Q: “I am seeking a help for my dear friend who is in need. She is delayed for 8 days now. According to her, she is in bad pain as same as how it would be when she’d have her period, but it is not happening. She is blessed with a healthy boy. She suffered a miscarriage last December when she was 3 months on the way. She is not pregnant but she is already into another doctor’s prescription.”
Submitted by Nikhar
A: “As I know very little about the lady, her age, her weight, past medico-surgical, Ob-Gyn history, and family history, my answer is general:
Delayed periods:
If you are not pregnant, other causes of missed or irregular periods include:
- Excessive weight loss or gain. Although low body weight is a common cause of missed or irregular periods, obesity also can cause menstrual problems.
- Eating disorders, such as anorexia or bulimia.
- Increased exercise.
- Illness.
- Travel.
- Medicines such as birth control methods, which may cause lighter, less frequent, more frequent or skipped periods or no periods at all.
- Hormone problems. This may cause a change in the levels of the hormones that the body needs to support menstruation.
- Polycystic ovary syndrome
- Ovarian cyst
- Premature ovarian failure is when you stop menstruating before age 40. Surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation therapy to the abdomen or pelvis may cause premature ovarian failure.
Dr Mira Bajirova
Medical Director and Consultant Obstetrics and Gynaecology