What is a Late Period?

When you don't get your period it's called "amenorrhea." Pregnancy, delayed ovulation, or no ovulation (anovulation), are the three possible causes of amenorrhea. The best way to know if your period is late is to track your menstrual cycles each month and check for fertility signs. If you have a late period and there is a possibility you may be pregnant, you may want to take a home pregnancy test. If you are pregnant, then a home pregnancy test is usually positive two to three days after you miss your period or 15-16 days after ovulation. A repeatedly negative pregnancy test even with a missed period typically means that you are not pregnant. A negative pregnancy test a week or more after your missed period indicates that your chance of being pregnant is less than 1-2%. A positive pregnancy test usually means that you are pregnant. However, sometimes it is possible to be pregnant even though you had a negative pregnancy test.

For most women, the very first early pregnancy sign is a missed period. Some other pregnancy symptoms and signs include nausea, breast tenderness, fatigue, mood swings, light bleeding, implantation bleeding, and a missed period. Another reason for a late period is anovulation, where you do not ovulate and therefore will skip your period that month. There are many possible reasons for anovulation, and severe exercise and low body weight are among them. You can also ovulate later than usual, in this instance, your period will still come but will be delayed.

Negative Pregnancy Test: Can I Still Be Pregnant?

A repeatedly negative pregnancy test even with a missed period typically means that you are not pregnant, but it is possible to be pregnant even though your test was negative. ... read more »

What Is a False Negative Pregnancy Test?

Can you get a false negative pregnancy test and still be pregnant? Find out all about false positives, false positives and what those results really mean! ... read more »

Exercise and Late Period

Why is my period late? ... read more »

Is Late Ovulation a Problem?

Late ovulation (after CD 20-21) increases the risk of implantation failure and miscarriage. ... read more »

Missed Period But Negative Pregnancy Test: Why Is My Period Late?

Wondering why you have a missed period but a negative pregnancy test? It is normal for a pregnant woman to get a negative early pregnancy test result after a missed late period. ... read more »

Late Menstrual Period - What Next?

“My period is late, what do I do now?” This is probably the most frequent question we get from women who are trying to conceive (TTC.) The first step is finding out if you ovulated this month; the nex ... read more »