Can You Be Pregnant and Not Know It and Still Have Your Period?

Verywell / Alexandra Gordon

Can y'all become pregnant without having a flow in months? Yes, it's possible, but information technology'southward not likely. If you lot're not getting your periods, this is a skillful reason to see your gynecologist. In that location are some normal—and some not-so-normal—reasons this can occur. What could cause yous not to get your periods? Could you lot be meaning and non know it?

What do your periods have to do with getting meaning? And, if you desire to get pregnant, how tin your doc assist you conceive if y'all're not menstruating?

Your Catamenia and Getting Pregnant

Your period is the almost obvious sign that your body'southward reproductive system is at least trying to operate. It marks the end of i menstrual cycle. The female reproductive organization is complex, but here is a quick and uncomplicated breakdown of what happens every month (if you lot're getting your periods).

At the showtime of your monthly cycle, specific hormones tell your ovaries to offset developing an egg. The egg, or oocyte, is independent inside a follicle. This follicle is like a tiny chimera. It contains fluid, nutrients, and the immature egg.
For the first half of your wheel (almost 12 to 14 days), the hormones stimulate the follicle and egg to grow. Eventually, the egg reaches maturity.
Halfway through your cycle (at well-nigh mean solar day 14, though this can vary). the follicle bursts open, and the egg is released from the ovary. This is chosen ovulation. The egg only lives for 12 to 24 hours.
For the 2nd one-half of your cycle (days xv to 25, approximately), after ovulation, the hormone progesterone triggers the lining of your uterus to set for a fertilized egg, or embryo. The lining of the uterus is called the endometrium. During this time, endometrium will build upward, condign thicker and changing its physiological structure to be just right for an embryo.

What happens side by side depends on whether y'all take have had sexual intercourse within five days of ovulation. If you have, there may be sperm waiting in the reproductive organization. Sperm can survive in the female reproductive system for upward to v days. Sexual intercourse on the actual day of ovulation, and even the day after, tin can besides pb to conception. If a sperm cell fertilizes the egg, you will become pregnant.

If you conceived, an embryo will implant itself into the uterine lining between seven and 10 days after ovulation. This will trigger different hormones to set the body to nurture a pregnancy.

If you didn't conceive, the hormone progesterone volition begin to drop. Lowering levels of progesterone will eventually signal the endometrium to intermission downward and expel itself. This is your period.

Equally the endometrium is expelled, your body starts releasing hormones to trigger the next month'due south ovulation, assuming you're having regular cycles. Your menses marks the catastrophe of one cycle.

If yous get your period, information technology is likely (merely not sure) that yous ovulated inside the past 2 weeks. Ovulation is required to get pregnant. If you're getting your periods regularly, you are most probable ovulating regularly.

Ovulating Without Getting Your Period

If you are not getting your periods, yous are probably not ovulating regularly. There are a number of reasons this may occur (more on that below). Yet, this doesn't mean y'all won't suddenly ovulate without getting a period beginning.

Equally mentioned above, menstruation marks the end of ane cycle. If ovulation occurs, and yous don't conceive, you volition get your period. But let's say you lot are currently non having regular cycles. You could, depending on the reason why you're non menstruating regularly, suddenly starting time a menstrual cycle.

The cease of your bicycle is marked past your period starting, but there are no obvious signs that your body has begun a bike. You can ovulate and not know it.

You will only know you ovulated if you lot get your period or, if yous had sexual intercourse within your fertile window, y'all get pregnant. You lot may not realize y'all're pregnant for a while, though, since you haven't been getting your periods. You won't have a period to be "late" if you lot haven't been getting one.

Why Yous May Not Be Getting Your Period

The medical term for a lack of menstrual cycles is amenorrhea. It tin can have many causes.

Pregnancy

If yous have had regular periods, and then suddenly stop getting your period, you may be pregnant. This is likely the outset thing you lot thought of when your period was late, and yous accept likely already taken a pregnancy test.

But what if your pregnancy examination was negative? Could you lot notwithstanding exist significant? Yep. It's unusual, only it is possible to be meaning and get a negative pregnancy test. See your doctor for follow-up and confirmation, and until you know otherwise, act as if you lot're pregnant (avoid alcoholic drinks, for case).

Breastfeeding

Exclusively breastfeeding a baby tin preclude your periods from coming. How long will you become without a period when breastfeeding? Information technology depends on how oftentimes you are breastfeeding and your personal biology.

Birth Control

Some forms of nativity control can stop your periods. Your doctor should take told you lot if this was possible when they prescribed it.

If you want to try to conceive, how long will information technology have for your periods to return after y'all stop taking the nascence control depends on your torso and your contraception choice. With Depo-Provera, also known as the "birth control shot," menstrual cycles tend to return about half dozen months later the concluding injection (if you lot were receiving the injections for at least 1 year).

Other Medication

Birth command isn't the only medication that can stop your periods. Other medications that may terminate your cycles include some psychiatric drugs, chemotherapy, allergy medications, and blood pressure pills.

Obesity

Obesity is one of the nearly common causes of infertility. Women who are obese may experience irregular menstrual cycles and, in some cases, their periods may stop completely. Losing weight may restart or regulate your cycles.

Underweight

With obesity, besides much fatty throws off the normal hormonal balance in the body. If you are underweight, the lack of fat can throw your reproductive bicycle off. If this is the problem, bringing your weight up should restart your cycles.

Do or Lack of Body Fat

Y'all may be an athlete who is neither over- nor underweight (based on trunk mass index). All the same, information technology'south not your weight that actually impacts your reproductive cycle—it's the corporeality of fat.

Athletes may have a high percentage of muscle and a low percentage of torso fat. This can crusade their menstrual cycles to be irregular or even cease completely. Excessive exercise can likewise cause your periods to become irregular or stop.

Stress

Stress can cause you to skip a period or 2. Nevertheless, it's highly unusual for stress alone to cause your menstrual bicycle to stop for months.

PCOS

Polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) is a mutual cause of female infertility. I of the primary symptoms of PCOS is irregular or absent periods.

Primary Ovarian Insufficiency

Also known as premature ovarian failure, primary ovarian insufficiency (POI) can cause irregular or absent periods. Sometimes, a person with POI will go months or even years without a period, only to have them restart without explanation. POI besides used to be called "early menopause," only that's misleading. After menopause, menstruation never returns.

Hormonal Imbalance

While PCOS and POI can cause ovulation problems, so can other hormonal weather. Athyroid imbalance, endometriosis, an underlying untreated medical condition (like diabetes), and hyperprolactinemia can pb to irregular or absent-minded periods.

Uterine Problems

Structural problems or scarring of the uterus can crusade your periods to be irregular or stop completely. This may occur after a dilation and curettage (D&C) or uterine surgery.

Menopause

This is sometimes the first fear women have when they suddenly stop getting their period, even if they are years and years away from it condign a reality. While early on menopause is possible, unless you are 45 years quondam or older, it's unlikely menopause is the cause for your lack of periods.

If You Want to Get Pregnant

Doctors usually recommend trying to excogitate for 1 year (or six months, if y'all're age 35 or older) before getting a fertility evaluation. Nevertheless, this doesn't utilize if yous accept signs or symptoms of a fertility trouble. That would include amenorrhea.

If you're not getting your periods, you may be dealing with infertility. Make sure that you and your partner are evaluated. There may be more than than i reason you aren't conceiving, and male infertility is more mutual than you may realize.

Depending on why yous aren't ovulating, and if in that location are other fertility problems, handling possibilities include lifestyle alter, weight loss or gain, or medication change. You may also need treatment for an underlying medical status, or fertility treatments.

If You Practise Not Want to Become Significant

If you don't want to get pregnant, you shouldn't rely on your lack of menstrual cycles as birth control. This is truthful fifty-fifty if y'all've been previously diagnosed equally infertile (unless your doctor tells you lot otherwise).

Equally mentioned higher up, depending on why you're not getting your periods, it'southward possible to ovulate and non get a menstruum first equally an indication that y'all're fertile once again. Talk to your medico about the best contraceptive pick for you lot.

andersonberved44.blogspot.com

Source: https://www.verywellfamily.com/getting-pregnant-without-period-4129279