Thinking about why menstruation was delayed, women rarely suggest that this could be a sign of a serious problem. Very often, everything starts to drift in the expectation that the condition normalizes by itself.
What is ovarian dysfunction?
In general, cycle changes are most often triggered by ovarian dysfunction. This is a generic name for all diseases in which the work of the ovaries is disrupted, which means the ability to produce enough hormones. Dysfunction is any delay of menstruation for more than five days with heavy bleeding in the future. As noted above, few women realize that something threatens their health. They do not see anything serious in the delay and often do not even try to understand why the periods were delayed. How correct is this? In this we will try to understand the article.
Signs of a normal cycle
In the absence of pathologies, the menstrual cycle of a healthy woman has clear criteria. If the designated framework is violated, there is only one conclusion: something is wrong with your health and you need to go to the doctor.
So, signs of a normal menstrual cycle can be considered:
- Small blood loss (up to 100 ml of blood for the entire period).
- The interval between menstruation is from 21 to 35 days, no more and no less.
- The duration of menstruation itself is no more than 7 days.
It is important to note that the woman’s reproductive system is the first to signal problems in the body or a lack of substances. The normal functioning of all organs is possible only if the woman is completely healthy, and this refers to health, not only physical, but also mental and emotional.
Why do girls have periods delayed?
Above, we examined hormonal dysfunction of the ovaries, the most common cause of delayed menstruation. If the hormonal function of one or both ovaries is disturbed, menstruation occurs either after a very long period of time, or begins too early (with an interval of less than 21 days).
The main causes of interruptions in the cycle include:
- Congenital or acquired defects in the ovary itself.
- Inflammatory processes of the reproductive system, including the uterus and appendages. As a result, the cycle and functioning of the ovaries is disrupted. This is also one of the reasons why menstruation is delayed in adolescents. Young girls too often follow the fashion line and admit hypothermia of the reproductive system. As a result, various inflammatory processes occur that can lead not only to disruption of the cycle, but also to adhesions, and this almost always threatens infertility.
- Stress and neurosis. The female body is very sensitive to the slightest changes in the emotional state of a woman. That is why, during exams and difficult life situations, menstruation may not occur for a long time. The best treatment in this case is rest, relaxation and leaving the stress-generating factor.
- Any diseases of the genitals can become the reason why menstruation is delayed. That is why, with a delay, you need to go to the doctor, and not wait for the situation to resolve by itself.
- Change and incorrect position of the spiral, abortion or miscarriage.
- Endocrine diseases. Hormones are responsible for everything in the body, so any endocrine disease also affects the menstrual cycle. This is especially true of diseases of the thyroid gland, adrenal glands. These ailments are not always congenital. They can be acquired if the girl has a predisposition to them.
- The influence of physical factors. For example, a change in climate, place of residence, a sharp change in sleep patterns and rhythm of life can lead to a delay in menstruation. This is not serious, and the delay, as a rule, lasts no more than three days.
- The use of drugs that affect hormone levels. In general, hormonal failure is the reason why menstruation is delayed for a week or more.
By what signs can it be determined that a delay in menstruation is an indicator of a serious ailment?
In addition to the main symptom - delayed menstruation, ovarian dysfunction has a number of distinctive features.
- Irregular cycle. If menstruation is delayed or arrives too early for a long time, and not once or twice a year, then it is worth considering.
- Decreased or increased blood loss during menstruation. Normally, blood loss is up to 100 ml for the entire time. A sharp change in the amount of discharge can also indicate a problem with reproductive function.
- If spotting appears between your periods, see your doctor right away!
- Abdominal pain in the middle of the cycle or a change in the nature of sensations during menstruation itself.
- Changes and disorders in the process of egg maturation, which can lead to infertility and miscarriage.
- Pregnancy. No matter how trivial, it is she who is often the reason why menstruation is delayed. To exclude her, you must either go to the doctor or do a test. By the way, tests can be done from the first day of the delay.
Diagnostics
If the menstruation has come later than the deadline or has not come at all, the first thing to do is consult a doctor. Inspection should be carried out by a gynecologist-endocrinologist. He can prescribe an ultrasound of the pelvic organs, as well as the thyroid gland and adrenal glands. In any case, it is impossible to determine the cause of the delay on your own. Only an examination with a good doctor will help you understand why your periods are delayed for a month, a week or a couple of days.
How to fix the delay?
This question should be asked only after it became known why the periods were delayed. So, if the cause is in inflammatory processes, then the most important thing is to eliminate them. If necessary, you should take a course of antibiotics, which the doctor will prescribe. An important role in the treatment of menstrual irregularities is played by a balanced diet. Poor nutrition is another reason why menstruation is delayed (except for pregnancy).
Cycle failures in young girls
Meanwhile, menstruation is delayed not only in adult women. Young people also face this problem. Many mothers cannot understand why menstruation is delayed in adolescents. It turns out that during the first two years after the onset of menstruation, a girl may have an irregular cycle due to hormonal imbalance. The body is just being formed, and even the slightest stress or excessive physical exertion can provoke fluctuations in the hormonal level. As a result, menstruation can be delayed for a rather long period. It makes sense to consult a doctor if the first menstruation began either before 10 years, or after 15. If after two or three years the cycle has not been established, it makes sense to consult a gynecologist. The most important thing during this period is proper nutrition, a sufficient amount of vitamins and peace of mind. A common treatment method is the correction of endocrine disorders, or hormone therapy.