Seven days past the date you expected it, or a cycle longer than 38 days. Take a pregnancy test first.

The cycle alone does not answer that. It takes the history, bloodwork and an ultrasound read together.

Is this perimenopause?

It can be. Cycles usually shorten first, then start skipping, most often from the mid-forties.

Can I still get pregnant with irregular cycles?

Often yes, but the timing is harder to catch. Say so at the visit if you have been trying a year, or six months if you are over 35.

Going months without one lets the lining keep building. That is why Dr. Mueller measures the lining thickness.

Yes. So can a big weight change, a new training load, or illness. Worth confirming rather than assuming.

Condition

Cycles that skip, run short, run long, or arrive without warning.

Also called oligomenorrhea, abnormal uterine bleeding.

A regular cycle arrives every 24 to 38 days. Anything outside that, or anything you cannot predict, is irregular.

Irregular usually means ovulation is not happening on schedule. PCOS, thyroid disease, a large weight change, stress and perimenopause all do that.

The first question is always pregnancy. The second is whether the lining is being shed often enough.

1
Cycle history
Bring the dates of your last three or four periods.
2
Pregnancy test
It is the first test, whatever the history.
3
Blood tests
Thyroid, prolactin, and androgens when the pattern suggests PCOS.
4
Pelvic ultrasound
Looks at the ovaries and measures the thickness of the lining.
5
Endometrial biopsy
If the lining is thick, or cycles have been absent a long while.
6
The plan
What comes next depends on the cause and on whether you want to conceive.

How late is late?: Seven days past the date you expected it, or a cycle longer than 38 days. Take a pregnancy test first.
Do I have PCOS?: The cycle alone does not answer that. It takes the history, bloodwork and an ultrasound read together.
Is this perimenopause?: It can be. Cycles usually shorten first, then start skipping, most often from the mid-forties.
Can I still get pregnant with irregular cycles?: Often yes, but the timing is harder to catch. Say so at the visit if you have been trying a year, or six months if you are over 35.
Is it bad to skip periods?: Going months without one lets the lining keep building. That is why Dr. Mueller measures the lining thickness.
Can stress do this?: Yes. So can a big weight change, a new training load, or illness. Worth confirming rather than assuming.