One of the most confusing and worrying situations for women is a missed period, especially if pregnancy is not an option they can accept gracefully. Are you currently or often experience it? Try to identify the reasons to calm your mind, and take care of your mental and physical health. In fact, apart from pregnancy, the menstrual cycle can change when you are under stress, make changes to your routine, take new medications, reduce your calorie intake excessively, do sports that are too intense, have serious health problems, have just had surgery, have an infection, changing sexual activity patterns, and/or changing exercise routines. To identify it, monitor your menstrual cycle every month so you know if it's shortening or lengthening. In addition, consult a doctor if you think the delay is related to a more serious health problem such as a thyroid problem, autoimmune disease, or Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS).
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Method 1 of 3: Considering the Possibilities
Step 1. Consider the possibility of getting pregnant
One of the most common reasons for missed periods is pregnancy. When a woman is pregnant, the lining of her uterus is no longer shed in the form of menstrual blood.
For those of you who are sexually active, this possibility should be considered even if you feel you are being very careful. Remember, no contraceptive method is 100% effective! In other words, the possibility of getting pregnant will always be there
Step 2. Think about whether you have recently experienced a drastic weight change
Losing or gaining weight drastically can affect your overall health, you know! One of the effects will be clearly visible on your menstrual cycle. Therefore, consider whether you are a woman who is obese or has eating disorders such as bulimia and anorexia.
Step 3. Think about the medications you are currently taking
Certain medications, such as medroxyprogesterone acetate (Depo-Provera), can mess with your menstrual cycle. For example, your period may stop after taking Depo-Provera regularly for a year. Although menstruation does not stop completely, the cycle is never regular. Also read the side effect information listed on the drug packaging or consult the relevance of certain drugs to your menstrual regularity.
Step 4. Consider your alcohol, drug, and nicotine consumption patterns
Smoking, drinking alcohol, and taking illegal drugs can disrupt a woman's menstrual cycle! If you do one or even all three, stop immediately and observe the results after a while. If you need expert help to stop an existing addiction, try consulting a doctor.
Step 5. Reflect on your lifestyle
In fact, about 2 to 3% of women who are in college or work as athletes are proven to have irregular menstrual cycles.
Step 6. Think about whether or not the routine has changed in your life
In fact, the slightest change in routine can also affect a person's menstrual cycle, especially since the human body is quite sensitive to changes and the impact will be immediately visible on their menstrual cycle. Try to think about your recent routine, and think about whether you've recently changed the pattern.
For example, maybe you recently changed professions, changed your sleep pattern, took a vacation, took a new medication, took or stopped taking oral contraceptives (such as birth control pills), changed your sexual activity pattern, or changed your exercise pattern
Step 7. Observe your stress level
Stress is one of the main causes of delayed menstruation in women. If your life is constantly plagued with stress, emotional problems, etc., it's natural for your menstrual cycle to become irregular. Therefore, try to reduce stress levels to regulate your menstrual cycle.
While identifying the reasons for your missed period, think about whether something has been weighing on your mind lately. Have you recently experienced a painful breakup? Are you trying to meet a big project deadline at the office? Have you just had an annoying person come home? Or have you never completed a fairly heavy campus assignment?
Method 2 of 3: Seek Expert Help
Step 1. Use a home pregnancy test kit
Since a missed period can be caused by pregnancy, try taking a home pregnancy test yourself. These days, you can easily buy pregnancy test kits at major supermarkets and pharmacies. To get an accurate result, you will need to drain the test kit with urine and wait for the results for a few minutes.
Generally, pregnancy test kits have a good level of accuracy. However, of course you should check with your doctor to get the most accurate and detailed results
Step 2. Consult a doctor
Understand that various physical factors can change your menstrual cycle. If irregular menstrual cycles start to worry you, it's time to see a doctor for a proper diagnosis. At least, the doctor can eliminate various serious health problems and calm your worries.
Chances are, your doctor will perform various tests to diagnose the cause of your missed period, such as a hormone imbalance, thyroid disorder, or Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS)
Step 3. Try taking oral contraceptives
In addition to preventing pregnancy, birth control pills are also often used to regulate menstruation in women, you know! In fact, its effectiveness is high enough to make the body experience menstruation at the same time every month.
- Remember, the effectiveness of birth control pills for each woman varies greatly. If you forget to take it, its effectiveness will decrease significantly. In addition, women who are smokers, over the age of 35, and take birth control pills have a greater risk of stroke.
- Other forms of contraception, such as an intrauterine device (IUD), can also help regulate your menstrual cycle. To find out which type of contraception best suits your medical history, lifestyle, and personal preferences, try consulting your doctor.
Method 3 of 3: Monitoring and Recording the Menstrual Cycle
Step 1. Mark the first day of your period on the calendar
To identify a missed period, you first need to know the due date of your period. Since everyone's body is different, try recording your monthly cycle to see what patterns are normal for your body. To make it easier for you, mark the first day of your period each month on the calendar.
Although 28 days is claimed to be the length of a normal menstrual cycle, actually a woman's menstrual cycle is still considered normal if it is in the range of 21 to 35 days
Step 2. Monitor menstrual cycle using web app
Today, various websites are provided so that women can easily monitor their monthly menstrual cycle. Generally, you must enter basic personal information such as age and health condition to register an account. After successfully registered, you only need to mark the date of the first and last period of the month, and repeat the process in the following months. After a few months, the website will use a special algorithm to calculate and determine your fertile period and the date of your next period.
- Some of the best examples of websites for monitoring your menstrual cycle are MyMonthlyCycles, MonthlyInfo, and StrawberryPal.
- If you prefer, you can also use an online calculator (such as those provided by Always or Kotex) to determine the date of your next period.
Step 3. Download the mobile app to monitor the menstrual cycle
In fact, there are quite a few mobile apps that you can use to monitor your period symptoms and/or predict the date of your next period. If you want to monitor your menstrual cycle easily but with minimal risk, this method is worth considering. Generally, you only need to download the application that is considered suitable, create a personal account, fill in the requested personal data, then record various details related to the condition of your menstruation every month.
