Missed periods can be caused by pregnancy, illness, weight changes, contraceptives, extreme stress, breastfeeding, and menopause. Amenorrhea can be primary or secondary, and can also be caused by medications, eating disorders, and physical stress. Primary amenorrhea can be caused by chromosomal, hypothalamic, and pituitary disorders, as well as abnormalities in reproductive organs.
The most common cause of missed periods, known medically as amenorrhea, is pregnancy. Other physical reasons a woman of reproductive age may miss her period are illness, weight loss, and weight gain. Contraceptives that introduce artificial hormones into the body, such as birth control pills, patches, and injections, can cause you to miss periods. A woman’s psychological state, especially extreme stress, can sometimes explain the absence of menstruation.
Menstruation occurs when the lining of the uterus is shed every month. This lining develops after ovulation to receive a fertilized egg. When pregnancy does occur, the lining stays in place and the woman does not get her period. If a woman is breastfeeding, she may experience an absence of menstruation because the lining of the uterus is not being shed. Although she does not have her period, she can ovulate and become pregnant while breastfeeding.
Using hormonal contraceptives often causes you to miss periods because these contraceptives are designed to suppress ovulation. When a woman’s body does not ovulate, there is no monthly period because the lining of the uterus is not shed. A woman usually begins to ovulate and have regular periods again within a couple of months of stopping hormonal contraceptive use.
Doctors define two types of amenorrhea. If a girl has not started her period by the age of 16, it is referred to as primary amenorrhea. When a woman who has had her period before has an absence of menstruation for one or more months, doctors refer to this condition as secondary amenorrhea.
Other causes of secondary amenorrhea include medications such as antidepressants, steroids and chemotherapy. Athletes and women with eating disorders can also be prone to a lack of menstruation. Ovulation often does not occur when a woman weighs too little or experiences extreme physical stress, such as the physical stress endured by athletes who are training. If ovulation does not occur, there is no period.
Absence of menstruation can also occur as a woman approaches menopause. During the period known as perimenopause, a woman’s body is transitioning from its reproductive years to the time when ovulation will no longer occur. During perimenopause, the menstrual cycle can be irregular and there can be consecutive months when the woman does not have periods.
In the case of primary amenorrhea, causes may include chromosomal, hypothalamic, and pituitary disorders. The girl may have been born with abnormalities in the uterus, cervix, or other reproductive organs that prevent her from ovulating or menstruating. Anorexia, Cushing’s disease, and obesity can also be the cause of primary amenorrhea.
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