Late menstruation: symptoms, causes, to treatment

x

Definition

Is it late menstruation or menstruation?

Late menstruation, late menstruation, or late menstruation are conditions that occur when you miss one or more menstrual cycles.

A normal menstrual cycle is usually once every 21-35 days. Some women may have a menstrual cycle once every 23 days. The duration of menstrual bleeding itself lasts from 2 to 8 days on average.

Late or late menstruation is actually still a normal condition. Menstrual cycles do not always come on time every month. Sometimes menstruation can be earlier or late than usual.

Late menstruation or menstruation occurs when a woman is menstruating for the first time, or when they are about to enter menopause.

How common is late menstruation or menstruation?

Late or late menstruation is a very common condition with various causes. It could be due to hormones, sexual activity, malnutrition, stress, and chronic disease.

The good news is that late menstruation or late menstruation can be handled by reducing the existing risk factors. Please discuss with your doctor for more information.

Signs & symptoms

What are the signs and symptoms of late menstruation or menstruation?

The main sign of a late or late period is that there is no bleeding from the vagina in the appropriate period of time, for a month or more.

You are generally said to be late or your period is late after 5 or more days from the due date.

Basically the symptoms of late menstruation can vary depending on the cause. However, you can generally still experience PMS symptoms like your period is due even if you don't experience bleeding.

Apart from not having your period, symptoms of late menstruation can include:

• Pimples appear
• Bloated
• Breasts feel painful and more sensitive
• Headache
• Limp, lethargic, and weak
• Cramps in the lower abdomen and back
• Hip pain

When should I see a doctor?

Consult a doctor immediately if you have missed your period in three to six months or even more. Late menstruation or late menstruation for a long time can be a sign you have amenorrhea.

You should also consult a doctor immediately if you experience any of the following signs and symptoms:

• Severe headache
• Vision began to decline
• Nausea and vomiting
• High fever
• Hair loss
• White discharge from the nipple
• Excess hair growth

If you have concerns about late menstruation or late menstruation or have some other questions, don't hesitate to consult a doctor. Remember, everyone's body is different.

Always consult a doctor to know your overall health condition.

Cause

What causes late menstruation or menstruation?

Normal menstrual cycle is generally every 28 days. However, you can sometimes have your period sooner than that, or even longer, once every 35 days.

Quoted from Very Well Health, late menstruation can be caused by:

Pregnant

Late or late menstruation is one of the earliest signs of pregnancy. Try to remember the last time you had your period, and when was the last time you had sex with your partner?

Then, try to observe any symptoms other than late menstruation that you feel? For example, brown spots occur, nausea, breast pain and swelling, or fatigue. If you feel these symptoms, there's nothing wrong with buying a pregnancy test (test pack).

Stress

Apart from pregnancy, stress is also one of the causes of late menstruation or late menstruation that is most often experienced by women. When stressed, your body will produce the hormone cortisol.

This excessive production of the hormone cortisol can affect the part of the brain that plays a role in regulating menstruation, namely the hypothalamus. This can cause your menstrual cycle to be earlier, late, not at all, or even more painful.

So if you feel that your period is coming late and you happen to be stressed, try practicing relaxation techniques such as meditation. Also start changing your lifestyle to be healthier, by adopting a healthy diet and regular exercise.

You also relieve stress by doing the things you find pleasing to your heart.

Strenuous physical activity

Strenuous physical activity can also disrupt your menstrual cycle and make you experience menstruation late.

Physical and mental stress due to excessive physical activity can affect the production of the hormones estrogen and progesterone. It is hormonal imbalance that ultimately causes your menstrual cycle to be delayed or delayed.

In addition, losing too much body fat too quickly as a result of exercising too intensely can also reduce the ovulation process.

Exercise is good for health. However, make sure you do it in moderation.

Drastic weight gain or loss

Changes in body weight that are too drastic, either increase or decrease, can confuse the work of the hypothalamus.

The hypothalamus is a gland in the brain that regulates various processes in the body, including your menstrual cycle every month.

Drastic weight loss can inhibit the production of the hormone estrogen. Meanwhile, if you are overweight, the body will produce large amounts of estrogen.

Well, these two things can affect the ovulation process, aka the release of eggs every month. As a result, your menstrual cycle every month will be late or experience interference.

So that menstruation is not late, make sure you can maintain an ideal body weight. If you are too thin, then try to gain weight in a healthy way. Likewise if you are overweight.

Breastfeeding

Late menstruation or late menstruation can also be caused by breastfeeding. After pregnancy and childbirth, quite a number of women do not menstruate until the end of breastfeeding.

This is caused by the influence of the hormone prolactin, whose main task is to stimulate milk production. This hormone produced in the pituitary gland can inhibit the performance of the hormones estrogen and progesterone to regulate the menstrual process.

When the prolactin hormone is produced excessively, your ovulation period will be hampered so that the menstrual cycle becomes irregular.

Usually, late or late periods will go away and the cycle returns to normal about six to 10 weeks after weaning.

However, if within three months after stopping breastfeeding you don't have your period, check with your obstetrician immediately.

Polycystic Ovary Symptom (PCOS)

PCOS is a condition that causes the body to produce more male hormones, namely androgens.

This hormonal imbalance can cause cysts to form in the ovaries. As a result, the menstrual process becomes late or even does not menstruate at all. If allowed to continue without treatment, PCOS can affect female fertility.

Until now, the cause of PCOS is not certain. However, experts suspect that PCOS is associated with other conditions, namely metabolic syndrome and insulin resistance.

Treatments for PCOS focus on relieving symptoms. Your doctor can give you birth control pills or other drugs to regulate your cycle.

Take birth control pills

Your menstrual cycle may tend to be late or irregular as long as you regularly take birth control pills. The reason is, birth control pills contain the hormones estrogen and progestin which prevent the ovaries from producing eggs. This means that birth control pills will also prevent menstrual cycles from occurring or make them late.

Even contraceptive pills that are not taken regularly can disrupt your menstrual cycle.

If you want your pregnancy or menstrual cycles to return to regularity, you should stop using birth control pills for a month or at least 6 months. However, make sure you consult a doctor first.

Apart from birth control pills, implanted or injected contraceptives can also cause you to miss your period.

Have a history of chronic disease

Chronic diseases such as diabetes and celiac disease can actually affect your menstrual cycle.

Unstable blood sugar is closely related to hormonal changes. Therefore, diabetes that is not well controlled can cause irregular menstruation.

Meanwhile, Celiac disease can cause damage to the bulge of the small intestine. This condition causes the body to be unable to absorb various important nutrients such as vitamins and minerals.

The disruption of the nutrient absorption process can cause you to experience late menstruation.

Early menopause

Generally, women begin to experience menopause between the ages of 45 and 55 years. Even so, there are also those who have menopause under the age of 40. In the medical world, this condition is called premature menopause or premature menopause.

Menopause itself can be said to be the final point of the female reproductive system. Therefore, when a woman experiences premature menopause, it means that her egg supply decreases, causing menstrual periods to be missed and even completely stopped.

Thyroid problems

An overactive or inactive thyroid gland can also be the cause of your late menstruation. This is because the thyroid regulates the body's metabolism, so hormone levels can also be affected.

Thyroid problems can be treated with medication. After treatment, your menstrual cycle is usually not late and will return to normal.

Risk factors

What increases the risk of having a late period or menstruation?

In fact, there are many things that can increase your risk of experiencing late menstruation or late menstruation. Some of them include:

Family history

If your mother, grandmother, or siblings often experience late menstruation, then you are also at high risk of experiencing it too.

Eating disorders

If you have an eating disorder, such as anorexia or bulimia, you are at a higher risk of experiencing missed periods.

Medicines & Medicines

The information provided is not a substitute for medical advice. ALWAYS consult your doctor.

How are late periods or menstruation diagnosed?

If you feel your menstrual cycle is late or late, or abnormal, you can consult a gynecologist. Obstetricians can help treat conditions related to the female reproductive system.

When visiting an obstetrician, the first thing to do is ask about your medical history.

The doctor will also ask about your family medical history, sexual activities, and any psychological conditions you may be experiencing. If all of this information has been obtained, then the doctor will perform a physical examination to confirm the diagnosis.

The doctor will perform a pelvic examination to see if there are problems with the reproductive organs. If you have never had your period, your doctor can check your breasts and genitals to see if you are experiencing any normal changes from puberty.

If necessary, your obstetrician may also order some laboratory tests.

Some of the tests that doctors usually do to diagnose late menstruation include:

Pregnancy test

This test may be the first test your doctor recommends to rule out or confirm the possibility of you becoming pregnant.

Thyroid function test

Measuring the level of thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) in the blood can determine whether the hormone gland is functioning normally or not.

Ovarian function test

Measuring blood levels of follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) can determine if the ovaries are working properly.

Prolactin test

Low levels of the hormone prolactin can be a sign of a pituitary gland tumor.

Male hormone test

If you experience additional facial hair and a lower voice, your doctor will check the levels of male hormones in your blood.

Depending on your signs and symptoms, as well as the results of the blood tests, your doctor may also recommend one or more imaging tests, such as:

Ultrasound (USG)

This test uses sound waves to produce images of the internal organs. If you haven't had your period, your doctor may order an ultrasound to look for abnormalities in your reproductive organs.

Computerized tomography (CT)

A CT scan combines several X-ray images taken from several directions to produce a cross-sectional view of the internal structure. A CT scan can indicate whether the uterus, ovaries and kidneys appear normal.

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)

An MRI uses radio waves with a strong magnetic field to produce detailed images of the soft tissues of the body. The doctor can do an MRI to see if a pituitary tumor is present.

What are the treatments for late menstruation or menstruation?

According to the National Health Service, in general, treatment for late menstruation or late menstruation will depend on the cause of the condition. In some cases, birth control pills or other hormone therapy can repeat the menstrual cycle.

If the cause of your late menstruation or late menstruation is due to thyroid or pituitary disorders, the doctor will usually prescribe certain medications.

Meanwhile, if the cause of late menstruation or late menstruation is due to a tumor or anatomical abnormality of the reproductive system, then surgery may be the best choice.

Home remedies

What are some lifestyle changes or home remedies that can be done to treat late periods or menstruation?

Some of the home remedies that you can do to deal with late menstruation or late menstruation include:

• Avoiding strenuous physical activity
• Eat high nutritious foods
• Doing relaxation by meditating or doing various things that you like
• Implementing a healthy lifestyle, such as quitting smoking and consuming alcoholic beverages

If you have any questions, consult your doctor for the best solution to your problem.