Menstrual Disorders Why You're Not Having Periods When Pregnancy Isn't the Cause By Tracee Cornforth Updated on February 08, 2024 Medically reviewed by Renita White, MD Print Table of Contents View All Table of Contents Symptoms Causes Diagnosis Treatment 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. 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. Why Does Secondary Amenorrhea Happen, and Is There Treatment? 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: Pregnancy Lactation Menopause Premature ovarian failure 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: Contraceptives Antipsychotics Cancer chemotherapy Antidepressants Blood pressure drugs 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: Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) Thyroid malfunction Pituitary tumor Premature menopause 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 uterusLack of reproductive organsAtypical shape and structure of the vagina What Is a Hymenectomy? 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: Pregnancy test Thyroid function test Ovary function test Prolactin test Male hormone test Hormone challenge test Ultrasound or other imaging 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. When Pain Could Mean Ectopic Pregnancy 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. 16 Reasons Why You Missed Your Period 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. Klein DA, Paradise SL, Reeder RM. Amenorrhea: A systematic approach to diagnosis and management. Am Fam Physician. 2019;100(1):39-48. Samal R, Habeebullah S. Primary amenorrhea: A clinical review. Int J Reprod Contracept Obstet Gynecol. 2017;6(11):4748-53. doi:10.18203/2320-1770.ijrcog20174981 Li H, Gibson EA, Jukic AMZ, et al. Menstrual cycle length variation by demographic characteristics from the Apple Women's Health Study. NPJ Digit Med. 2023;6(1):100. doi:10.1038/s41746-023-00848-1 Samperi I, Lithgow K, Karavitaki N. Hyperprolactinaemia. J Clin Med. 2019;8(12):2203. doi:10.3390/jcm8122203 Huhmann K. Menses requires energy: A review of how disordered eating, excessive exercise, and high stress lead to menstrual irregularities. Clin Ther. 2020;42(3):401-407. doi:10.1016/j.clinthera.2020.01.016 Shufelt C, Torbati T, Dutra E. Hypothalamic amenorrhea and the long-term health consequences. Semin Reprod Med. 2017;35(03):256-262. doi:10.1055/s-0037-1603581 Jankowska K. Premature ovarian failure. Prz Menopauzalny. 2017;16(2):51-56. doi:10.5114/pm.2017.68592 Mumtaz A, Khan QA, Asim N, et al. Diagnostic dilemma of celiac disease presenting with weight loss and secondary amenorrhea: A case report. Medicine (Baltimore). 2022;101(42):e31350. doi:10.1097/MD.0000000000031350. Thong EP, Codner E, Laven JSE, Teede H. Diabetes: A metabolic and reproductive disorder in women. Lancet Diabetes Endocrinol. 2020;8(2):134-149. doi:10.1016/S2213-8587(19)30345-6. Acién P, Acién M. The presentation and management of complex female genital malformations. Hum Reprod Update. 2016;22(1):48-69. doi:10.1093/humupd/dmv048 Soren M, Patnaik R, Sarangi BK. A clinical study on ectopic pregnancy. Int J Res Med Sci. 2017;5(11):4776-82. doi:10.18203/2320-6012.ijrms20174671 Nemours TeensHealth. My periods are irregular. What's going on? Additional Reading Pinkerton, JoAnn V. Amenorrhea - Gynecology, and Obstetrics. Merck Manuals Professional Edition. By Tracee Cornforth Tracee Cornforth is a freelance writer who covers menstruation, menstrual disorders, and other women's health issues. 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