What causes missed periods? A teen girl may be fine and just a little late with regulating her periods. She may have a hormone imbalance called polycystic ovary syndrome and needs to be checked for high cholesterol and diabetes. She may have an ovary or thyroid problem and need hormones.
It's normal for teens to miss a period, or even go a few months without one like you have. Your body is still growing and adjusting, and your hormones are still figuring their thing out.
Top things to know about why your period might be late:
If you've had unprotected sex and your period is 10 or more days late, you should take a pregnancy test and talk to a healthcare provider regardless of the result. Speak to a healthcare provider if you haven't had a period for more than 90 days.
Your periods will start when your body is ready. This is usually between age 8 and 17, or 2 years after your first signs of puberty. Possible reasons for delayed periods include being underweight, doing lots of exercise (including dance, gymnastics and athletics), stress and a hormone imbalance.
If you have questions or concerns about when you'll get your period, talk to your doctor. And let your doctor know if you don't get your period by the time you're 15, or by 3 years after you started puberty.
When periods are late, many women will have some mild symptoms similar to early pregnancy, including mild uterine cramping. The breasts may feel heavier and fuller or be tender to the touch. Nausea, constipation, mood swings, dizziness and fatigue may be experienced.
Irregular periods are usually not harmful. However, persistent or long-term irregularity may raise the risk of other conditions, such as: Iron deficiency anemia: Blood contains iron. If periods are heavy or frequent, a person may lose enough blood to cause an iron deficiency.
Pubic hair – Once her pubic hair starts growing, you can expect her period to develop in one to two years.
If you have amenorrhea, you never get your period. Although it's not a disease, you should tell your doctor about it because it might be a symptom of a medical condition that can be treated.
If no periods have occurred when a girl is older than 15, further testing may be needed. The need is more urgent if she has gone through other normal changes that occur during puberty. Being born with incompletely formed genital or pelvic organs can lead to a lack of menstrual periods.
Having an irregular period during puberty is normal and something that parents shouldn't be too concerned about if their teen is not showing any other signs of health problems, headaches, or pain. At this age, menstruation can start and stop for many reasons, one of them being the start of puberty and growth spurts.
For most girls, their first menstrual period, or menarche (say: MEH-nar-kee), begins about 2 years after she first starts to get breasts. For most girls this is around age 12. But it can be as early as age 8 or as late as 15.
If your daughter hasn't had her first menstrual cycle by 15, or if more than three years have passed since she started developing breasts, she should see a physician.
More estrogen is made early in the cycle and it peaks just before mid-cycle. This causes the breast ducts to grow in size. The progesterone level peaks near the 21st day (in a 28-day cycle). This causes growth of the breast lobules (milk glands).
Breast buds are small, disc-shaped lumps felt under the nipple and areola. Any lump found under the areola is a breast bud until proven otherwise. Breast symptoms in newborns are also covered. Other symptoms: breast lump, breast redness and nipple discharge.
For some, the first period is light, with a small amount of blood. It may begin gradually, starting with some spotting or brown discharge before becoming red. For others, periods begin suddenly, with bright red blood appearing straight away. In either case, this is normal.
“Things are changing and they might not want to talk about it or know how to talk about it. And the second reason is fear. “I think the idea of bleeding from the genitals might be kind of scary,” he adds. “If a child doesn't understand what's going on they might think that something is wrong with them …”
Most girls get their first period between the age of 9 and 16, and puberty normally begins around the age of 8 to 14. Most girls will not start menstruation until they weigh at least 100 pounds. Puberty hormones lead to girls developing breast, hips, pubic hair, and growing in height.
Why do I have cramps but no period? Your period may be late or, depending on your other symptoms, you could be pregnant or have one of several other conditions, such as pelvic inflammatory disease (PID), endometriosis, uterine fibroid or polyps, or polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS).