications like into depressants and

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<v Speaker 1>perimenopause that can mess with your cycle, And of course

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<v Speaker 1>you might actually be pregnant, but a quick, cheap home

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<v Speaker 1>pregnancy test can rule that one out. Today's episode is

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<v Speaker 1>based on the article five common reasons for a late

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<v Speaker 1>period on how stuffworks dot Com, written by Brion O'Connor.

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<v Speaker 1>Brain Stuff is production of iHeartRadio in partnership with HowStuffWorks

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<v Speaker 1>dot Com and is produced by Tyler Klang. Four more

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<v Speaker 1>podcasts from my heart Radio, visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple podcasts,

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