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What are the causes of delay in periods?

A typical menstrual cycle lasts between 28 to 30 days. If you don’t get periods after your menstrual cycle and if you’re sure you aren’t pregnant, then you shouldn’t take it lightly.

This could be just the tip of the iceberg. The underlying cause could be alarming and needing attention in few cases. This is because periods are a hormone-controlled cycle and any problem in this reflects chemical disarray in the body that needs to be corrected for smooth functioning.
Here are some of the reasons which cause a delay in periods.

1 . Stress
Thanks to the fast-paced lifestyle nowadays, stress has become an integral part of our lives. Hence, stress management is also equally important. If it is not managed well it can mess around with your hormones and bring out many repercussions, one of which is delayed periods.

2 . Weight issues
If you weigh less than 10% of the ideal body weight for your height and age, then there is a good chance that it puts your body under pressure under which it discontinues periods.
On the other hand, being overweight or obese also has adverse effects on our bodies. It causes hormonal imbalance which leads to delayed periods.

3 . PCOS/PCOD
i.e. Polycystic ovarian syndrome. It is a condition where cysts are formed in ovaries which interrupt the menstrual cycle by disrupting the process of ovulation, hence the periods get delayed.
Again, an imbalance of a hormone called male androgen is involved.
This can also be caused by an underlying condition called insulin resistance in which the release of insulin hormone is irregulated. This is either due to hereditary reasons or lifestyle.

4 . Chronic Diseases
Chronic diseases are diseases that last for a long time or a lifetime.
Like diabetes. Diabetes is also a disease associated with insulin imbalance, hence it also leads to delayed periods.
Also other chronic diseases like celiac disease cause such delay. This disease affects the nutrient absorbing capacity of the small intestine which disturbs body functioning which leads to delay of periods.

5 . Thyroid Issues
Hypothyroidism ( under-functioning of the thyroid gland) or hyperthyroidism(over-functioning of the thyroid gland) can cause death or excess of thyroxine hormone in the body.
This, in turn, leads to disturbed metabolism in the body, this is also one of the leading reasons for the period delay in today's generation.

6 . Birth control medications
Any kind of birth control chemicals ingested in the body, do the necessary action, that is of preventing pregnancy by playing a game of hormones.
It is majorly a mix of two hormones called oestrogen and progesterone. These two hormones are called sex hormones and are especially involved in regulating menstrual health.
Hence the interference of these birth control pills with them cause delayed periods.

7 . Perimenopause
This term refers to a condition in which a woman attains her menopause before the normal age of menopause.
For example, the average age of menopause in women is fifty-five years. But in the case of perimenopause, there are chances that she attains menopause way earlier, I.e., at around early or late 40's. It is very rare but possible that this occurs before reaching the 40's.
This condition is generally acquired genetically. In this, the supply of ovules in a woman's ovaries gets exhausted as a reason there are no more periods.
Also, there is a possibility that before attaining menopause/perimenopause, the rhythm in the menstrual cycle is observed to get disrupted.

8 . Improper sleep
Like the menstrual cycle follows a rhythm, our body too follows a rhythm called the circadian rhythm. This rhythm is regulated mainly by our sleeping schedule. Also, our menstrual cycle depends on our circadian rhythm.
Hence, when we follow an irregular and unhealthy sleep cycle, we start a domino effect by immediately messing up our circadian rhythm and in turn ruining our menstrual cycle.

These are some of the reasons for delayed periods. These delayed periods in fact can be considered as signs of these issues in the body. Hence we must be mindful and alert when this happens and take necessary actions.