Questioni had my tubes tied 9 years ago this march. since then i have had very little trouble with my cycle. i went five years without having sex and 4 months ago started an intimate relationship. i also had a back injury that required me to take medication but just for one week. i'm 37 years old and am five days late this month. i was just wondering if there could be any other reason other than being pregnant that i'm late? i'm frightened that something serious could be wrong. ANY answer would help. thanks
AnswerDear Catrinna,
There are many various causes for amenorrhea (absence of periods) - pregnancy being just one. Others can be:
-Hormonal imbalances, which cause fluctuating levels of the hormones needed to support menstruation
-Emotional or physical stress / Depression
-Rapid weight loss or gain
-Change in diet
-Low body weight
-Obesity
-Frequent or strenuous exercise
-Cysts or tumors in the ovaries
-Thyroid or Pituitary dysfunction
-Certain medications or drug use
-Menopause OR Premature ovarian failure (menopause before age 40)
-Occasionally stopping birth control pills
Occasionally a woman can still get pregnant, despite having had her tubes tied properly. The tubes can evolve in such a way as to try to heal themselves, and sometimes a tract develops that allows egg and sperm to meet. However, tubal ligation, regardless of whether the tubes are cut, burned, clipped, banded, or tied, is about 99% effective, meaning that about 1% of women will conceive an unplanned pregnancy after tubal ligation. This failure occurs slightly more frequently in younger women.
Symptoms which are typically associated with early pregnancy (absence of period, breast tenderness/swelling, headache, nausea, fatigue, backache, etc,...) are basically hormonally related and can also be related to hormone fluctuations within our cycles. That is why it is so difficult to "diagnose" a pregnancy based on symptoms alone.
At 37 years of age, it is possible that you are beginning perimenopause. Perimenopause is the time leading up to menopause when you start to notice menopause-related changes--plus the year after menopause. Perimenopause is what some people call "being in menopause" or "going through menopause." But menopause itself is only one day--the day you haven't had a period for 12 months in a row. During perimenopause, your ovaries start to shut down, making less of certain hormones (estrogen and progesterone), and you begin to lose the ability to become pregnant. Women normally go through perimenopause in their 40s to early 50s, but some women start perimenopause earlier, even in their 30s. When perimenopause starts, and how long it lasts varies from woman to woman.
Your only symptom may be your period stopping, but you may have other symptoms, too. Menopause-related symptoms you might have during perimenopause include:
-Changes in pattern of periods (can be shorter or longer, lighter or heavier, more or less time between periods, or skipped periods)
-Hot flashes (sudden rush of heat in upper body)
-Night sweats (hot flashes that happen while you sleep), often followed by a chill
-Trouble sleeping through the night (with or without night sweats)
-Vaginal dryness
-Mood changes, feeling crabby (probably because of lack of sleep)
-Trouble focusing, feeling mixed-up or confused
-Hair loss or thinning on your head, more hair growth on your face
My suggestion would be to take a pregnancy test next week to ease your mind and rule out pregnancy as a potential cause. If negative, I'd suggest waiting until the next cycle to see if you resume your periods. If not, the general recommendation is that if you miss three consecutive periods and pregnancy is not the reason, you should see your doctor so that a cause can be determined.
I hope that this information has helped you and answered your question. I wish you well.
Brenda
