So what does it mean when your period is late and your pregnancy tests are negative? Generally, it means you are either not pregnant, or less than two weeks have passed since conception.
How can a period be late without being pregnant? The menstrual period typically begins two weeks after the egg is released, if conception has not occurred. The most common cause of a delayed period in someone who isn't pregnant is that ovulation was late, or didn't occur that month. This can happen randomly in anyone, but is more common with:
- stress (physical or emotional)
- overweight or underweight
- excessive exercise (more than an hour a day, especially in underweight girls and women)
- use of some medications, particularly psychiatric drugs like Risperdal
- thyroid conditions
- pituitary disease (may also notice milky discharge from the breasts)
- other hormonal conditions like polycystic ovarian syndrome
Could my friend be pregnant even though her pregnancy test was negative? This is unlikely, unless ovulation was so late that she didn't conceive until the past two weeks. By two weeks after conception, the first morning urine pregnancy test should be positive if the pregnancy is healthy.
Yesterday, my friend told me she was relieved to finally get her period on day 40 of her cycle. Although she wished to be pregnant, by that time she just wanted the waiting to be over. The not knowing was incredibly frustrating.
Regular menstrual periods can be considered a "vital sign" - a signal that your body is working properly. The hormone state that your body is in when you aren't releasing eggs regularly isn't good for you. While one whacked-out cycle is nothing to worry about, ongoing irregular or absent periods should be evaluated by a doctor, whether you want to be pregnant or not.
