“Why is my period late?” Once you start wondering, you can’t stop, won’t stop. You wonder what is happening with that late period, what you did wrong. And then wondering turns to freaking out…

If this is you, welcome to the club.  The “sometimes-our-bodies-do-as-they-damn-well-please” club. Membership: 2 billion.

Our periods are not always “late” when we think we are. Say your cycle is of the average 28 day variety, but this month it has been 32 days with no period.  This does not necessarily mean that your period is “late.” Because lateness depends entirely on WHEN ovulation occurred.

Let’s break it down.  Cycles come in three phases: the follicular phase, ovulation, and the luteal phase. In the follicular phase, the uterus prepares to receive a fertilized egg, should the opportunity present itself (yes, sex would be that opportunity); meanwhile, eggs mature so that they are ready to get a move on when the time comes.

Next, it’s ovulation. Ovulation is when a mature egg is released to the nearest fallopian tube.  Once it’s there, fertilization needs to happen within 24 hours, or else the egg degenerates. Thus, ovulation only lasts for about a day.  Move swiftly, sperm!

After ovulation, the uterine lining grows to prepare a nice cozy bed for the fertilized egg in the uterus. This is called the luteal phase.  If the egg never gets fertilized, then the the uterus lining will shed through the vaginal opening. #PeriodTime.  If the egg does get fertilized, then it will embed in the cushy uterus lining about 5-6 days after fertilization. And then you’re on the road to pregnancy…Blah blah blah. 

What is to blame for my late period?!?!

It depends (not what you wanted to hear, we realize).  But a good general rule is that the majority of the time, your period will arrive on the mark 12 to 14 days past ovulation.  The trick is knowing when ovulation is happening.  And for that, we offer a few tools: The Glow app can help you know when. And there are tests called OPKs which enable you to pee on a stick and figure out if ovulation is going down.

The timing of ovulation can be influenced by a whole lotta things: diet, exercise, stress, sickness, weight, caffeine intake, whether you smoke or do drugs, whether you have recently been on any oral contraceptives, etc. Predicting the timing of ovulation can be one tricky business.

But rest assured: you are NOT the only woman who has worried about this.  We hear these concerns expressed all the time in the Glow Community. You are not alone. Also, know that it IS possible to figure out exactly what’s going on down there.  A little more measuring and some attention to the details, and you’ll have that period mastered :)