Apart from unsafe sex, THESE 6 reasons are also responsible for late periods

Even today, pregnancy is considered to be the first reason for missed periods. Such a situation often worries and most women start doing pregnancy tests. For unmarried women or women who are not ready for pregnancy, this period miss is like a nightmare. Nobody wants to experience this.

But missing periods does not mean only one thing. It can also be due to some other medical and lifestyle factors. Some medications or physical conditions can affect your menstrual cycle. If you're not pregnant, the most common causes are extreme weight loss, hormonal irregularities, and menopause.

Also read: Five food items that can reverse menstrual pain

Know other reasons why you missed periods apart from pregnancy:

1. Stress
Excess stress disrupts your production of gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH). This hormone controls your ovulation and menstrual cycle. Menstruation can be delayed due to both physical and mental stress.

It is not uncommon to miss a period while going through a very stressful situation. However, if you are under stress for a long time and miss more than one period, do consult your doctor. Once your stress returns to normal levels, it may take a few months or more for your cycles to become regular again.

2. High-Intensity Workout
Excessive exercise can cause changes in pituitary hormones and thyroid hormones, which can affect ovulation and menstruation. Working out for an hour or two per day should not affect your period. These hormonal changes require you to exercise for hours daily.

If you plan to do this much exercise, you may wish to consult with a sports medicine healthcare practitioner. He will prepare your body in such a way that you will be able to meet all kinds of physical demands.

3. Change in routine
Changing the schedule can wreak havoc on your body systems. If you change work shifts from day to night, or your schedule is generally erratic, your periods can be significantly affected.
But this may cause your period to start earlier or later than expected. Your cycle may also shift by a few days if you experience jet lag.

4. Effect of drugs
Certain medications, such as antidepressants, antipsychotics, thyroid medications, anticonvulsants, and some chemotherapy drugs, may cause your period to be absent or delayed. Apart from this, birth control pills can also affect your periods.

5. Changing Weight
Being overweight, underweight, or experiencing drastic changes in weight affects your cycle. Obesity affects estrogen and progesterone and can even cause problems with fertility.

Being overweight can be a reason for missed periods. Losing weight can help regulate the menstrual cycle for women. Being severely underweight also hinders regular menstrual cycles. When the body lacks fat and other nutrients, it cannot produce hormones the way it should.

6. Retirement
Menopause is a condition when your menstrual cycle ends. Your periods may become lighter, heavier, more frequent, or less frequent during this time. The problem increases when women experience premenopause. It is often confused with pregnancy and can also cause mental stress.

So ladies, missed periods does not always mean pregnancy. So do not panic and discuss other aspects also with your doctor.