When will I know I've missed a period?
If your periods are very regular and usually arrive bang on every 28 days (or however long your menstrual cycle is) you’ll know within a couple of days. For girls who are less regular it might take a while to figure out.
If there’s any chance you could be pregnant, don’t wait to see if you miss your period: see your GP right away.
Does it mean I’m pregnant?
Being pregnant is the most common reason girls miss a period. So if you’ve had sex since your last period, then a missed period is a sign you could be pregnant. See the I Think I’m Pregnant factfile for advice.
But it doesn’t have to mean you’re pregnant - girls can miss periods for lots of other reasons.
What else could it be?
• If you only started having periods in the last year or so, or your periods are normally irregular, there’s nothing unusual about missing periods - even for several months.
• Have you been under a lot of stress? Girls often miss or have late periods around exam time, when they’ve a lot on their minds, or if they’re nervous about something.
• Are you on a strict diet or exercising very heavily? Losing a lot of body fat can make you miss a period. This is a sign you need to eat more or exercise less.
• Girls also sometimes miss periods when they’ve been ill or taking certain medications.
What should I do about it?
Unless you’ve only just started your periods or they’re always irregular it’s best to get checked out by your GP - even if you’re sure you’re not pregnant.
Further help and advice
• bbc.co.uk/health
• addenbrookes.org.uk
Disclaimer: the BBC can't be held responsible for the content of external websites.
Pictures posed by models.
