Waiting for Aunt Flo

What is up with this? My periods used to be on the clock - the first of the month. I've really only been paying close attention for the past year when I started having sex, but it's been so exact....until recently. First it was just a day or two later, now it's the 8th and I still haven't gotten it. There's no way I'm pregnant. So I don't get it! Is it stress? I have been under more stress the last couple months. I've also gained a bit of weight - due to stress eating. But it's annoying. Any ideas or advice? Is this normal. I should ask my gyno - but I haven't found one yet....

Ok -- first, it's perfectly normal to miss a period here and there. Stress, diet, medications, illness, loss of too much weight, excessive exercise - changes in any or all can easily result in a skipped period.

You don't get into amenorrhea (absence or suppression of menstruation) territory until you've missed your period for 3 months or longer. Prolonged exposure to conditions like stress, medications, etc., as mentioned earlier, can result in a complete loss of your period. If this is the case, some lifestyle changes are in order.

There are some easily diagnosable medical reasons you might suffer from amenorrhea, like thyroid malfunction, hormone imbalance, or a pituitary tumor. It's also possible you've developed something called Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome, a condition that causes cysts to form in the ovaries, thereby preventing ovulation. Only a doctor is going to be able to tell you if any of these conditions are causing your late period. However, one missed period isn't enough to start worrying about these - you'll just stress yourself out more.

If you skip your period again next month, you need to get on it and find yourself a gynocologist. There are tests that will need to be done to diagnose you. At the very least, you would rule out any medical cause and learn that it was something to do with your lifestyle or environment.

If, on the other hand, you do get your period, consider this month an anomaly, and don't worry about it, unless it happens again, for more than one consecutive cycle.