Could I be pregnant?
If you have had sex and your period is late, take a home pregnancy test first. Use the first urine of the morning, on or after the day the period was due. If it is negative and the period still has not come a week later, repeat it.
If it is positive, book a first visit at around 6 to 8 weeks; see what happens at your first pregnancy visit. A positive test with pain on one side or bleeding needs a doctor the same day, to rule out a pregnancy outside the uterus (ectopic pregnancy).
See a doctor soon
Bleeding after menopause (any bleeding a year or more after periods stopped) and bleeding after intercourse are not period problems. Both need an examination within days. Call or WhatsApp the clinic and say it is urgent.
What else can stop a period?
If the test is negative, one of these is usually the reason.
- Stress. Exams, a new job, illness or grief can pause the brain's signal to the ovaries for a month or two.
- Weight change. Quick weight loss or gain, crash diets and heavy exercise disturb ovulation.
- Thyroid problems. An underactive or overactive thyroid stops periods. A TSH blood test picks it up.
- High prolactin. When this milk hormone is high in a woman who is not breastfeeding, periods stop and the nipples may leak milk. A blood test confirms it.
- Breastfeeding. Periods often stay away while you feed fully, but you can still ovulate, so you still need contraception.
- Medicines. The contraceptive injection, the hormonal IUD, some medicines for mental health and steroids can all stop periods.
Is it PCOD (PCOS)?
PCOD (polycystic ovarian disease, also called PCOS) is the commonest cause of missed periods in women under 35 once pregnancy is ruled out. The ovaries do not release an egg every month, so periods come late or skip. Other signs are weight gain, pimples, hair on the chin or upper lip, and a dark patch of skin on the neck.
It is diagnosed from your history, blood tests and a pelvic scan, and it is treatable: cycle-regulating tablets, tablets that improve how the body handles sugar, a food and weight plan, or ovulation-induction tablets if you want to conceive. Read more about PCOD and PCOS treatment in Chennai. Younger patients often see Dr. Ragavi for this at RV Clinic Thalambur, near the OMR IT parks.
Periods changing after 40: what is normal?
From the early forties the ovaries slow down (perimenopause). Cycles become shorter or longer, a period may skip for two or three months, and the flow changes. That pattern is normal.
Three changes are not normal: bleeding much heavier than before, bleeding between periods, and any bleeding after a gap of a year. These need a scan of the lining of the uterus (endometrium) and sometimes a small sample from it. Hot flushes in these years are covered under menopause care in Chennai.
When should I see a doctor about a missed period?
- Three months without a period, and you are not pregnant.
- Periods that were regular and have stopped suddenly.
- A positive pregnancy test with pain on one side or bleeding.
- Any change in your bleeding pattern after 40.
- No period at all by age 16. See adolescent gynaecology for teenage period problems.
- Missed periods with hot flushes before 40, or with headaches or a change in vision.
What happens at the consultation?
Dr. Ragavi Vikram listens first: your last period date, weight change, stress, medicines, breastfeeding, and whether you are planning a pregnancy. An examination follows only if it is needed, with a lady attender present.
The usual tests are blood tests for thyroid (TSH), prolactin and sugar (HbA1c) and, where PCOD or early menopause is suspected, the hormones FSH, LH and AMH, plus a pelvic scan of the uterus and ovaries. A first visit takes about 20 minutes, and you leave with a written plan that matches the cause: progesterone tablets to bring on a period, thyroid tablets, or cycle regulation for PCOD.
A note on scans
Sex determination of the foetus is not done at RV Clinic, and no scan report here will state it. It is a punishable offence under the PCPNDT Act, 1994.
Frequently asked questions
Period varala, pregnancy test negative. What should I do?
Wait a week and repeat the test with the morning urine. If it is still negative and the period has not come within a month, book a check. The usual causes are PCOD, stress and thyroid problems, and all three are treatable.
Can stress alone stop my period?
Yes, for a month or two. If the gap reaches three months, get tested rather than assuming.
Will a tablet bring my period back?
Progesterone tablets usually bring on a bleed within a week of the course ending. They do not fix the cause, so Dr. Ragavi prescribes them only after finding out why the period stopped, and never before ruling out pregnancy.
Book a consultation
Three months without a period, or a cycle change after 40? Call or WhatsApp the clinic. Appointments are usually available the same day at Madipakkam and Thalambur.