Can you miss a period?
A question that we sometimes get from users is “How can I inform the app that I missed a period?” or “How can I tell the app that I didn’t get my period this cycle?”
It’s important to remember that, technically speaking, you never really miss a period — you only experience longer cycles.
Each cycle starts and ends 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 is generally considered late if you pass the date when your period was predicted to start, or if you pass your average luteal phase length. For instance, if your luteal phase lasts 13 ±1 days on average, and you haven’t gotten your period when that time has passed, 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 your cycle is longer 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 take a pregnancy test if it believes that you may be pregnant based on your data).
If the pregnancy test is negative, you may be having an irregular cycle.
Most of us 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, just keep using the app and logging temperature data as you normally would. Once you get your period, simply log it in the app, and the algorithm will adjust accordingly.
If you feel any reason for concern about your cycle being different than usual, we recommend that you reach out to your healthcare professional.