I’ve Missed My Period… Am I Pregnant?

If your period hasn’t come, you might immediately skip ahead to thinking ‘OMG, I’m pregnant’. But before you start A) freaking out or B) opening your Notes app list of baby names, take a breath. There are plenty of reasons why your period hasn’t arrived, and while pregnancy is one of them, it’s not the only explanation.

Possible reasons for a missed period

Let's get technical! "Secondary amenorrhea" is when your periods go MIA after you've been having them regularly. This is different from "primary amenorrhea" which is when you turn 15 and haven’t had a period at all. 

The main thing to remember is that secondary amenorrhea is about periods stopping after they've already started, while primary amenorrhea is about them not starting in the first place.

There are a few reasons why you may experience secondary amenorrhea. Let’s get into them!

• Stress: Chronic or extreme stress can wreak havoc on your body, which can affect your brain, hormones, and menstrual cycle. 
• Low weight or rapid weight loss: Having a low body weight (about 10% under what’s considered ‘normal’) is related to abnormal hormone function. 
• Excessive exercise: Rigorous exercise is linked to low body fat and high energy output. If you’ve suddenly started an intense exercise regimen or you’ve been hardcore training for a while, your menstrual cycle could be interrupted.
• Illness: If you’ve been really unwell – not just a cough and sniffle – you could miss a period while your body recovers. 
• Medical conditions: There are many other reasons why your period hasn’t arrived, including gynaecological conditions. Chat with your GP about it if this is unusual for you. 

Signs you could be pregnant

Other than your period not coming, these are some common signs that you might be pregnant. Some people experience one or more of these symptoms, while others have none at all.

• Sore or swollen breasts: Hormones could make your boobs feel tender and look fuller than usual. 
• Nausea: You might feel queasy while your body adjusts to your new hormones. (Morning sickness can happen at any time of the day or night, BTW.)
• Peeing more: Your kidneys have more blood to process while you’re pregnant, so you might find yourself going to the loo more frequently. 
• Feeling fatigued: Many people report feeling super tired in their first trimester, thanks to the huge changes going on within their body. If you’ve been throwing up, this can be draining as well. 
• Implantation bleeding: Not everyone experiences pink or brown ‘spotting’, but those that do notice it about 10 to 14 days after conception.
• Increased sensitivity to smell and taste: Suddenly gone off your favourite foods or can’t stand certain smells? Your hormones could be making your senses extra picky!

What to do if you might be pregnant

If you’ve had unprotected sex (vaginally involving a penis) and your period hasn’t arrived, then yes, there’s a chance you could be pregnant. If you’ve had sex AND used contraceptives AND your period didn’t come, it’s possible but less likely that you could be pregnant. Although most modern contraceptives have high success rates when used properly, there’s still a slim possibility it won’t work. 

If you suspect you could be pregnant, you should take a pregnancy test or see your GP as soon as you can. Whether you want to continue the pregnancy or not, you’ll need a doctor to guide you about the next steps. In either case, it’s important to feel informed, empowered, and free to make your decision. Seek support from people you trust, as navigating pregnancy or abortion can be a physically and emotionally challenging experience. 

Practising safe sex with contraceptives

The best way to help prevent pregnancy scares in the future is to use contraceptives. For protection against pregnancy and STIs, it’s ideal to use two forms of contraceptives. For example, this could be using a hormonal contraceptive (such as the pill, injections, or implants) and using condoms. (FYI, don’t use more than one condom at a time, as the friction can cause the condoms to break and be ineffective.) 

As you now know, there are a few reasons why you could’ve missed your period. Stress, body weight, exercise, illness, and other medical conditions could be the culprit. But the big one to consider is pregnancy. If you’re worried you might be pregnant, try not to stress. See your GP quickly to find out for sure. This might feel overwhelming, so lean on people you trust for support.
 
Love, Libra x

Essity Australasia makes no warranties or representations regarding the completeness or accuracy of the information. This information should be used only as a guide and should not be relied upon as a substitute for professional, medical or other health professional advice.