Hi there, thanks for your question.

If your period is late and you have had unprotected sex it would be a good idea to do a pregnancy test. If you have had unprotected sex in the last 2–4 weeks, a pregnancy test should be able to tell you if you are pregnant or not. Keep in mind that the test may come back negative if the test is done too soon.

It would be a good idea to do a pregnancy test once a week until you get you get your period (or until you get a positive test result). Urine pregnancy tests are sold in supermarkets and pharmacies.

Apart from pregnancy, there are a number of reasons why you may have a late period. The main reason is that you may be stressed or run-down. Other reasons include:

• Excessive weight increase or weight loss
• Unbalanced diet
• Using alcohol or other drugs
• Hormones changes (e.g. because of pregnancy or puberty).

You didn't say how long you have had your period for, but it's not uncommon for a young woman to have irregular or infrequent periods.

Visit your doctor or a women's health nurse for more information or testing. If you're not sure where to go, you could try Family Planning (NZ). All the best.