What happens if my stomach swells up when my period doesn’t come?

Nowadays, many women have irregular menstruation. Moreover, some women experience delayed menstruation or even amenorrhea. When this phenomenon occurs, it is accompanied by another condition: they will feel a very bloated or painful lower abdomen. However, there are many situations in which menstruation does not come. Let me introduce them to you below.

Delayed menstruation can be divided into four main situations:

1. Pregnancy: You can use the "Early Pregnancy Test Strip" to test urine 7 days after your period is delayed. If the result is positive, you are very likely pregnant. If the "Early Pregnancy Test Strip" is negative, then vice versa. But if you are pregnant, there will be other symptoms such as nausea, breast tenderness, etc. Of course, the last resort is to go to the hospital for an ultrasound examination.

2. The effects of drugs, such as endocrine disorders after long-term use of contraceptives, can also cause delayed menstruation. Doctors also found, based on patient feedback, that a new generation of gastrokinetic drug, metoclopramide, also known as domperidone, may also cause this condition. Since metoclopramide does not easily cross the blood-brain barrier, it is believed that it has no inhibitory effect on central dopamine receptors. Central dopamine receptors are inhibited, resulting in a decrease in the amount of hypothalamic release factors entering the anterior pituitary. As a result, the anterior pituitary secretes less gonadotropin and corticotropin, leading to amenorrhea and delayed ovulation.

3. Caused by surgery, such as uterine surgery causing cervical adhesions and resulting in menstrual blood stasis, thus delaying menstruation.

4. Others: Psychological factors such as mental tension, stress, environmental changes, and some diseases that affect endocrine system. Can cause delayed menstruation.

Expert tip: If menstruation is delayed only 1-2 times occasionally and there are no other accompanying symptoms, it does not fall into the category of menstrual disorders. When the interval between menstrual cycles is more than 35 days, it is called oligomenorrhea, and when menstruation stops for more than 3 menstrual cycles, it is called amenorrhea. The absence of ovulation after menopause can also lead to problems such as osteoporosis and endometrial hyperplasia, which must be taken seriously. You should go to the hospital immediately for a comprehensive examination.

After reading the explanation, do you have a preliminary understanding of why your menstruation is delayed or absent? However, if there are occasional delays in a month or a year, it is not a particularly serious situation. But if this happens frequently, you should still pay attention to it and go to the hospital for treatment as soon as possible.