135

Missed Period, Negative Pregnancy Test?

Have you experienced by any chance a missed period & negative pregnancy test? If this may have happened, than you should be very careful because there can be many causes for this medical issue.

Menstruation is a physiological process which is dependent by lots of interdependent factors: it`s about the hypothalamic–pituitary–gonadal axis and uterus.

Missed Period, Negative Pregnancy Test

Any dysfunction at one of these levels has the effect of menstrual cycle disorder or even amenorrhea (the absence of menstruation).

Menstruation can be late due to several factors, besides being pregnant. As mentioned above, the absence of menstruation is medically named amenorrhea and is diagnosed when normal periods don`t appear for 3 consecutive months.

A normal period ideally comes every 28 days, but normal accepted limits are between 25 and 35 days. Menstruation can also be irregular, especially in the first years from the first bleeding during puberty and in the previous period of menopause.

Table of Contents

Missed Period, Negative Pregnancy Test: Causes

When a woman isn`t pregnant, the menstruation`s delay can have different causes, both physiological and emotional. From a high level of stress to various medical conditions, numerous factors can affect the hormonal balance of the organism, especially in the normal action and secretion of sexual hormones.

Most women have between 11 and 13 periods each year, but every organism is different, so is the regularity of menstrual cycles. Even if menstruation is late for several months, a woman can remain pregnant. If the possibility of a pregnancy be installed is excluded, there are other possible causes to be taken into consideration such as:

  • Extreme weight variations (excessive weight gain or loss);
  • Underweight or obesity;
  • Eating disorders (bulimia or anorexia);
  • Intense physical exercise (late periods are often found at athletes);
  • Emotional stress;
  • Certain diseases;
  • Travels;
  • Medication;
  • Hormonal disorders;
  • Drug consumption;
  • Pelvic disorders (non-perforated hymen, polycystic ovary syndrome, Asherman`s syndrome);
  • Breastfeeding (usually, menstrual cycle becomes regular again after breastfeeding is ended).

When menstruation stops before 40 years old, we call this premature ovarian failure, a medical condition caused by surgery, chemotherapy or radiotherapy made in the abdomen and pelvis.

Other illnesses can also be responsible for late periods, such as irritable bowel syndrome, tuberculosis, liver disease or diabetes.
Stress

Traumatic events and stressful situations that aren`t managed properly can lead to hypothalamic amenorrhea. The hypothalamus is a brain area heavily affected by stress, which has the role of secreting hormones from which depends the regularity of menstrual cycle.

Thyroid Dysfunction

The thyroid gland, located in the neck, regulates metabolism and interacts with other systems of the organism, contributing to their proper functioning. Any dysfunction of this gland (hyperthyroidism, hypothyroidism) can cause symptoms which also include menstrual disorders.

Glandular & Chronic Diseases

Diseases which affect the pituitary gland or the ovaries can lead to late periods or amenorrhea. Other metabolic disorders, such as Cushing’s disease or diabetes, can also lead to interfere with the menstrual cycle.

Any chronic disease which isn`t diagnosed or treated (for instance, celiac disease) produces dysfunctions in the organism, which may include menstrual disorders as well.

Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS)

PCOS causes hormonal disorders due to a lack of ovulation, leading to an insufficient secretion of estrogen, progesterone and testosterone. This disease can favor the installation of amenorrhea or periods being late, as well as the appearance of excessive hairiness, weight loss difficulties or infertility. Specialized treatment is the only option to relieve these symptoms.

Chemotherapy & Radiotherapy

Aggressive treatments, such as chemotherapy and radiotherapy, can affect the sensitive balance of events from which the menstrual cycle depends. The result of these treatments, among other adverse reactions, can include or the delay or complete absence of the menstrual cycle.

Contraceptive Methods

Delayed menstruation may also be the result of using contraceptive pills. Birth control pills in small doses of hormones are often the cause of irregular periods, along with other methods of contraception such as IUDs, infections of hormones or other implants designed to protect against unwanted pregnancies.

Discontinuing a treatment with birth control pills can also lead to irregular periods. This problem is usually solved on its own in a few months.

Premature Menopause

When women younger than 40 years old suffer of hormonal disorders, they may enter in premature menopause. This manifests by lack of menstruation, night sweats, vaginal dryness or hot flashes. Early menopause can be diagnosed exclusively by a gynecologist.

Circadian Rhythm Disorders

Sudden change in the daily schedule, which affects the body`s circadian rhythm (for instance, the transition between day shifts and night shifts), can have some effects on menstrual regularity. In this case, it`s recommended keeping a fix recreation schedule on the long term for regulating your period.

Changing your Medication

Women who followed a certain medication treatment for a long period of time and start a new one can notice their period being late. A physician can establish if this is the cause of irregular menstruation and can find a therapeutic alternative to solve this problem. – Read more!

Miscalculating the Menstrual Cycle

The duration of the menstrual cycle varies from one woman to another. Even though the average period is of around 28 days, this may not be the same in all cases. So, many women think their menstruation is late due to general marks on the normal duration of the menstrual cycle.

Prevention of Delayed Menstruation

Since a delay of the menstruation depends of other factors associated with the lifestyle, there are ways of preventing menstrual disorders that target daily habits.

  • Following a balanced diet – Extreme weight changes are main causes for menstrual disorders, so a healthy diet and maintaining the body weight in normal limits are basic conditions in preventing menstrual disorders.
  • Avoiding extreme physical effort – Performance athletes can keep under control the regularity of their menstrual cycle through carefully dosed trainings in terms of physical effort. In case of amenorrhea installation, it`s important a hormones supplementation and calcium intake for reducing the risk of bone loss.
  • Regular sleeping schedule – Insufficient or shoddy rest leads to the installation of hormonal disorders with direct effects on the menstrual cycle.

How to Interpret a Missed Period?

If when you have a missed period, the result of your pregnancy test is negative, this can mean the following:

  • The pregnancy exists, but it`s too early for the test to detect it. You can repeat the test again, but not earlier than 5 weeks after the actual sexual contact which may lead to conceiving a baby.
  • The pregnancy test was defective or was performed incorrectly. In this case, it`s recommended to repeat the test immediately after the first test was done or the next day. If you receive another negative result and you are sure you performed the test correctly, you can assume that there`s no pregnancy.
  • The pregnancy doesn`t exist actually, and the late period is caused by other factors.

Missed Period after Birth & during Breastfeeding

After birth, there may be a prolonged lack of menstruation. For women who don`t breastfeed, the first menstruation can appear after 2 – 3 months after birth. For women who are breastfeeding, the menstruation can appear after birth at 6 – 12 months, or even more. This is absolutely normal and doesn`t require a treatment.

After birth, it`s important to take the following into consideration:

Even regular breastfeeding and lack of menstruation don`t exclude the possibility of conceiving a baby. Keeping in mind that a new pregnancy immediately after birth isn`t recommended due to the excessive depletion of the woman, after 1 – 2 months after birth you should contact a gynecologist and talk about what birth control pills you should take at this moment. – More details!

Missed Period after First Menstruation at Teenagers

At teenagers, the delay or breach the regularity of the menstrual cycle can be due to physiological characteristics or the organism at this age.

The first menstruation at teenagers can appear between 9 – 15 years old (normally 12 – 13 years old).

At first, the intervals between 2 menstruations can be different: either very short (2 – 3 weeks), or very long (3 – 7 months), so we cannot talk about a late period during the first year after its debut.

The biggest break can be between the first and second menstruation. Then, in a period of around a year, the menstrual cycle becomes more regular and predictable. Therefore, late periods which may take place in the first year shouldn`t be a reason for concern (of course, in case that you feel good and the possibility of a pregnancy is excluded).

If the first menstruation appears until 9 years old or the girls doesn`t have a period until 15 years old, she should ask for medical assistance.

Missed Period at 40 – 45 Years Old

As it`s already known, the menstrual cycle is adjusted by functioning ovaries. After 40 years old, the functionality of the ovaries starts to slow down. Therefore, the probability of pregnancy for a month reduces with 5%, and the menstrual cycle become irregular and it may be late.

If you are over 40 years old and you noticed your period being late:

  • In case most pregnancy tests are negative or if the pregnancy is totally excluded, track your menstrual cycle for a few months using the calendar. If you notice a progressive increase in the break between 2 periods, you may assume that you are gradually enter in menopause.
  • During your visit to the doctor, tell him about the changes you noticed in the frequency of your menstruation. After performing the examination and reviewing the evidence, the doctor will surely be able to tell you if you are entering menopause or not.

How to Cause or Accelerate Menstruation when Missed Period?

A specific treatment for the purpose of restoring the menstrual cycle is necessary only in case of severe gynecological problems, which cannot be solved in any other way. Auto-treatment, in such cases, it`s impossible. Therefore, if you are convinced your missed period isn`t related to a possible pregnancy or other changes in your lifestyle, you should visit your gynecologist as soon as possible.

Short delays, which aren`t associated with a severe disease or a pregnancy, doesn`t require any treatment. After a while, the menstrual cycle will be restored.

Image courtesy of motherhow.com

Show Comments

143 Comments

  1. Stromvar June 4, 2022
  2. IverDarm June 4, 2022
  3. ChesterDyesy June 4, 2022
  4. Syigul June 28, 2022
  5. incuchrib August 19, 2022
  6. Clalsekew August 31, 2022
  7. fupChuddy September 2, 2022
  8. Chooggued September 2, 2022
  9. blooguete September 4, 2022
  10. Duemill September 4, 2022
  11. Frickus September 6, 2022
  12. zesserb September 6, 2022
  13. reoloulky September 8, 2022
  14. plalePasy September 9, 2022
  15. bluelia September 11, 2022
  16. Kneense September 12, 2022
  17. fex September 13, 2022
  18. Scuctut September 16, 2022
  19. soifelo September 18, 2022
  20. tuplilt October 6, 2022
  21. Uplindy October 9, 2022
  22. neelery October 12, 2022
  23. Crurope October 14, 2022
  24. Ethislifs November 1, 2022
  25. driency November 13, 2022
  26. Asseptors November 14, 2022
  27. deelvinia November 19, 2022
  28. roarrop November 20, 2022
  29. Bifaple November 23, 2022
  30. Bonsirl December 10, 2022
  31. Equillalk December 12, 2022
  32. blivybiab December 12, 2022
  33. Edgetdype December 16, 2022
  34. Adopity December 17, 2022
  35. ETHIPMENE January 24, 2023
  36. Engague January 25, 2023
  37. Fafeseesk January 27, 2023
  38. jepledo January 30, 2023
  39. gakeldera February 4, 2023
  40. amourne February 4, 2023
  41. ErrodaY February 5, 2023
  42. Ejngyq February 5, 2023
  43. zoritoler imol February 8, 2023
  44. AddevaRes February 9, 2023
  45. nercisa February 20, 2023
  46. UncomeRem February 28, 2023
  47. itemync March 2, 2023
  48. UncomeRem March 7, 2023
  49. fefevenly March 8, 2023
  50. fel3arda March 12, 2023
  51. cloravy April 26, 2023
  52. cloravy May 1, 2023
  53. gissuri May 29, 2023
  54. gissuri June 3, 2023
  55. ReTerTwqbzt June 9, 2023
  56. ReTerTwxlsm June 9, 2023
  57. ReTerTwdysm June 10, 2023
  58. ReTerTwfneo June 11, 2023
  59. ReTerTwkkzk June 11, 2023
  60. ReTerTwduxe June 12, 2023
  61. ReTerTwnzqu June 13, 2023
  62. ReTerTwwcua June 13, 2023
  63. Kaf June 14, 2023
  64. ReTerTwezpa June 14, 2023
  65. ReTerTwjshb June 14, 2023
  66. ReTerTwhtun June 15, 2023
  67. ReTerTwbqjm June 16, 2023
  68. ReTerTwgyml June 16, 2023
  69. DeTerTwyjzj July 1, 2023
  70. DeTerTwzlki July 1, 2023
  71. DeTerTwzpvx July 2, 2023
  72. DeTerTwjbty July 4, 2023
  73. DeTerTwvxtq July 5, 2023
  74. DeTerTwfumf July 6, 2023
  75. DeTerTwdvvk July 7, 2023
  76. DeTerTwhgyu July 9, 2023
  77. GrdaYZerx July 9, 2023
  78. DeTerTwxhxc July 11, 2023
  79. DeTerTwxmjd July 13, 2023
  80. DeTerTwjudj July 14, 2023
  81. DeTerTwpzyq July 15, 2023
  82. XNyOtxCbT July 16, 2023
  83. Vejoift July 20, 2023
  84. Dereknon August 7, 2023
  85. Jimmykaply August 8, 2023
  86. KevinKib August 22, 2023
  87. RNS-MO-But September 2, 2023
  88. scholdingtounk September 11, 2023
  89. scholdingtounk September 24, 2023
  90. Fast_Build_S October 12, 2023
  91. Fast_Build_P October 15, 2023
  92. Uteplenie_Oa December 16, 2023
  93. Uteplenie_Oa December 26, 2023
  94. ppu-prof_Oa January 8, 2024
  95. Xthfadelt February 22, 2024
  96. Sheheive February 25, 2024
  97. Xjjeadelt February 26, 2024
  98. ppu-prof_Oa March 9, 2024
  99. Srthvheive March 12, 2024
  100. KxebPLUPS March 19, 2024

Leave a Reply to tuplilt Cancel reply