Can any clever folk shed any light on why my period would suddenly be a week late?

[TheMoistWorldOfSeptimusQuench]

No, it's OK, this isn't an "am I pg / go and do a fecking test" thread.

But I usually have a very predictable 28 day cycle and should have started bleeding last sunday.

Loads of angst and two pregnancy tests later, it's only just started.

Not trying to conceive. Any ideas?

Thanks

How old are you?

36. No health problems. Too early for the menopause, surely?

Stressed more than usual?
Doing more excercise than usual?

They can sometimes delay a period.

Think about whether anything stressful or upsetting happened around the time that you normally ovulate - your body may have delayed ovulation a week, which means that everything else would be pushed back as well. Toni Weschler talks about it in her book Taking Charge of Your Fertility - a book I've found really fascinating.

Don't know, you can start to become peri-menopausal about 10 years pre-menopause I think. But sometimes it can just be irregular for no real reason.

A change in routine like travelling/holiday or stress can delay or even prevent ovulation which will in turn delay your period as you usually have a similar length luteal phase (the time between ov & af) each month.

The 2 biggest times I've been really stressed my cycles have been stupidly long because ov just didn't happen.

Interesting. I don't think I'm more stressed than usual, but I am stressed a lot of the time and always very tired (full time working single parent), so maybe it's catching up on me at last.

So I guess if my cycle is irregular, I need to ditch the "oh, its a couple of days before my period so we're OK" ()attitude to contraception?

Ummm... in a word yes!

..and maybe worth a read of "Taking charge of your fertility" ...should be required reading for every woman imo. Totally opened my eyes re cycles, fertility etc.

Yes. You're right. And the book sounds good.

In my defence, I've been successfully avoiding being pregnant for 20 years, apart from the one time that I did want to be pg and succeeded first time. So I've always been quite confident that I know what my body's up to.

But that said, of course things change, and of course one shouldn't be cavalier about such matters

Glad you recommended the book too, terramum. It really opened my eyes to quite a lot!

Hi

I've just had a similiar experience - my period was only 3 - 4 days late, but, I'm normally like clockwork and have also had the mot HORRENDOUS pmt. I know so much can affect your period, but its strange when for years and years you are regular!