Expert answer:
If you are a virgin, you are not pregnant and your period is late, your menstrual delay can have the following causes:
- Anxiety and stress: They can change the menstrual cycle, causing the woman not to ovulate, causing absence of menstruation in a certain month;
- Infections: Gripes, viruses, cystitis or tonsillitis are enough to alter the menstrual cycle. In addition, some remedies used to treat these diseases can deregulate menstruation;
- Rapid Weight Changes: Gaining or losing weight too fast can cause a hormonal change and delay menstruation. This is because fat cells store estrogen, the hormone responsible for the maturing of the eggs. Weight changes can mess with estrogen and progesterone levels, interfering with ovulation and the date of menstruation;
- Thyroid problems: Altered thyroid hormones may cause delayed menstruation;
- Polycystic ovarian syndrome: Increases the production of male hormones that cause changes in the menstrual cycle:
- Intense physical activity: Intense physical exercises can significantly decrease the body's fat cells (estrogen deposits), causing menstrual delays;
- Contraceptive Use: The hormones present in oral contraceptives or injections leave the ovaries in a kind of rest. With the passage of time, they can delay the return of the physiological functions of the same ones and the delayed menstruation;
- Uterine problems: Infections in the endometrium and surgical procedures, such as curettage, removal of the endometrium and uterus, can alter the menstrual cycle.
If your period is late and you are not pregnant, consult your family doctor, general practitioner or gynecologist so that the cause of the menstrual delay is detected.
