Can you miss a period?
A question that we sometimes receive from users is “How can I inform the app that I missed a period?”
It is important to keep in mind that, technically speaking, you never really miss a period — you only experience longer cycles.
A cycle will always start and end with a period, so the algorithm will always wait for you to log your next period before switching you to a new cycle, no matter how long the cycle may be.
When is my period considered late?
Your period would be considered late if you pass your predicted period date, or generally speaking, if you pass your average luteal phase length. For instance, if your luteal phase lasts 13 ±1 days on average, and you are on day 16 of your luteal phase with no sign of a period, then you can consider your period to be late.
Your ovulation day will vary from cycle to cycle, but your luteal phase will generally stay the same length. This means that if you ovulate later than usual in a cycle, your whole cycle will be longer since the luteal phase will still be around the same length as usual.
What should I do if my period is late?
If you experience a longer cycle than usual and you have passed your average luteal phase length, a good place to start is to take a pregnancy test to rule out a possible pregnancy (the app will also send you a recommendation to test for pregnancy if it believes that you may be pregnant based on your data).
If you test negative for pregnancy, you may be having an irregular cycle.
Anyone with a cycle is likely to experience irregular cycles from time to time, and possible reasons for this include changes in lifestyle (diet or exercise, etc) as well as stress, illness, and more. Learn more about irregular cycles here.
If you experience an irregular cycle, our recommendation is to keep on using the app and logging temperature data as you normally would. Once you get your next period, you can log it in the app, and the algorithm will adjust accordingly.
If you feel any reason for concern about a longer cycle, we recommend that you reach out to your healthcare professional.