# Late Period **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 18, 2001, 2:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/late-period/62376 "2001-04-18T02:26:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Conti](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c67d28/32.png) [@Conti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Conti)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2001, 2:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/late-period/62376/1 "2001-04-18T02:26:50Z")
My girlfriend hasnt started her period yet. It was due 4 days ago. She says that she never misses her period. What else causes this besides pregnancy?? Please please please give me some answers to at least give me a little comfort. Thanks ---
**Author:** ![GilaB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/8e7dd6/32.png) [@GilaB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GilaB)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2001, 2:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/late-period/62376/2 "2001-04-18T02:36:21Z")
Lots of excercize can delay/stop periods. Also dramatic changes in food intake - a starvation diet makes women stop having their periods. ---
**Author:** ![Silver\_Fire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e4f/32.png) [@Silver\_Fire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Silver_Fire)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2001, 2:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/late-period/62376/3 "2001-04-18T02:37:58Z")
I wouldn’t worry about it. As of today, I haven’t had my period in about 4 months. Before that, I didn’t get it for over 6 months. (This isn’t “normal” but it’s typical for me.) Four days isn’t that long and, as long as she’s not pregnant, she likely has nothing to worry about. It could possibly be some type of medical problem, but that’s not likely. If she’s too freaked out about it, she should see her doc. I’d suggest just waiting a few days though. ---
**Author:** ![bernse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a9a28c/32.png) [@bernse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bernse)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2001, 2:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/late-period/62376/4 "2001-04-18T02:38:39Z")
There can be all sorts of reasons… and sometimes no apparent reasons either. I wouldn’t be in panic mode… yet. Be prepared though. If your gonna play, be prepared to pay… ---
**Author:** ![LisaRx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/77aa72/32.png) [@LisaRx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LisaRx)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2001, 2:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/late-period/62376/5 "2001-04-18T02:40:29Z")
There are a lot of things that can cause this besides pregnancy, but she should definitely do a home pregnancy test–$8 and 3 minutes could eliminate a lot of worrying and what-ifs. Is she on the pill? Has she gained or lost any weight? Is she taking any diet pills or herbal supplements? How old is she? There are so many different scenarios, that it’s impossible to know–unless she takes a pregnancy test. When done correctly, they are very accurate. ---
**Author:** ![mnemosyne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c4cdca/32.png) [@mnemosyne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mnemosyne)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2001, 4:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/late-period/62376/6 "2001-04-18T04:34:37Z")
I agree with what everyone else has said (although **Silver Fire** , missing for 4 or 6 months is normal for you? -weird). Stress can often cause a missed period too - has there been any sudden changes in job/school/homelife/exams? And sometimes women simply miss a period, for no reason whatsoever. It just happens that that month, it doesn’t come. But try the pregnancy test, and give it a bit of time. Good Luck. ---
**Author:** ![scampering\_gremlin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e56c9b/32.png) [@scampering\_gremlin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scampering_gremlin)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2001, 5:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/late-period/62376/7 "2001-04-18T05:10:50Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by LisaRx \* > \*\*d 3 minutes could eliminate a lot of worrying and what-ifs. > Is she on the pill? Has she gained or lost any weight? Is she taking any diet pills or herbal supplements? How old is she? > \*\* This is worth a quick mention: about a year ago researchers discovered that the popular herb St. John’s Wort interacts with birth control pills–and makes them less effective. Four days wouldn’t be late enough to worry under normal circumstances. If she happens to be taking both of these please hurry to the doctor. At the very least you’d probably switch to a different birth control method for the near future. ---
**Author:** ![reprise](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ea666f/32.png) [@reprise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/reprise)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2001, 5:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/late-period/62376/8 "2001-04-18T05:22:49Z")
I’m one of those people who does pregnancy tests the day my period is due. Doing one now could save you quite a bit of unnecessary anxiety if it’s negative, and maximise the time you have to consider the options if it’s positive. There could well be other reasons your girlfriend’s period is late, but the first one I’d be looking to eliminate is pregnancy. ---
**Author:** ![Duck\_Duck\_Goose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/50afbb/32.png) [@Duck\_Duck\_Goose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duck_Duck_Goose)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2001, 12:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/late-period/62376/9 "2001-04-18T12:54:47Z")
The stress of worrying about why your period is late can cause it to be late. Tell your GF to relax, there are worse things in life than an unplanned pregnancy (said from the perspective of all the other horrible things that go on in the world daily, so don’t jump my butt about the “agonizing abortion decision”, okay?) ---
**Author:** ![Beadalin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3be4f8/32.png) [@Beadalin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beadalin)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2001, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/late-period/62376/10 "2001-04-18T14:36:36Z")
Like **mnemosyne** and **DDG** have said, stress can easily make a period that late, and often even later. When I was in college, there were a few times when I was over two weeks late, because I had tests or huge papers or whatever else to worry about. And getting stressed over a late period will likely only make it later. When I learned to just relax if my period was late, it stopped being _as_ late. What I finally had to do was tell myself, “OK, if it’s still not here in 2 weeks, **then** I am allowed to be worried. Until then, I ain’t gonna sweat it.” Worked like a charm. ---
**Author:** ![vivalostwages](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/d07c76/32.png) [@vivalostwages](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vivalostwages)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2001, 3:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/late-period/62376/11 "2001-04-19T03:45:08Z")
The Posters are right on. Four days is really not that late. There are many causes for lateness besides pregnancy: medications, illness, diets, stress, exhaustion, and so forth. I was once 8 days late. Why? Because I was going to grad school and also working.