Expert: Norman Solberg - 1/24/2009

Question
Hi, I'm hoping you can answer a question for me, even though I'm not a teenager.  

Last month (12/08) I did not have my period.  My period the month before was late, as was the one the month before that.  Now, it's January, and my period is late again, but I know I am not pregnant.  I haven't had sex with anybody in several years, so I'm not sure what's going on.  I'm having cramps, and have had for a week now, but it should have started two weeks ago.  I'm not under an unusual amount of stress.  Haven't gained any weight.  I'm not on birth control, so I'm not really sure what the problem could be.  

Thank you for your answer in advance.

Answer
You don't say how old you are, and that could be a factor.  As you get older your periods will tend to be more irregular and you may miss.  If you're still in your 20's that's less likely the case.  Stress and weight change commonly cause period irregularities, but since you don't have them it's hard to know.  Sometimes your body just changes for reasons that we don't understand.