What Can Make You Not Have a Period

Have you missed any periods, or have your periods been irregular?

Irregular means different than what is normal for you (more or less often, longer or shorter, heavier or lighter).

Yes

Missed or irregular periods

How old are you?

Less than 15 years

15 to 25 years

26 to 55 years

56 years or older

Are you male or female?

If you are transgender or nonbinary, choose the sex that matches the body parts (such as ovaries, testes, prostate, breasts, penis, or vagina) you now have in the area where you are having symptoms.
If your symptoms aren't related to those organs, you can choose the gender you identify with.
If you have some organs of both sexes, you may need to go through this triage tool twice (once as "male" and once as "female"). This will make sure that the tool asks the right questions for you.

Are you pregnant?

Yes, you know that you're pregnant.

Pregnancy

No, you're not pregnant, or you're not sure if you're pregnant.

Pregnancy

Do you have symptoms of shock?

Do you feel lightheaded or dizzy, like you are going to faint?

It's normal for some people to feel a little lightheaded when they first stand up. But anything more than that may be serious.

Do you have new pain in your lower belly, pelvis, or genital area that is different than your usual menstrual cramps?

Yes

Lower abdominal, pelvic, or genital pain

How bad is the pain on a scale of 0 to 10, if 0 is no pain and 10 is the worst pain you can imagine?

8 to 10: Severe pain

Severe pain

5 to 7: Moderate pain

Moderate pain

1 to 4: Mild pain

Mild pain

Have you started having periods?

Yes

Has started menstrual periods

Do you think that a medicine could be affecting your periods?

Think about whether the problems started when you began taking a new medicine or a higher dose of a medicine.

Yes

Medicine may be causing symptoms

Is there any chance that you could be pregnant?

Yes

Possibility of pregnancy

Has a home pregnancy test shown that you are pregnant?

This means the result is positive.

Yes

Positive home pregnancy test

Have you been planning to get pregnant?

Yes

Preparing for pregnancy

Do you use a form of birth control that contains hormones?

This could be birth control pills, implants, vaginal rings, skin patches, injections, or an IUD that contains hormones.

Yes

Hormonal birth control method

Have your periods been different than what your doctor told you to expect with your birth control?

This could mean that they are lighter or heavier or that you have missed periods when you weren't expecting to.

Yes

Periods are different than expected with birth control

Have you missed two periods for no clear reason, such as pregnancy?

If a recent home pregnancy test has said that you are not pregnant, then there is no clear reason for your missed periods.

Yes

Two missed periods without obvious cause

Have your problems lasted more than 2 cycles?

Yes

Problems have lasted more than 2 cycles

Many things can affect how your body responds to a symptom and what kind of care you may need. These include:

Your age. Babies and older adults tend to get sicker quicker.
Your overall health. If you have a condition such as diabetes, HIV, cancer, or heart disease, you may need to pay closer attention to certain symptoms and seek care sooner.
Medicines you take. Certain medicines, such as blood thinners (anticoagulants), medicines that suppress the immune system like steroids or chemotherapy, herbal remedies, or supplements can cause symptoms or make them worse.
Recent health events, such as surgery or injury. These kinds of events can cause symptoms afterwards or make them more serious.
Your health habits and lifestyle, such as eating and exercise habits, smoking, alcohol or drug use, sexual history, and travel.

Try Home Treatment

You have answered all the questions. Based on your answers, you may be able to take care of this problem at home.

Try home treatment to relieve the symptoms.
Call your doctor if symptoms get worse or you have any concerns (for example, if symptoms are not getting better as you would expect). You may need care sooner.

Pain in adults and older children

Severe pain (8 to 10): The pain is so bad that you can't stand it for more than a few hours, can't sleep, and can't do anything else except focus on the pain.
Moderate pain (5 to 7): The pain is bad enough to disrupt your normal activities and your sleep, but you can tolerate it for hours or days. Moderate can also mean pain that comes and goes even if it's severe when it's there.
Mild pain (1 to 4): You notice the pain, but it is not bad enough to disrupt your sleep or activities.

Shock is a life-threatening condition that may quickly occur after a sudden illness or injury.

Adults and older children often have several symptoms of shock. These include:

Passing out (losing consciousness).
Feeling very dizzy or lightheaded, like you may pass out.
Feeling very weak or having trouble standing.
Not feeling alert or able to think clearly. You may be confused, restless, fearful, or unable to respond to questions.

Many prescription and nonprescription medicines can affect the menstrual cycle. A few examples are:

Aspirin and other medicines (called blood thinners) that prevent blood clots.
Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), such as ibuprofen (for example, Advil or Motrin) and naproxen (for example, Aleve).
Hormonal forms of birth control, such as birth control pills, Depo-Provera injections, Implanon or Nexplanon implants, and the levonorgestrel IUD (Mirena).
Hormone therapy.
Medicines used to treat cancer (chemotherapy).
Thyroid medicines.

Seek Care Today

Based on your answers, you may need care soon. The problem probably will not get better without medical care.

Call your doctor today to discuss the symptoms and arrange for care.
If you cannot reach your doctor or you don't have one, seek care today.
If it is evening, watch the symptoms and seek care in the morning.
If the symptoms get worse, seek care sooner.

Seek Care Now

Based on your answers, you may need care right away. The problem is likely to get worse without medical care.

Call your doctor now to discuss the symptoms and arrange for care.
If you cannot reach your doctor or you don't have one, seek care in the next hour.
You do not need to call an ambulance unless:
- You cannot travel safely either by driving yourself or by having someone else drive you.
- You are in an area where heavy traffic or other problems may slow you down.

Make an Appointment

Based on your answers, the problem may not improve without medical care.

Make an appointment to see your doctor in the next 1 to 2 weeks.
If appropriate, try home treatment while you are waiting for the appointment.
If symptoms get worse or you have any concerns, call your doctor. You may need care sooner.

Call 911 Now

Based on your answers, you need emergency care.

Call 911 or other emergency services now.

Sometimes people don't want to call 911. They may think that their symptoms aren't serious or that they can just get someone else to drive them. Or they might be concerned about the cost. But based on your answers, the safest and quickest way for you to get the care you need is to call 911 for medical transport to the hospital.

Pregnancy-Related Problems

What Can Make You Not Have a Period

Source: https://www.uofmhealth.org/health-library/mispd/

Bini Shewit