Can Depression Make Your Period Late?

Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsDepression and Menstrual CycleCauses of a Missed PeriodThe Role of DepressionTreatment Options

Table of ContentsView All

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Table of Contents

Depression and Menstrual Cycle

Causes of a Missed Period

The Role of Depression

Treatment Options

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Depressioncan cause problems with your period such as a late period or a missed period.This link between mental health and reproductive health makes sense when you consider that nature does everything it can to create favorable conditions for reproduction.

If a woman is chronically stressed, anxious, sad, or upset, she’s really not in a physical or emotional position to go through a pregnancy and then take care of and nurture a child. Under these less-than-ideal conditions, the female reproductive system can shut down.

There may also be related reasons why you have menstrual problems when you are depressed. For example, antidepressant medication likeZoloft (sertraline)can also affect your period.

Learn more about how depression affects your period and what your treatment options are.

4:33Watch Now: 7 Most Common Types of Depression

4:33

Watch Now: 7 Most Common Types of Depression

How Depression Affects the Menstrual Cycle

The stress hormonecortisolis primarily responsible for changes in a woman’s cycle when she’s depressed. As cortisol levels rise in response to stress, the hypothalamus, an organ in the brain that plays an important part in regulating the reproductive system, stops sending signals to the ovaries.

Without this signal, ovulation (the monthly release of an egg from the ovary) is either delayed or stopped. The result is a late period or sometimes no period at all.

Pinpointing the Cause of a Missed Period

The first thing you should do if your period is late is to take a pregnancy test, which can be accurate as early as the first day of your missed period. If it’s negative and you don’t get your period in a few days or you completely skip it that cycle, or if you’re having chronic problems with menstruation, make an appointment to see your gynecologist.

Your gynecologist will likely do a repeat pregnancy test. If it’s negative, they will move on to some basic evaluations such as asking you about your medical history, doing a pelvic exam, and taking blood samples to check your hormone levels.

Diagnostic Tests

Depending on what these preliminary tests reveal, plus other basic factors such as your age, your doctor may move on to more specific diagnostic methods, which may include:

Is Depression the Problem?

If your doctor has determined that depression is behind your late or missed periods, getting back on track will be a matter of finding an effective way to reduce your stress and treat your depression.

There are many different ways to treat irregular or absent periods depending on your overall mental health and menstrual irregularities. This can include a wait and see approach (if it’s only happened a handful of times),stress management strategies,therapy, and/or prescription medication.

Consult with your gynecologist or mental health care professional to determine the type of treatment plan that’s best for your physical and mental health.

Lifestyle Changes

Making an effort to manage stress will reduce your risk of becoming depressed and missing your period. In addition to eating a well rounded diet andpracticing good sleep hygiene, try to incorporate stress-lowering activities into your day.

While there isn’t a one size fits all option when it comes to stress relief, a few ideas to consider include:

18 Effective Stress Relief Strategies

Therapy

Therapy can help you learn strategies for reducing stress. Some studies have found that cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) helped restore menstruation in people with hypothalamic amenorrhea. There’s also some evidence that CBT can reduce cortisol levels.

Prescription Medication

Taking antidepressants such as Prozac (fluoxetine) or Wellbutrin (bupropion) can be an effective way to relieve symptoms of depression, but they’re not right for everyone. In addition to possibleside effects, some antidepressants can even cause your period to be late or delayed.

Can Zoloft affect your period?Zoloft (sertraline) can affect your period. Amenorrhea (the absence of menstruation) is a known side effect of this medication.

Can Zoloft affect your period?

Zoloft (sertraline) can affect your period. Amenorrhea (the absence of menstruation) is a known side effect of this medication.

You may even be prescribed oral contraceptives to create a regular schedule of withdrawal bleeds, however, combination birth control pills have beenlinked to depression, so make sure to alert your doctor to your mental health history. It may take some trial and error, but it is possible to get back to feeling normal and your body back to functioning normally.

If you or a loved one are struggling with depression, contact theSubstance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) National Helplineat1-800-662-4357for information on support and treatment facilities in your area.For more mental health resources, see ourNational Helpline Database.

If you or a loved one are struggling with depression, contact theSubstance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) National Helplineat1-800-662-4357for information on support and treatment facilities in your area.

For more mental health resources, see ourNational Helpline Database.

An Overview of the Treatments for Depression

5 SourcesVerywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development.What causes amenorrhea?Fourman LT, Fazeli PK.Neuroendocrine causes of amenorrhea–an update.J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2015;100(3):812-24. doi:10.1210/jc.2014-3344Klein DA, Paradise SL, Reeder RM.Amenorrhea: A systematic approach to diagnosis and management.Am Fam Physician. 2019;100(1):39-48.Shufelt CL, Torbati T, Dutra E.Hypothalamic amenorrhea and the long-term health consequences.Semin Reprod Med. 2017;35(3):256-262. doi:10.1055/s-0037-1603581Padda J, Khalid K, Hitawala G, et al.Depression and its effect on the menstrual cycle.Cureus. 2021;13(7):e16532. doi:10.7759/cureus.16532Additional ReadingNational Institutes of Health.Amenorrhea.

5 Sources

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development.What causes amenorrhea?Fourman LT, Fazeli PK.Neuroendocrine causes of amenorrhea–an update.J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2015;100(3):812-24. doi:10.1210/jc.2014-3344Klein DA, Paradise SL, Reeder RM.Amenorrhea: A systematic approach to diagnosis and management.Am Fam Physician. 2019;100(1):39-48.Shufelt CL, Torbati T, Dutra E.Hypothalamic amenorrhea and the long-term health consequences.Semin Reprod Med. 2017;35(3):256-262. doi:10.1055/s-0037-1603581Padda J, Khalid K, Hitawala G, et al.Depression and its effect on the menstrual cycle.Cureus. 2021;13(7):e16532. doi:10.7759/cureus.16532Additional ReadingNational Institutes of Health.Amenorrhea.

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development.What causes amenorrhea?Fourman LT, Fazeli PK.Neuroendocrine causes of amenorrhea–an update.J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2015;100(3):812-24. doi:10.1210/jc.2014-3344Klein DA, Paradise SL, Reeder RM.Amenorrhea: A systematic approach to diagnosis and management.Am Fam Physician. 2019;100(1):39-48.Shufelt CL, Torbati T, Dutra E.Hypothalamic amenorrhea and the long-term health consequences.Semin Reprod Med. 2017;35(3):256-262. doi:10.1055/s-0037-1603581Padda J, Khalid K, Hitawala G, et al.Depression and its effect on the menstrual cycle.Cureus. 2021;13(7):e16532. doi:10.7759/cureus.16532

Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development.What causes amenorrhea?

Fourman LT, Fazeli PK.Neuroendocrine causes of amenorrhea–an update.J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2015;100(3):812-24. doi:10.1210/jc.2014-3344

Klein DA, Paradise SL, Reeder RM.Amenorrhea: A systematic approach to diagnosis and management.Am Fam Physician. 2019;100(1):39-48.

Shufelt CL, Torbati T, Dutra E.Hypothalamic amenorrhea and the long-term health consequences.Semin Reprod Med. 2017;35(3):256-262. doi:10.1055/s-0037-1603581

Padda J, Khalid K, Hitawala G, et al.Depression and its effect on the menstrual cycle.Cureus. 2021;13(7):e16532. doi:10.7759/cureus.16532

National Institutes of Health.Amenorrhea.

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