Why you might still miss your period even if you’re not pregnant

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Why you might still miss your period even if you’re not pregnant

You took the test & everything

You've been expecting your period for days and it hasn't shown up. Normally you'd be dreading its arrival, but at this point you're full-on praying for it. Of course, you're first thought goes to, "am I pregnant?." You were brave soul and took a pregnancy test, but it came back negative. That doesn't necessarily soothe your worries much because now you've got a late period, negative pregnancy test situation on your hands. You can breathe a slight sigh of relief because you've got the possible reasons why you're late that have nothing to do with a baby.

"Excessive" weight loss or gain

If you've lost a ton of weight or recently put on some pounds, then that affects your menstrual cylce, according to WebMD. Women who suffer from anorexia and bulimia can stop getting their periods because your body won't ovulate and produce the necessary estrogen amounts.

Increased workouts

Have you been training for a marathon? Olympic athletes typically don't get their periods because they experience amenorrhea, which means you don't get your period for an extended period of time. If you've increased your workout routine and have been hitting the gym really hard, then that might be to blame. You should check in with your doctor if you've missed your period for three months just to make sure you're healthy otherwise.

Illness

Getting over a round with the flu can have longer term effects on your body. When you get sick, you totally get thrown out of your normal rhythm. So we wouldn't freak out when you missed a period after being under the weather the month before.

Your body could also be trying to tell you something beyond, "I'm getting over that nasty cold." When chronic diseases like celiac go undiagnosed, it really adds a serious stress on your body. Missing periods could also be a sign there is something wrong with one of your pelvic organs. We'd go talk to your doctor about this.

Travel

Just like getting sick, traveling totally messes with you. You get jet lag and your immune system goes into a total tailspin. All these things stress your body out and can result in a delayed or skipped period to kick off your cycle.

Stress

You don't have to get a really bad cold or fly across the country to stress your body out. Emotional stress from class, family, or work can really impact your hormone levels. When you feel stress, your body reacts by releasing cortisol. This hormone works to suppress the anxiousness you feel and can end up stopping your reproductive hormones that would normally lead to ovulation.

Drug use

If you've been using any sort of substance, including alcohol, it can really throw your hormones off, as babe previously reported. Some things like cannabis and cocaine could change the length of your cycle, whereas heroin and MDMA can have dangerous long-term effects.

Meds

Starting birth control will defintely alter the length and heaviness of your cycle. It could be irregular for the first few months once you've started. Other types of medication for your thyroid could also put your body on edge.

Hormone imbalance

This would be another thing to ask your doctor about. You could be suffering from Polycystic Ovary Symptom. With a little help from your gyno, you can come up with a treatment plan that will return your cycle to normal.