Then, the opposite happens. You buy a pregnancy test in a panic. You are five days late. Then ten days. Then thirty. You aren’t pregnant. You just skipped a beat.
While short cycles mark the Early Transition, skipped cycles mark the entry into the Late Transition.
The Significance of 60 Days
Doctors usually declare you are in the “Late Transition” once you skip two consecutive cycles (or go 60 days without a period). This is a major mile marker. It means your egg reserve is getting critically low. Your ovaries tried to ovulate, the brain screamed at them with FSH, but nothing happened. No egg was released. No progesterone was made. No period occurred.
The “Echo” Symptoms
During a skipped cycle, you might feel strange. You don’t have a period, but you might still feel bloated or moody. This is because your estrogen is fluctuating wildly—trying to trigger an ovulation that isn’t happening.
This is also when Hot Flashes usually ramp up significantly. When you skip a cycle, you go for a long stretch without the soothing effect of progesterone and with erratic estrogen. The brain’s thermostat gets confused, leading to more frequent temperature dysregulation.
The “Fake Out”
Just because you skipped a month (or three) does not mean you are done. It is very common to go 3 months without a period, and then suddenly have 4 perfect monthly cycles in a row. This is the “sputtering” engine. Do not throw away your supplies yet.
Crucial Warning: You can still get pregnant during a “skipped” phase. You might release an egg randomly on Day 45. Until you have gone 12 full months without a bleed, you need contraception.