Your Period Late, Here Are 8 Reasons About It

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STRESSFUL WEEK.” That’s how I started my journal entry on August 9, 2010. I had just turned 25, I was not on birth control, and my period was nine days late.

Every tampon-free trip to the bathroom that week was followed by disappointment, terror, and then panic. All I could think was, “Please don’t be pregnant, please don’t be pregnant.” The stress of potentially having an accidental baby took over every minute of my life.

Finally, a wonderful, much braver friend of mine hauled herself to a CVS at midnight and bought me a pregnancy test, since I was too embarrassed to do it myself. It was negative.

What I didn’t realize at the time is that a period can be late for a slew of reasons that have nothing to do with pregnancy, and my anxiety only exacerbated whatever was going on in my body. In fact, nearly everything—from what we eat to how we sleep to traveling abroad—can affect our menstrual cycles, which is why so many women, at some point, find themselves in the state of panic I did five years ago.

In hopes of quelling future fears, I spoke with women’s health experts about some of the most common things that can make our periods late. Here’s what you should know.

Diet

Our monthly menstrual cycles are regulated by a complex system of hormones involving the brain, pituitary gland, and ovaries. These hormones interact with each other like little messengers, telling the body when to do things like ovulate and shed the uterine lining. And anything—anything—that messes with the system can mess with your period.

One big culprit? Changes in our diet, said Jessica Shepherd, a professor of clinical obstetrics and gynecology at the University of Illinois and a practicing OBGYN. For example, suddenly deciding to go vegan—or to stop being vegan—can interrupt your monthly cycle. This is because the food we eat has a direct impact on our hormone levels.

For example, foods high on the glycemic index such as sweets, white bread, and fruit juice can increase insulin production and change the way the female sex hormone estrogen is metabolized—which in turn can affect our menstrual cycle. Another example? Not eating enough protein can affect the body’s insulin and estrogen levels, which can also throw our hormones out of whack.

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