What to do if your period late
Sometimes it feels like your PMS is building up forever… Your period is late and you can’t wait for the release. Of course, a late period can have many reasons which we’ll get into later. But the waiting game for your period can feel like a time bomb.
You feel like you are about to start menstruating… you check and nothing has happened. So you feel on edge, you keep having to bring all your period products around just in case. Or wear period pants or liners if you are in the middle of something when your period finally arrives.
Now, I am talking about people with completely normal’ish menstrual cycles. Because you might be pregnant, have PCOS or thyroid imbalances or a range of other situations where it’s common to have late, irregular or no periods.
The strange thing is that it is in fact often your ovulation that is late which can then delay your period. So it’s worth tracking your cycle to know your patterns: How long is your follicular phase (from 1st day of menstruation until ovulation) which can vary. And how long is my luteal phase (from ovulation until we start menstruating again) which is usually the same length?
Can you bring on your period?
Potentially yes, but should you? There are some herbs and essential oils that are emmenagogues. Meaning they might bring on or increase menstrual flow (eg they are NOT abortifacient). There are also yoga poses that I would suggest to allow the natural flow.
Stress is often the main factor when we have late periods. We have a lot going on, we might be super stressed, tired and wired, or perhaps our diet hasn’t nourished us well… basically our body is clever thinking that this isn’t a great time to ovulate because there is too much happening. We need a longer follicular phase and no ovulation because our bodies and minds are too busy to cope with a potential pregnancy.
From an ayurvedic perspective, this translates to excess Vata dosha. Too much movement and dryness in body and mind. Perhaps we haven’t even taken time to breathe properly and the movement of prana on the breath (or the subdoshas of Vata or Vayu) is affected. This includes Apana Vayu which is responsible for menstruation.
Yoga for bringing on your period
If this is the case then we need to allow, release, soften, rest, stillness, ease and let go… Create space and gentle movement around around the pelvis and uterus.
These are some of the practices you can enjoy:
Seated or hands-and-knees cat-cow movement rocking the pelvis modeming between anterior and posterior tilts as well as circular movements
Reclined Goddess pose resting over bolsters and cushions. This should be completely at ease. No strain at all so I suggest using props even if you are super mobile.
Pigeon pose variations using lots of props and support. You want to stay here for a while and let the body breathe.
Squatting is the pose for Apana Vayu so find a comfortable squatting position using support under the heals or holding on to support.
Breathe. The main thing is to allow the body to breathe with ease. Breathe completely. Let the breath drop if you tend to shallow breathing.
Castor oil compress for periods
The other thing I suggest is a castor oil compress as this is warming, (very) oily, and super soothing on the nervous system and any excess vata.
Gently warm up some castor oil. Apply on the abdomen and especially the lower belly. No need for deep pressure. Let your intuition guide you (and do check out this blog).
This is one of the most relaxing soothing practices I know.
Perimenopause and other period delays
Perimenopause is a natural stage of a woman’s life where the hormones fluctuate so we don’t have the same rhythm of follicular and luteal phases anymore. They change. Perhaps we don’t ovulate for a couple of months and start again. Our periods (and ovulations) no longer have the same pattern. It’s because of these movements and changes this relates to Vata dosha as well. In fact, perimenopause is a change (vata) into our Vata stage of life. So all of the practices above can be useful.
Now we are all individuals and that is something we honour in ayurveda (and should do in yoga too) which is why I like sharing these practices one-to-one so we can tailor the practice to you.
There can be other reasons why our periods are irregular and you may both check whether you are pregnant or not and check in with your GP or gynaecologist. And if you want to explore working with your cycle and your cyclical nature I’d love to support you. Reach out or check out how I work one-to-one or in a personalised yoga program.
Check out my book
This book is all about our cycles and how support living cyclically with yoga and Ayurveda.
This photo is from Jasmine Hemsley’s Instagram