Missed or Irregular Periods

Check Your Symptoms

If you answer yes to any of the following questions, click on the "Yes" in front of the question for information about how soon to see a health professional.

Review health risks that may increase the seriousness of your symptoms.

If you have any of the following symptoms, evaluate those symptoms first:

• Abnormal vaginal bleeding: Go to the topic Abnormal Vaginal Bleeding.
• Lower abdominal pain: Go to the topic Abdominal Pain, Age 11 and Younger or Abdominal Pain, Age 12 and Older.

Yes	Do you think you might be pregnant?
Yes	Have you missed a period?
Yes	Do you think that your missed or irregular periods could be caused by a medicine?
Yes	Are you an endurance athlete, and you have not started your periods or your periods are extremely irregular?
Yes	Are you age 15 or older, and you have never had a menstrual period?
Yes	Are you using a hormonal birth control method, and your periods are different than you expected?

If a visit to a health professional is not needed immediately, see the Home Treatment section for self-care information.

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Author:	Jan Nissl, RN, BS	Last Updated: July 5, 2007
Medical Review:	Kathleen Romito, MD - Family Medicine Kirtly Jones, MD - Obstetrics and Gynecology
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