Amenorrhea is the medical term for the absence of a menstrual period.
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What Are Some Indicators of Amenorrhea?
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The absence of menstrual bleeding is labeled amenorrhea.
But in some cases it is accompanied by other symptoms, indicating an underlying condition.
When this is the case, it is especially important to be checked by your healthcare provider.
Causes and Risk Factors of Amenorrhea
Amenorrhea naturally triggers when a woman is pregnant or breastfeeding.
In other women, amenorrhea is a sign of disruption inthe hormonal systemin the body.
Typically when these issues are reversed, the menstrual period will return.
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Sometimes the dysfunction occurs for other reasons.
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How Is Amenorrhea Diagnosed?
You will also have a pelvic exam to check for physical defects.
If birth defects are suspected in a teen with primary amenorrhea, a pelvic ultrasound might be performed.
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Contraceptives may also result in amenorrhea.
This is not dangerous, and your period will typically return about three months after you stop using them.
This ranges from medication, behavioral changes, and sometimes surgery.
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Going without a period may not signal a health problem.
The risks of having amenorrhea vary, depending on a womans estrogen state.
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Several underlying conditions that include amenorrhea as a symptom may cause significant complications.
Untreated PCOS, for instance, may result in excess estrogen production, which may lead toendometrial hyperplasiaor cancer.
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Unintended pregnancy can be a result of amenorrhea if you are not carefully using birth control.
It is still possible to get pregnant even when you are not having regular periods.
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Research and Statistics: Who Experiences Amenorrhea?
She completed her residency in obstetrics and gynecology at the SUNY Downstate Medical Center in Brooklyn, New York.
She is currently working on her PhD in medical sociology.
What Is Menstruation?
What Are Irregular Periods?
