super late period

[Jess~]

usually my period is very regular and lines up almost exactly with my period tracking app's predictions, with the exceptions of the times i've started birth control pills and taken plan b and stuff like that.

my period was supposed to start last sunday, so its now a whole week late. i took a dollar store pregnancy test on tuesday and it was negative, and then today bought an actual pregnancy test and it was still negative. so i at least know i'm not pregnant.

but it's just weird. i've been getting all my usual period symptoms too, which is why i was convinced i was pregnant because the symptoms are generally the same. i was also feeling nauseous a lot and randomly started hating certain foods that i used to love.
i read online that some things that can make you miss a period are stress, over exercise, and dieting.
diet wise i didn't eat for a day and a half straight a couple weeks ago, and then for a few days after that i'd only eat one or two things.
the first day i didn't eat anything i wasn't trying to starve myself, but i was extremely anxiety-ridden for the entire day over something that happened. it was a horrible day and that whole week was probably some of the worst stress and anxiety i've felt in a very long time.

but i don't know, it still didn't really seem like enough to make me skip a period. should i see a doctor or just wait and see if my next period comes?

[Honeybadger40]

Hi Jess,

If you're sure you're not pregnant I don't think you need to worry too much. As you've said above, there's lots of reasons for missing periods/late periods. If you haven't been eating very much recently that may be a contributing factor. If you've been feeling very stressed and anxious that too is likely to interfere with your period. When we feel stressed, our bodies release hormones called cortisol and adrenaline which interact directly with oestrogen and progesterone, the sex hormones that control our menstrual cycles, so stress can lead to missed or late periods.

If you're absolutely sure you're not pregnant (which two negative tests suggests you're definitely not) then I think you should relax for now. Your period may still come if you are having signs that its on its way.

If you miss another period, however, I'd suggest talking to a doctor or nurse about your concerns.

Honey

Hey there,

I agree with the above poster, I missed a period due to stress once. I would have been worried but I wasn't having sex so I knew that wasn't a possibility. You mentioned that you've taken plan b and if you have done so recently that might be causing it. I know that plan b can mess with periods for a while due to how strong it is.

If you don't get your period and are still worried you could call your doctor to go in and talk about what could be causing it. When I missed my period from stress I waited to see if it came the second month before I called the doctor. Since it ended up coming that second month I decided to wait.

Best regards,
Jenna

[Jess~]

ugh, i don't know. for a few days i calmed down but i've been reading these stupid comments online where women said they didn't get a positive pregnancy test until so-and-so weeks pregnant. and now i'm wondering if there just wasn't enough hCG to be detected. i have one more test left so i'm going to try to wait as long as possible before i take that one.
but i'm still having the same "PMS" symptoms. the bloating, gassiness, frequent bathroom visits haven't stopped for at least a week now. as far as i can guess what being pregnant feels like, i just really feel like i'm pregnant. my breasts have also gotten bigger and are really sore. i've gained weight too, but that could be because i haven't been working out or eating as well as i should be.

Hey there,

If you are worried about it you could call a doctor. Let them know what you've told us and go from there. I don't think it's super common to get a false negative on pregnancy tests but it's probably possible. I don't know a ton about how that would work but if you call the doctor and let them know they'd probably be able to guide you on what to do and, possibly, schedule an appointment.

Since you are still dealing with this I think it would be best to call the doctor as it sounds like you are dealing with a lot of discomfort and have been for quite some time.

Best regards.

[Moxie.]

No matter how regular your cycle, every once in a while your body might decide to change things up. As you mentioned, there are a number of reasons that your period might be delayed. Beyond what you already mentioned, have there any been any major lifestyle changes that have occurred within the last few weeks? Sometimes the things that we don't really take into account can have a major impact, simply because of the shift that it causes for the systems of your body.

As Jenna said, going to the doctor might not be a bad idea. While it's likely that your period is just delayed for one reason or another, the fact that you've been experiencing uncomfortable symptoms for about a week without any sign of the start of your cycle means it doesn't hurt to get checked out, just to make sure everything is alright.