So you’re not pregnant? Phew! But why is your period so late?
You know the feeling. Pure panic. You’re not ready for a baby, you’ve been tracking your period with a handy app, and you’re hyper-aware of its typical start date every month. So where the heck is it and why is it late to the party?!
Although a missing flow can cause worry and concern, the keen awareness you have around your body’s clock is actually a good thing. That’s because a late period is your body’s way of letting you know something is wrong and it’s time to take action.
If you’ve ruled out pregnancy, then it’s safe to assume your longer cycle or seemingly missing period is a sign that your health is suffering. In fact, the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists advises that medical professionals view the menstrual cycle as a vital sign and take abnormalities such as this seriously as indicators of a health issue.
What I call the “textbook reasons” for experiencing a late period include: pregnancy, breastfeeding, menopause, over-exercising, being underweight , or having cysts on your ovaries, i.e. PCOS. You might also find that your period takes a long time to re-start after you come off hormonal birth control like the Pill, Ring, shot or hormonal IUD.
But if none of these scenarios is causing your period problems, then the culprit is likely one or both of two issues. But you can take a deep breath: there’s no need for panic and both of these issues can be totally reversed in order to get back on track with your periods in no time. Reset your hormones with my free Hormone Detox program or start cycle-syncing your diet with a few major, important food groups. You also pick up a copy of my book “WomanCode” to learn more.
Why Your Period Might Go Missing:
The two common causes of a missing period may surprise you: sugar and stress. Too much of either of these manifests in cycle issues like cramps, worsened PMS, or a late period. And of course, sugar and stress feed off one another to perpetuate a viscous cycle: we seek out sugar when we’re stressed out to sustain our energy and make us feel good.
Reason for Your Late Period #1: Sugar
Sugar elevates insulin levels and leads to extreme spikes and dips in blood sugar. Too much sugar can slow or prevent ovulation altogether (something to note if you are trying to conceive). When ovulation is late or doesn’t happen, your period will also be late because you won’t have gone through the necessary hormonal fluctuations to trigger it.
When your ovary releases an egg, the egg sack then produces progesterone. The increase of progesterone in your body encourages the buildup and eventual release of the lining of your uterus (a.k.a. your period!). Without proper ovulation, the body produces low amounts of progesterone or none at all. That means even if you get a late period, it might not be an official “period” at all, but more like breakthrough bleeding. There’s no biological signal for the period to start, but your uterus needs to shed its lining anyway.
How to fix it: Look, I know the thought of giving up the sweet stuff is painful. But there’s a difference between bad, processed sugar and the good, or much better, kinds of sugar. You can satisfy your sweet cravings without risking losing your period. Try out some better sugar alternatives by making my favorite desserts and treats.
Reason for Your Late Period #2: Stress
A stress overload creates a disturbance in your cortisol levels, aka the stress hormone. Stress raises cortisol levels, increases inflammatory markers in the body, and disrupts adrenal-thyroid performance. When you’re stressed and cortisol is running high, your body’s progesterone supply is used to producing cortisol instead of going towards triggering the onset of your period.
Elevated cortisol also leads to elevated insulin which interrupts ovulation and sends your body the message that you’re not in the right set of circumstances to have a baby. Evolutionarily, this makes sense – in the past, feeling stress meant we were in physical danger and therefore unable to care for or nourish a pregnancy. These days, chronic stress is commonplace and our bodies are hardwired to protect us by shutting down reproductive processes.
The fix: Occasional stress is sometimes unavoidable, but you shouldn’t be feeling freaked out every single day. If you’re getting so stressed out that your period goes missing, it’s time to take action. Practice my extreme self-care techniques and reconnect with your feminine energy.
You have it in your power to have a symptom free and delightful period every month. Investigate why your cycle is off, and take the right steps to get back in your FLO. Having those hormones balanced is the key to unlocking your most powerful self.
Always remember, that once you have the right information about how your body really works, you can start making health choices that finally start to work for you! You can do this – the science of your body is on your side!
*Crave more hormone help?*
If you’re needing some health upgrading, it’s time you started looking into what’s going on with your hormones. Alisa has designed a 4 day hormone detox and evaluation to help you understand exactly what’s out of whack and how you can start getting back to balance so that your hormones no longer have to suffer.
Get your free report: The Magic Missing Micronutrient to Get Your Sexy Back.
