If you’re a female, chances are that you’re not particularly fond of the hormonal fluctuating that you go through every month. Especially the part where you face cramps, headaches, nausea, and bleeding. On the other hand, they are a constant reminder that your body is doing just fine and that you’re okay to have kids someday if you want them.

On that note, a late period can often be confusing, scary and pretty much inconvenient if you have plans when that happens. But it’s pretty normal for it to happen, due to various reasons.

An Irregular Cycle

Some women experience irregular period cycles from month to month. Which means that while your last cycle might have been 22 days long, this month it could be 34 days long. When your period doesn’t show up as expected, it could be because your body hasn’t finished its cycle yet.

You’re Stressed Out

Stress can cause your body to ovulate later than usual.  When our bodies release an egg from the ovary, it’s to become pregnant. But if you’re upset or worried about something at that particular time, the body will wait until you’re in a better frame of mind, i.e. you need to be emotionally ready to be able to face pregnancy and your body can sense it when you’re not. Due to this, you could quite possibly ovulate up to a week or later than usual or even skip your period altogether.

You’re Sick Or Injured

As talked about above, if your body is not well, then you aren’t equipped to handle a pregnancy. Your body will ovulate only once it feels that you are healthy. This could delay the period or stop it altogether.

Too Much Exercise

Your overall health gets affected when you’re not getting enough to eat or are exercising too intensely. If your body is working too hard to keep you well, then the chances of the occurrence of pregnancy are very slim. This can lead to a late period, irregular cycles or put a stop to it entirely until you’re in peak health again.

There’s A Drastic Change In Your Weight

Being very overweight or underweight might affect your period. Having a BMI that’s either too high or too low can prevent ovulation, leading to irregular periods. Women who have anorexia, for example, may lose their periods.

New Medications

All medications have side effects. Some can alter your cycle. Taking certain prescriptions or changing your meds can make a difference to your cycle, so talk to your doctor if you skip your period.

If your cycle is consistently regular and your period happens to be unusually late, it may raise some red flags, but nothing untoward. While a one-off irregular period may not be cause for alarm, consistently irregular periods are. If you’ve gone three cycles and your period is still irregular, then call your doctor. If you’re changing your pad or tampon every hour and that’s lasting a full day, then you most definitely need to call your doctor.