Amenorrhea is the absence of menstruation for at least six consecutive months. This pathology can occur in women who never started their period despite being old enough to have it or in women who were interrupted when they had their regular cycles. These two types of amenorrhea are called primary and secondary, respectively.
Those women who lack menstruation due to pregnancy or menopause are not considered to have amenorrhea. But, in other cases, the absence of the menstrual period may indicate some disease. In either case, it is essential to consult a doctor. This anomaly of the menstrual cycle can be suffered by any woman, causing great concern. For this reason, at FastlyHealwe explain more about amenorrhea: causes, symptoms, and treatment.
Table of Contents
Causes of amenorrhea
Women who stop having their menstrual period frequently, it is because they suffer from hormonal alterations, a condition that can have different reasons. Some of the most common causes of amenorrhea are:
- Consume birth control pills.
- Injecting hormones.
- Exercising excessively a lot.
- Have obesity problems.
- Suffering too much stress or anguish.
- Present damage to the pituitary gland may be due to infection or trauma.
- Being too skinny, with almost no body fat, below 20%.
- Lose weight suddenly
- Taking drugs for psychosis, schizophrenia, or to treat cancer.
- Being exposed to radiation.
- Having tumors in the brain.
- Having thyroid gland problems.
- Abnormalities in the ovaries include the total absence of ovaries or their presence but no eggs.
- Eating poorly nutritious foods or making drastic dietary changes.
- Present a congenital anomaly, for example, that the hymen covers the entire vaginal opening.
- Suffering from deterioration of the endometrium can be caused by poor abortion practice, genital tuberculosis, or surgery.
Symptoms of amenorrhea
Specific manifestations that are accompanied by the lack of menstruation can be the following:
- Hair growth in areas that are not common in a woman.
- Weight change, either gaining weight or losing weight.
- The size of the breasts changes, and they may produce secretions.
- Acne appears, and the voice may be different, usually thickening.
- There is constant dryness in the vagina.
- Abdominal pain.
Treatment of amenorrhea
It must be taken into account that amenorrhea is not such a disease but a symptom of a significant complication. To know what treatment to follow, the cause that is causing the interruption of the menstrual cycle must be first determined. It is necessary to go to a general practitioner for an evaluation to achieve this. Other specialists, such as a psychologist, nutritionist, and gynecologist, can participate in the treatment if critical.
Treatment is based solely on attending to the cause of amenorrhea. If what causes this pathology is obesity, the treatment will be limited to a specific diet for each body. Whereas if it is a thyroid problem, this disorder should be treated exclusively.
Generally, in cases of primary amenorrhea, treatment consists of the administration of estrogens and progesterone, especially when there has not been an adequate development of secondary sexual characteristics.
This article is merely informative. At FastlyHeal .com, we do not have the power to prescribe medical treatments or make any diagnosis. We invite you to see a doctor in the case of presenting any condition or discomfort.
If you want to read more articles similar to Amenorrhea: causes, symptoms, and treatment, we recommend that you enter our category of the Female reproductive system.
I am a Surgeon with a diploma in comprehensive ultrasound and surgical care residency, an area I am specializing in. During the exercise of my profession, I have realized the need for patients to know the diseases they suffer, and I can tell you that a large part of their complications is due to a lack of information. Being a health web writer allows me to transmit my experience, without borders, to all those readers eager for knowledge, educate them in the prevention of diseases and promote a healthy lifestyle.