Delayed Period After Birth Control - What to Expect

Question
i been on birth control (yasmin) for the past 3 years until this past may due that my prescription expired...my period has not been regular at all which i was told is normal; i went for my pap smear and my birth control prescription two weeks ago and was told to start the sunday after i get my period; well its been 35 days since my last period; since i been off birth control it has not been more than 30 days for me to get a period; i been sexually active but been using condoms and have taken a pregnancy test and it came back negative...so what can be going on? can i be pregnant? or is it something totally different-which i hope is just stress or something.

Answer
Dear Roxana,

There are many various causes for amenorrhea (absence of periods) - pregnancy being just one. Others can be:
-Hormonal abnormalities, 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

If you begin to have any early symptoms of pregnancy (tender/swollen breasts, nausea, headaches, backache) or continue to be concerned that pregnancy may be a possibility, you should re-test. The test you did before may have been done too early for it to pick up the hCG. Make sure if you test again that you use 1st morning urine to get a concentrated sample for the most accurate results.

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 this information has helped you and answered your question. I wish you well.

Brenda