Can a UTI delay your period?

If you’ve ever experienced a urinary tract infection (UTI) during your period, you may have noticed irregularities. While there’s no direct link between UTIs and menstrual cycle delays, there may be an indirect relationship due to psychological factors.

Other variables such as specific medications, lifestyle habits, and medical conditions can also affect your menstrual cycles. As a result, it’s not out of the ordinary to notice period delays when going through a UTI.

Can a UTI Affect Your Period?

There is no evidence to support a direct link between UTIs and delays in your menstrual cycle. Yet, there may be some indirect relationship between the two, as research shows that stress and similar psychological factors can change your period’s timing.

While the topic is still being researched, a comprehensive 2006 review shows that stress can impair the ovarian cycle [1]. This doesn’t always manifest as menstrual irregularity, but mental burdens can delay your period as long as stress remains present.

Mental stress due to a UTI can impair with your normal menstrual cycle.

Researchers suggest that this may happen due to the hormonal imbalance that stress causes. When sustained over time, the famous “fight or flight” response can release a specific type of hormone known as corticotrophin-releasing hormone (CRH). In turn, CRH suppresses gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) activity, which regulates menstrual cycles.

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Another 2015 study supports this theory, indicating that high stress levels can cause menstrual irregularities [2]. Yet, its authors point out that stress doesn’t affect the period duration, amount of flow, and level of pain.

It’s also important to remember that prolonged stress can affect future periods, so it’s normal to still be irregular afterward.

It’s completely normal to feel anxious, afraid, and stressed when going through a UTI during periods. Menstrual irregularities can intensify these emotions, so it’s important to discard other possible causes to relieve your mental burden.

Can UTI Treatment Delay Your Period?

The most common UTI treatment is antibiotics, which combat the bacteria causing the infection. Most antibiotics used to treat UTIs have no direct impact on the menstrual cycle. However, the medication rifampin is an exception.

Rifampin is an antibiotic used to prevent and treat meningococcal infections. Although it’s not the most common choice for treating UTIs, some doctors may prescribe it if they believe the infection stems from these bacteria.

Rifampin is known to interfere both with menstrual periods and birth control pills [3]. Therefore, taking this medication may lead to abnormal bleeding, absence of periods, and increased time between them.

Other medications, like antidepressants, blood pressure medications, and hormonal therapy can also disrupt the menstrual cycle [4]. If you’re taking any of these, you should check with a doctor to determine if they are the cause of the delay.