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Missed period
Category: Women's Health · All women's health symptoms
What it can feel like
A missed period means a period that does not arrive when expected. Pregnancy is the first thing to exclude at any age when it is possible; beyond pregnancy, a single missed period is common and usually reflects a temporarily skipped ovulation, while repeatedly missed periods form a pattern with identifiable causes.
Possible causes
A symptom can have many causes, and most are not serious. The lists below group conditions this symptom can be associated with — common causes first. They are possibilities to discuss with a clinician, not a diagnosis.
Common causes
A missed period can be associated with pregnancy, stress, illness, significant weight loss or gain, heavy exercise, travel and routine disruption, polycystic ovary syndrome, and the perimenopause.
Other possible causes
Missed periods can also be associated with thyroid disease, raised prolactin, premature ovarian insufficiency, and the effects of eating disorders or very low body weight suppressing the brain's hormone signals.
Red flags — when to seek help promptly
- A missed period with a positive pregnancy test and one-sided pelvic pain, shoulder-tip pain or fainting — emergency (possible ectopic pregnancy)
- Three or more missed periods (when not pregnant, breastfeeding or on hormonal contraception)
- Missed periods with milky nipple discharge, headaches or visual changes
- Missed periods with rapid weight loss or signs of an eating disorder
What a clinician may do
A clinician will start with a pregnancy test, then ask about weight, exercise, stress, medicines and other hormone features, and arrange blood tests (thyroid, prolactin, androgens, and ovarian reserve markers where indicated) plus a pelvic ultrasound.
Watch: related videos
Examination and clinical videos from the MedicalVideos.com library relevant to this symptom. Some clinical footage is graphic — that is the nature of a medical video library.
Related guides on MedicalVideos.com
Frequently asked questions
How late is 'late' before I test?
Pregnancy tests are reliable from the day the period is due. If it is negative and the period still has not arrived a week later, repeat the test — hormone levels may have been too low initially, particularly with a late ovulation.
Can stress really stop a period?
Yes — the brain's hormone centre that drives the cycle is sensitive to stress, illness, energy deficit and heavy training, and it down-regulates ovulation protectively. Periods usually return when the pressure lifts, but gaps beyond three months deserve a hormone review rather than indefinite waiting.
Related symptoms — Women's Health
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