After taking antibiotics, heavy monthly treatment. Is it possible for a woman to miss her period after taking antibiotics? Learn more on this topic

Today everyone knows what an antibiotic is. After all, almost everyone had to use it for treatment. Some took antibiotics as prescribed by doctors, while others, as in most cases, took them “self-prescribed,” since they once helped them cope with the disease. But it is not recommended to use it without a specialist’s prescription.

These drugs bring not only benefits, but also many harms to your health. Side effects that occur after taking it will still need to be treated with the help of doctors.

A little about antibiotics

There are many beliefs that antibiotics are evil and very harmful to the body, so many people refuse to use them even for serious illnesses. But completely stopping the medication can be very dangerous for your health, in some cases even fatal.

There are many side effects that occur after taking antibiotics, such as:

• allergy;
• intestinal disorders (diarrhea);
• dysbacteriosis;
• urticaria, etc.

Despite these side effects after taking medications, the harmful effects of the drug can be “diluted” and reduced with the help of auxiliary drugs, which only a qualified specialist can individually select for you.

Menstruation and antibiotics

Many women note that after taking antibiotics, the menstrual cycle is disrupted, which may begin earlier than scheduled or there may be a delay of up to 35 days.

Sometimes blood loss may increase, or vice versa, scanty, spotting discharge, pain in the lower abdomen. And so the question arises, why did this happen? Can antibiotics affect periods?

After taking antibiotics, especially strong ones, your menstrual cycle may change. And this happens not because you took an antibiotic, but these are side effects of the disease. After all, an infection that enters and develops in the body negatively affects the functioning of internal organs, including the reproductive system.

A delay in menstruation can be caused by the fact that often an infection that develops in the body during the period of illness causes complications in internal organs, including reproductive ones. And the more serious the disease, the more it affects changes in the body.

Hormones in the menstrual cycle

Sometimes gynecological doctors prescribe antibiotics for prophylaxis after operations. This may cause a delay in your period. Various surgical interventions in the body can cause hormonal imbalance, such as:

• abortions;
• miscarriages;
• thyroid diseases;
• brain diseases.

According to the physiological characteristics of a woman’s body, the menstrual cycle is “controlled” by hormones and only a failure in their work can lead to a change in menstruation. And an antibiotic, as you know, is not a hormonal drug and in no case can affect the failure of menstruation. If the menstrual cycle is disrupted, the reasons do not lie in taking antibiotics.

Do not self-medicate, because health comes first for a person. Contact qualified specialists who will help you choose the right drug with minimal side effects. Be healthy!

Antibacterial drugs are used in modern medicine to treat a huge number of diseases. And it often happens that patients take them without a doctor’s prescription. But still, taking these drugs in such a way can have a significant impact on the human body if you do not follow the rules of administration and dosage. And the question of whether the cycle goes wrong after antibiotics worries many women.

What drugs are considered antibiotics?

Antibiotics include all medications that suppress pathogenic microorganisms in the human body. But they often also affect normal microflora, so some doctors believe that using antibiotics can do more harm than good. At the same time, the discovery of these medications saved a huge number of lives at one time.

Taking antibiotics can cause the following side effects:

• allergy,
• imbalance of microflora,
• malfunctions of the digestive system.

But if they affect such a significant part of the body, then could they be the reason that the cycle is disrupted after administration?

Menstrual cycle after taking antibiotics

When treating a disease with antibiotics, the cycle may be disrupted, but drugs are not most often the cause of this phenomenon.

• The disease itself, which is treated with these medications, may well cause the cycle to go wrong. Microorganisms that cause the disease also cause inflammatory processes or the formation of pus. If all this happens in the reproductive system or somehow affects it, then most often the cycle gets disrupted after all these processes, and not from taking the medicine.
• After surgery, the doctor may prescribe antibiotics to prevent infection from entering the body, which is very weakened during this period of time. Also, the cycle may be disrupted due to excessive anxiety before a complex operation.
• Stress, triggered by an upcoming operation, preparation for some kind of study, or simply caused by the fact that a woman is sick, can cause hormonal imbalance and the disruption of the menstrual cycle.

• Pregnancy, which causes disruption of the menstrual cycle, may occur due to the fact that the effectiveness of oral hormonal contraceptives decreases while taking antibiotics.

Duration of the menstrual cycle while taking antibiotics

A doctor who prescribes antibiotics to a woman usually warns that taking them often disrupts the menstrual cycle. The fact is that the use of this group of drugs also kills beneficial microflora in the body, including in the vagina. And although this organ of the reproductive system does not directly affect the menstrual cycle, there may still be an indirect effect. The close relationship of the organs of the reproductive system leads to the fact that an imbalance in the vaginal microflora then leads to malfunctions of the ovaries. Sometimes this is the reason for later maturation of the egg.

Also, a delay in menstruation may occur because these medications affect the functioning of the central nervous system. Strong drugs are quite capable of slowing down the functioning of this system, which will directly affect the functioning of the pituitary gland, which is responsible for the production of hormones.

Then other organs responsible for the production of hormones are included in this chain, and the lack of estrogen and progesterone leads to slower maturation of the egg and endometrium.

Sometimes it happens that after taking antibiotics, menstruation occurs earlier than it should. But, most likely, this is not caused by the drugs, but by the inflammatory processes that they are designed to cure.

Is it necessary to take antibiotics during menstruation?

Having learned whether the menstrual cycle is disrupted after antibiotics, many women may think about the advisability of such treatment. That is why it is not recommended to start treatment with this group of drugs without consulting a doctor. A specialist is able to assess all the risks and understand what is more dangerous for a woman’s body – disruption of the menstrual cycle after taking medications or the spread of infection.

When inflammatory processes affect the organs of the reproductive system, it is most often worth starting treatment with antibiotics without waiting for the end of menstruation. During this period, the body is cleansed not only of the endometrium that is no longer needed, but also of other elements. Therefore, along with menstruation, microorganisms killed by the pills may well be removed.

The question of using these medications during menstruation becomes more acute if the doctor has prescribed treatment with local medications - suppositories, creams or solutions. In this case, it makes sense to wait out menstruation and then start therapy. The fact is that rejected secretions can significantly interfere with the full absorption of the active substance, and this will make the treatment less effective. At the same time, a small dose of the active substance, which does enter the body, can provoke antibiotic resistance, and as a result, the disease becomes chronic.

But there is also a small benefit from taking this type of medication during menstruation. The fact is that they usually have a slight analgesic effect. This effect is small, but it is enough to reduce or relieve pain symptoms that often occur in women.

How does the nature of menstruation change after antibiotics?

Taking drugs from this group can cause not only a disruption in the cycle, but also a change in the nature of the discharge. The effect of medications on this is also indirect, through stress and the influence of the disease itself on the reproductive system.

Therefore, there is no direct dependence on what antibiotics were prescribed and what menstruation began after that. When treating inflammatory processes in the reproductive system, the next menstruation may become even closer to normal than before.

But still, taking these medications can cause the appearance of clots in the discharge, an increase or decrease in the volume and other abnormalities in the cycle.

Don't worry if your next period after taking medication turns brown. This is due to increased blood clotting caused by antibiotics. At the same time, the consistency of the discharge should also increase. Denser and thicker blood stays in the body longer and has time to oxidize during this time, which is why menstruation takes on this hue. But if in the next cycle the discharge continues to look like this or begins to get confused, then you should consult a doctor.

Scanty periods appear not because of treatment, but because of an infection in the body or due to severe stress. Simply, under the influence of these factors, the endometrium does not develop enough.

How to minimize the consequences?

You can reduce all the negative effects of taking antibiotics if you follow the following recommendations.

• Take vitamin complexes that will help activate the immune system and contribute to the speedy recovery of the body after illness.
• Strictly follow the treatment regimen prescribed by the doctor. You should not end therapy earlier if the main symptoms have already disappeared, because this can provoke a relapse of the disease and the emergence of resistance to the prescribed medication. But it is also not recommended to continue taking medications after completing the course of treatment.
• If your menstrual cycle is delayed by more than a couple of days, you should inform your doctor. If excessively intense periods appear during treatment, you should call an ambulance.
• To return the microflora to a normal state, it is necessary to take probiotics and prebiotics, which are prescribed by the doctor. It’s better to start doing this before your periods start to slip. After all, sometimes you can completely avoid problems with the menstrual cycle.
• To prevent unwanted pregnancy, take additional precautions and do a test after finishing treatment.

Menstruation that begins after antibiotic treatment is unlikely to be completely normal. But medications are not always the reason why the cycle goes wrong. Therefore, if in doubt, it is better to contact a gynecologist and undergo all the necessary diagnostics. It is especially important to visit a doctor if there are other unclear symptoms, because they may indicate some hidden disease.

Women who are forced to take medications due to illness should know whether antibiotics can affect their periods, since reproductive health directly depends on the cycle. Drugs in this group have a strong effect on internal organs, so a delay in menstruation from antibiotics is possible.

The monthly cycle of each woman is individual, but from 27 to 33 days. To know whether there may be a delay due to antibiotics, you need to understand how these medications affect female physiology and cycle length.

How do antibiotics affect periods?

Some people mistakenly believe that the reasons for the absence of menstruation are associated with the negative effect of drugs on the intestinal microflora. Drugs that are injected into the body also affect the liver, heart and uterus. Failure of the menstrual cycle is the result of a disruption in the functioning of these organs.

The effect of antibiotics on menstruation is predominantly negative. This primarily applies to aminoglycosides and tetracyclines. Their regular use is stressful for the body, since drugs of these groups concentrate leukocytes and protective proteins, which are the main elements of the immune system. When their number in the body decreases, favorable conditions are created for the proliferation of pathogenic bacteria, which may result in a delay in menstruation.

Also, a decrease in the level of leukocytes in the body due to antibiotics contributes to infection of the genital organs, inflammation of the appendages and uterus.

A decrease in immunity caused by medications is the main reason for the absence of menstruation. This negative result is due to the lack of influence of leukocytes on the compartment of the uterine endometrium.

Sometimes, a few days before the start of menstruation, a woman taking medications experiences a nagging pain in the lower abdomen. In some cases, medications provoke headaches and dizziness. If you have gastrointestinal diseases in the stomach, after taking certain medications, severe discomfort appears, which is cramping in nature.

These drugs certainly have an effect on the monthly cycle, but it is secondary. That is, the absence of menstruation is possible due to a disruption in the functioning of internal organs, which was provoked by certain medications. The use of medications for medicinal purposes that do not have a strong effect on the body will not lead to a delay in menstruation.

Which ones are dangerous?

If a woman cannot refuse antibiotics during her period, she should be prepared for a number of difficulties. Tetracyclines and aminoglycosides primarily have a negative effect on the body.

Delay after taking antibiotics is not uncommon. Their action is aimed at destroying pathogens that provoke the disease. But often medications help destroy beneficial microflora.

The main side effects they cause are:

1. Hepatotoxicity.
2. Kidney and liver diseases.
3. Allergic reaction.
4. The occurrence of an ototoxic effect.
5. Malfunctions in the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract and digestive system.
6. Changes in blood composition.

In addition, after taking a course of certain medications, women's immune function is significantly weakened, causing them to feel tired and sleepy. Sometimes thrush occurs after antibiotics.

How to avoid negative effects

Some medications have a negative effect on reproductive health. But missed periods can be avoided when taking antibiotics. To do this, you need to know a few simple preventive rules:

1. Antibiotics should be taken together with medications, the action of which is aimed at normalizing the intestinal microflora. Such medications are prescribed by endocrinologists. These are Linex, Lakvitit, Hilak forte. They will help saturate the intestines with useful vitamins and microelements. Restoration of internal organs after long-term use of tetracyclines will occur faster with their help.
2. It is recommended to drink a complex of vitamins, the action of which is aimed at preventing missed periods. They reduce the risk of side effects caused by tetracyclines.
3. It is not recommended to abuse drugs whose action is aimed at destroying pathogenic bacteria. You need to drink them for the prescribed number of days. You should not stop drug treatment before the time prescribed by your doctor.
4. You cannot prescribe medications for yourself. Only a doctor should do this.
5. You should not take tetracyclines if there is no need to prevent the spread of infection throughout the body or restore microflora after an abortion, surgery or other mechanical impact.

Other reasons for delay

Taking medications is not the only reason for a missed period. This phenomenon can be caused by the following factors:

1. Liver disease, such as hepatitis or cholecystitis.
2. Allergic reaction.
3. Dysbacteriosis (imbalance of intestinal microflora).
4. Sudden change of weather.
5. Treatment with hormonal medications.
6. Non-compliance with diet and healthy eating rules.
7. Insufficient production of prolactin by the body.
8. Diseases, including diabetes, ARVI, gastritis, kidney failure.
9. Physical overexertion.

Any changes that occur in the female body can affect the menstrual cycle. But if you approach your health responsibly, then there will be no failures even when taking antibiotics.

2014-06-09 12:46:52

Anna asks:

I just got over bronchitis. Strong antibiotics were prescribed. injections. Now my periods are delayed after them. On the websites they write that antibiotics can cause a delay in menstruation. Tell me, can my delay be caused by taking antibiotics and bronchitis? And approximately how long will it take for my period to come?

2010-12-01 20:11:34

Olga asks. :

Hello. Please tell me what could be causing the 2-day delay? I had sexual intercourse 2 days after my period, first interrupted, then with a condom. Then she fell ill with acute chronic tonsillitis and was treated with Claforan injections. I didn't do the test. My periods are always strictly on schedule. Could the delay be a consequence of taking antibiotics? Thanks in advance.

Answers:

Hello, illness or taking medications could provoke menstrual irregularities, interrupted sexual intercourse has a reliability rate of 80%, so in your situation, as they say, options are possible. Read more in the article Delayed menstruation. An accessible guide to action. Take care of your health!

2009-10-20 21:38:04

Slava asks:

Hello! This is the situation I have, in the summer I started having white, cheesy discharge, itching, burning, so I decided to see a gynecologist.. At the appointment, the doctor said that I had classic thrush, took a smear, prescribed suppositories and douching... After treatment, I developed a new one problem, when urinating I felt terrible pain, at the reception, of course, I said the same thing, they examined me and took all kinds of tests.
D: Urethritis? Erosion w/m
The analyzes revealed:
Ag.Ur.urealytical(+)
They prescribed antibiotic treatment, after the course of treatment I was told that after two periods I should come for a control test... But my period never started (2 months delay)
I went to the doctor again, she looked at me, said that there was no sign of a hand, the only thing was a displacement of the uterus, she injected me with a progesterone solution, and told me to come back after my period...
What could this be???How to react to this???Perhaps this is a failure after taking antibiotics??or problems with the ovaries???
Thank you in advance!

Answers Medical consultant of the website portal:

Hello, Slava! Your question is classified as a frequently asked question in the topic “Delayed menstruation”; you can read the answer to your question at the link: Delayed menstruation. All the best!

2015-01-19 16:32:47

Anna asks:

Hello, I'm 16 years old. 4 months ago I took escapelle. Afterwards, the doctor told me to take cyclodinone from the first day of my period. The three subsequent cycles went normally, on time. I took antibiotics for a week last month. I continue to take cyclodinone, the delay is the third day. Sexual contact this month was once, at the beginning of the cycle, interrupted, with a condom. Is the delay a consequence of taking antibiotics? I didn't do the test.

Answers Rumyantseva Tatyana Stepanovna:

Hello! I understand that you have problems with the M\cycle. And therefore a delay is possible because of this, or because of pregnancy. Interrupted P\act is the most unreliable contraceptive. Everything is possible! In order to get pregnant, it is enough for a drop of sperm to enter the vagina... Considering that there is still a delay, it is necessary to decide whether it is pregnancy or a violation of the menstrual cycle. Both are bad. I have an article on my website about “Rectal temperature” - read and watch the video (on YouTube - it’s also mine), everything will be clear and understandable there in a couple of days - pregnancy or not, and with almost a 100% guarantee! Antibiotics do not affect the M cycle.

2014-12-04 11:35:46

Elena asks:

Good afternoon. Six months ago I stopped drinking OK Jess (I took it for 3 years with one break). While taking the last pack, a transvaginal ultrasound was done, which showed that everything was normal. For the first 4 months my husband and I used contraception, but for the last two we didn’t, because we want a second child (I’ve never had an abortion, there was only one pregnancy). For the last 2 months after withdrawal, I have a strong craving for sweets and my hair is falling out (I read that it’s OK during withdrawal - it happens). The weight remained the same.
The cycle after stopping OK was 30-36 days. In August, due to a trip to the sea, serious poisoning, a severe cold and taking antibiotics, it was 51 days.
The last cycle was 30 days. And in this cycle I observe an unclear delay (plus my periods were extremely painful, I lay in bed for the first day and could not do anything). Today is the 40th day of the cycle, still no period. Nothing hurts, doesn’t “tug” anywhere, doesn’t “smear”, nothing unusual. I thought I was pregnant. I did 3 pharmacy tests (different ones) every two days last week. Negative. On November 27, I donated blood for b-hCG, the result. Now there is no opportunity to go for an ultrasound, because I have a cold.
What could this be, please help me figure it out. A simple delay for no reason, it could still be pregnancy or some other problem.

2012-12-23 10:46:22

Inna asks:

Hello. I am 22 years old. The menstrual cycle is 30 days. There were no usual long delays. Last month there was a delay of 5 days, after which brown discharge began in the middle of the cycle. I contacted a gynecologist. A slight replenishment of the ovaries and polycystic disease were discovered. Antibiotics and suppositories were prescribed. After the course of treatment, my period is already 11 days late. After taking antibiotics, white discharge began. The doctor said there was no need to go to the appointment, signed pills and vaginal cream to prevent infection. I have a sex life and am a regular partner. 3 weeks before the delay, I had sexual intercourse protected with a condom. I took 4 pregnancy tests after 6 days of delay. All negative. Pulls in the lower abdomen for the last 3 days as before menstruation. There is no nausea and my chest does not hurt. In the lower abdomen, on the opposite side, a thickening is felt that is similar to ovarian replenishment. Could this be pregnancy or is it still an inflammatory process and a failure after antibiotics?

Answers Korchinskaya Ivanna Ivanovna:

If you have been diagnosed with polycystic disease, then missed periods are associated with it. Polycystic disease is an endocrine pathology that affects the menstrual cycle and the possibility of conception in the future. You need to take a blood test for sex hormones - FSH, LH, prolactin, estradiol, progesterone, testosterone, DHEA, cortisol and with the results contact a gynecologist to prescribe hormone therapy. White discharge is most likely candidiasis, which arose while taking antibiotics due to dysbacteriosis. You can take fluconazole (Diflucan, Difluzol, etc.) 150 orally at a time. If there was an acute inflammatory process of the appendages, there would be pain, a rise in temperature, etc. The inflammatory process has nothing to do with delays. Correct polycystic disease!

2011-05-22 22:15:51

Natalya asks:

After stopping hormonal pills (taking about 15 years), menstruation was delayed for 5 days; ultrasound showed a cystic change in the right ovary 86.5 * 46.2 * 62.6 V = 131.0 cm; the ovary is large cystic, contains mini 4 cysts 43.4, 29 ,6, 11, 21. Uterus 57.2*47.2*52.5 V=74.2 cm, endometrium 8.3 mm. The doctor prescribed injections of progesterone 2.5% for 6 days. Is pregnancy possible, can ovarian rupture occur with this treatment (after the previous withdrawal in 2008, only the left ovary ruptured; treatment with antibiotics in the hospital)

Answers Serpeninova Irina Viktorovna:

Good afternoon. Pregnancy with such an ultrasound conclusion is unlikely, get tested. blood for progesterone and estradiol. Considering the rupture of the ovary in 2008, it is advisable for you to undergo treatment and examination in a hospital.

Delayed menstruation after taking antibiotics is a very relevant topic for women. But why does the delay occur, and is the medication you are taking really to blame?

These insidious antibiotics

Indeed, as medical practice shows, after taking antibiotics, many women may experience a delay in menstruation. After all, these drugs are quite insidious. They can both really help and cause harm. So: suppose a woman caught a cold, and in order to heal, she took medication for several days in a row. Thanks to them, her cold symptoms went away, and then the appointed hour arrived... The hour arrived, but no menstruation. And all because of the drugs. It was they who influenced the female body.

How exactly do medications have this effect? Thanks to them, a hormonal imbalance can occur in a woman’s body. In other words, hormonal imbalance. And if 7 days have passed since the due hour and still no menstruation, the woman needs to consult a doctor.

Moreover, the medications you take can even contribute to pregnancy. How? The reason here is elementary: drugs have one insidious quality - they can affect contraceptives. That is, if a woman took antibiotics and a contraceptive at the same time, it may well happen that the first one will be stronger than the contraceptive, suppressing its effectiveness, and then pregnancy will occur. Therefore, many doctors advise not to take the drugs in question simultaneously with birth control pills.

But basically, the effect of such drugs on the female body directly depends on the female body itself. That is, it depends on how healthy the body is.

If after taking antibiotics a woman has experienced a delay at least once, then in this case there is a good chance that such a delay will occur after the next medication, and after the third, and after the tenth... And vice versa: a healthy female body is quite capable of coping with negative effects of medications.

Are antibiotics to blame?

However, it would also be wrong to blame all the troubles on these medications. After all, a lot depends on what needs the girl takes them for. For example, she developed an inflammatory disease of the genital organs. In order to heal, she was advised to take medications to kill the germs that caused the inflammation. While she was taking them, the lesson happened. The hour happened, but there was no period. However, the cause in this case will not be antibiotics, most likely, microbes that caused inflammation.

Or, for example, a woman underwent surgery and was prescribed a course of taking these medications. And if at this very time she had a delay, then this may not have happened because of the medication, but as a result of post-operative stress.

Or, let’s say, there was a miscarriage, or the girl decided to have an abortion. In order to combat the microbes introduced into the female body, she was prescribed a course of antibiotics. And if at this very time there were disruptions in the menstrual cycle, then it is most likely not the drugs that are to blame, but rather the surgical intervention, the stress accompanying the intervention, and also the fact that the female body has not yet had time to recover.

The reasons for the delay may be different, and it would be wrong to “blame” everything on medications. Although, of course, a woman should remember the two-faced insidiousness of drugs and try to avoid cases when it is simply impossible to do without them.

But even in all kinds of instructions for the use of drugs, it is not said that they contribute to disruptions during menstruation. The instructions completely deny such a hypothetical fact! But then a logical question arises: if this did happen, and the failure coincided exactly with their use, then did the medicine really have nothing to do with it? What then is the reason?

To this, medical science responds that this may indeed only be a coincidence, but in fact the reason for the delay is completely different. For example, pregnancy has occurred, and the woman has no idea about it yet. Or, for example, in a woman it is the age of puberty (that is, the woman is still very young, and she simply has not yet established a regular cycle). Or suppose a woman has reached the age at which menopause occurs.

However, here again a completely logical question arises. If taking antibiotics really has no effect on menstrual irregularities, then why are there so many coincidences? As soon as a woman starts taking these medications, a malfunction immediately occurs. What is the reason here then, if not them?

However, science has a ready answer to this question.

The menstrual cycle, scientists believe, is an extremely fragile system.

With the slightest influence on her, and on the entire female body as a whole, this system can lead to failure. And there are many such influences. And perhaps the main reason for the coincidence of taking medications and delaying menstruation is that the woman experienced inflammatory processes in the body, for the elimination of which the medications were prescribed. Well, it is quite clear that the delay occurred precisely because of the above-mentioned inflammatory process, and not because of taking medications. Indeed, it just happened that way...

By the way, the more severe all sorts of painful processes occur in the female body, the more likely there are disruptions in the menstrual process. And if you also take into account that a good half of all painful processes are treated with antibiotics, then... Again, it becomes quite clear that it is not even the drugs that affect the delay of menstruation. Coincidence - and nothing more.

Additional points

According to the same science, there may be other reasons for cycle failure. And some of these causes are also treatable with antibiotics. From which, again, it does not at all follow that they may be the reason for a delay in menstruation. Here is a list of such reasons:

• a brain tumor;
• overweight or, conversely, underweight;
• tumors that cause hormonal imbalances in the body (including malignant ones);
• ectopic pregnancy;
• various diseases of the thyroid gland;
• exposure to radiation;
• poisoning;
• change of place of residence (geographical factor).

In this case, the female body, trying to adapt to the new climate, may become ill, the woman will begin to take antibiotics, and at this very time a disruption in the menstrual cycle will occur. Of course, most likely a woman will associate this with their reception, but not with a change in geographical environment.

As is clear from the above list, there are indeed many reasons that directly affect the delay of menstruation. And all of them do not depend in any way on whether the woman is taking antibiotics at this very time.