Missed or late menstrual period

A menstrual period that is late, and subsequently does not turn up at all, is one of the most obvious and reliable pregnancy signs! If your monthly cycle has been regular, you know when you ovulated and when your period was due, the day of your missed period is one that should definitely prompt you to do an at-home pregnancy test. There are a few caused for late or missed periods, but pregnancy is without a doubt the most common one.

After you conceive, your fertilized egg travels down from the fallopian tubes to the uterus, where it starts to nestle into the lining of the uterine wall. Some women do experience an implantation bleeding something that is sometimes confused with a menstrual period. Normally, this light spotting occurs around a week before your period is due, so if you have regular cycles and keep track of them, separating an implantation bleeding from a period should not be hard. Of course, there are some other reasons why your period might be late.

Extreme stress is one of them. More physical factors like a new exercise routine, significant weight gain or weight loss, illness and the use of certain medications or illegal drugs are also among the things that can delay or prevent periods. Travel can also do weird things to your cycle. Of course, fertility problems like polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) can also stop your cycle.

If you have been having periods regularly, and you have been trying to conceive a baby, a missed period most probably signifies a pregnancy! Before we congratulate you, we do suggest that you take a pregnancy test though! By the time you have missed your menstruation, your body will have produced enough hCG, or human Chorionic Gonadotropin, for a DIY pregnancy test to be very reliable. If you are looking for other signs and symptoms of pregnancy, you can take a look at our complete list of pregnancy signs!