Why You're Not Having Periods When Pregnancy Isn't the Cause

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Amenorrhea occurs when you haven't had your period for three months but you're not pregnant. If you normally have irregular periods, it's defined as six months without a period.

Apart from pregnancy, there can be a number of reasons why you haven't had a period. In most cases, diet, stress, and other lifestyle factors contribute to the cause. Rarely, there may be a more serious underlying medical condition like a thyroid disorder.

This article looks at some of the reasons for missed periods. It also focuses on how lifestyle choices may be linked with missed periods and what you can do to change them.

Modern Menstruation
Francesca Yorke / Getty Images

What Are the Symptoms of Amenorrhea?

Most people who miss periods are experiencing disruptions in their menstrual cycles. Some, however, have never had periods. This is called primary amenorrhea. When a person assigned female at birth has not had a period by age 15, it's considered primary amenorrhea. Primary amenorrhea occurs in less than 1% of the population.

Secondary amenorrhea occurs in people who regularly menstruate but stop. Some of the signs or symptoms you may experience with secondary amenorrhea include:

  • Hair loss
  • Headache
  • Vision changes
  • Excess facial hair
  • Pelvic pain
  • Acne

Don't forget to tell your healthcare provider about all the symptoms you are experiencing. They may give a more complete story about the real reason for missed periods.

In most cases, an underlying condition is the reason for your missed periods. Call your healthcare provider for testing and diagnosis so you can find out why it's happening and how to treat the problem.

What Are the Causes of Amenorrhea?

If it's not because of pregnancy, then there's another reason for why you stopped having your period. The cause may be linked to your lifestyle and level of stress, or any medications you take. It also may be a sign of problems with reproductive organs or the glands that help control hormone levels.

Natural Causes

Natural causes for missing your periods include:

How late can a period be without being pregnant?

A late period doesn't always mean you're pregnant. If you don't have an underlying condition that could be causing irregular periods, it is normal for your period to start up to 38 days after your last period.

Medications

Some medications can cause menstrual periods to stop. These include:

Lifestyle

There may also be some lifestyle factors linked to your missing period. These include:

  • Low body weight: This can interrupt the hormonal functions in your body, halting ovulation.
  • Eating disorders: People with anorexia or bulimia often stop having periods because of abnormal hormonal changes.
  • Excessive exercise: This can lead to missed periods due to low body fat, stress, and high-energy activities that burn through calories.
  • Mental stress: Stress can temporarily change how the hypothalamus works. It's the part of your brain that controls hormones that keep your menstrual cycle regular.

Hormonal Imbalance

There are a few medical issues that can lead to hormonal imbalances that affect your period. They include:

In some cases, celiac disease can lead to people missing their periods. Other chronic conditions, including diabetes, also contribute to amenorrhea and other reproductive issues in people assigned female at birth.

Structural Causes

Problems with the sexual organs themselves can also cause amenorrhea. Examples include:

  • Scarring of the uterus
  • Lack of reproductive organs
  • Atypical shape and structure of the vagina

How is Amenorrhea Diagnosed?

Your healthcare provider will perform a pelvic exam to check for any problems. If you've never had a period, your healthcare provider will examine your breasts and genitals to check for the normal changes of puberty.

Because there are so many possible causes for missed periods, more than one test may be needed. Some of the tests your healthcare provider will most likely suggest include:

If other tests show no specific cause, your healthcare provider may want to do a hysteroscopy. During this exam, a thin, lighted camera passes through the vagina and cervix to look at the inside of your uterus.

Ectopic Pregnancy

It's possible that you did become pregnant but are experiencing an ectopic pregnancy. This condition, in which the embryo is implanted outside the uterus (usually in the fallopian tube), is potentially life-threatening.

People who have an ectopic pregnancy don't have periods but do experience vaginal bleeding and severe pain in the pelvic and abdominal area. Seek immediate medical attention if you have these symptoms.

How is Amenorrhea Treated?

The treatment your healthcare provider recommends depends on the underlying cause. In some cases, contraceptives (the pill) or other hormone therapies can help. In other cases, different drugs or even surgery will be the better choice. It all depends on the reason for missed periods.

Summary

There are a lot of reasons for why you may have missed periods but some of them are fairly common. That's especially true in adolescents and young adults, whose periods may vary during the first few years. Beyond your healthcare provider's suggestions, you may want to find a better balance in your exercise, diet plan, and more.

In some cases, the missed periods may be caused by an underlying health condition or a reproductive disorder. Treatment will depend on the diagnosis, which may require a number of tests to complete.

12 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
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Additional Reading

By Tracee Cornforth
Tracee Cornforth is a freelance writer who covers menstruation, menstrual disorders, and other women's health issues.