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Missed or stopped periods (amenorrhoea) can happen for many reasons, the most common being pregnancy, but also including stress, significant weight changes, excessive exercise, hormonal imbalances such as PCOS, thyroid problems, or approaching menopause.
Evidence checked against current HSE guidance for Stopped or missed periods, covering the article's core clinical information and relevant assessment, management or safety considerations.
Public health education article
Self-care advice — See your GP if periods stop for three months or more without an obvious cause, so any underlying issue can be identified and treated.
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Missed or stopped periods (amenorrhoea) can happen for many reasons, the most common being pregnancy, but also including stress, significant weight changes, excessive exercise, hormonal imbalances such as PCOS, thyroid problems, or approaching menopause.
Topic-specific prevention and risk reduction will be added during the article-specific evidence audit.
You've missed a period and there's a possibility of pregnancy
Missed or stopped periods (amenorrhoea) can happen for many reasons, the most common being pregnancy, but also including stress, significant weight changes, excessive exercise, hormonal imbalances such as PCOS, thyroid problems, or approaching menopause.
Occasional missed periods are common and often not a cause for concern, but periods that stop for three months or more, without pregnancy or menopause as an explanation, are worth investigating.
See your GP if periods stop for three months or more without an obvious cause, so any underlying issue can be identified and treated.
These measures can help ease symptoms, support recovery, and reduce the chance of things worsening — but they don't replace medical advice if symptoms are severe or persistent.
BarnMD Health Intelligence uses authoritative and clinically relevant sources appropriate to the topic. References are shown so readers can inspect the evidence directly.
BarnMD Health Library provides general health education for public health literacy. Reading this article does not establish a doctor-patient relationship and this information is not a diagnosis, prescription, or personalised treatment plan. If you have symptoms or concerns about your health, seek appropriate advice from a qualified healthcare professional. If you develop emergency warning signs, seek urgent or emergency medical attention.
Missed periods have many possible explanations, and while pregnancy should always be ruled out first, ongoing absence of periods deserves medical assessment.
Periods that stop for three months or longer, without pregnancy or menopause explaining it, should be checked by a GP.