Can Stress Make Your Period Late? 4 Ways To Ease

Dr. Dunn A. (M.B.B.S) - Written or Reviewed on March 22nd, 2017 in Pregnancy, Women Health, Women Period

Last updated on July 27th, 2018 at 05:21 pm

Can stress make your period late?

Stress is the body’s way of reacting to danger and threat. If you find yourself in a difficult situation, either physical or perceived, your body reacts to keep you safe.

Have you ever faced real-life dangerous situations? Your body changes very quickly through the flight and fight mechanism. This makes it possible for you to swiftly react to any threat.

However, persistently being under stress due to work, lifestyle or events in your life can totally disrupt important systems in your body – Immune, cardiac and reproductive systems.

What are the symptoms of stress?

Our daily activities may need us to get prepared for any form of emergency. However, if you continue to get stressed out, these are some symptoms you may experience

You feel very pessimistic about yourself and others and finding it difficult to see the positive part of you
You are making a lot of wrong decisions
Your mood changes easily in a swift way
You always feel disturbed by events in your life
You are depressed with limited options to find happiness
You’re taking too much food or eating very little
You get sleepless nights frequently
You can’t get happy easily
It’s getting difficult to interact with others at work or school
You are sleeping too much through day and night hours
You find alcohol or smoking as an easy way to relieve your stress or feel better

If you feel this way, stress is already having an effect on you. Chronic stress may also have physical symptoms like

Generalized body pains
Passing too much of watery stool frequently (diarrhea)
Nausea
Fast heart rate
Constipation

So, what causes stress?

Being stressed out once in a while may not really have a toll on your health. Common causes of stress are

Academic activities and sleepless nights due to studying
Financial issues that are taking a toll on you
Working too much without any leisure time
Stress coming from your family or friends
Sickness and disability
You got divorced recently
After being sacked by an employer

Can stress make your period late?

Yes. Stress affects every system on your body including your heart, immune system and your period. If you continue to get worked up for a long time, your period could come late or be delayed.

How does stress delay period?

The brain’s hypothalamus is the focal point where hormones are released and transported to the ovaries to control ovulation.

The gonodotropin releasing hormone (or GnRH) is released from the hypothalamus and can affect both the ovarian and pituitary secretions of hormones.

During your menstrual cycle, other hormones that play a role are

Luteinizing hormone – Also called LH, is produced by the pituitary
Follicle stimulating hormone – Also called FSH and produced by the pituitary
Progesterone and estrogen

If you either have prolonged sleepless night or get stressed for a long time, GnRH hormone secretion is reduced or stopped. This will prevent release of other hormones – LH, FSH, Estrogen and Progesterone, that work together to control your ovulation and next menstruation.

How to ease stress and feel better

Get prepared for stress and connect with others
Have regular excercise
Find time to break busy schedule and relax
Take healthy diet like vegetables and omega-3-fatty acid which can help improve how you respond to stress
Talk to your doctor

Other reason for delayed period

Stress is not the only reason for delayed period. If you’ve had intercourse with your male partner some weeks ago, you could be pregnant. Some symptoms that is common very early if pregnant are nausea, feeling very tired with or without any activity, change in your mood and activity, urinating frequently, abdominal swelling, abdominal cramps, sore breast, confusion and mood change and increase in breast size.

Other causes of delayed period are

After menarche
Premature ovarian failure
Contraceptive pills
Emergency Pills to avoid pregnancy
After an abortion
Years before menopause

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