Amenorrhea – Causes, Symptoms and Treatments!
Amenorrhea – Causes, Symptoms and Treatments. Also, Amenorrhea is the absence or cessation of menstruation in women of childbearing age. There are two types of amenorrhea : primary and secondary amenorrhea .
Primary amenorrhea is when a young woman has not had a menstrual period by the age of 16. Secondary amenorrhea is when a woman, who has had regular menstrual cycles , has stopped having her period for at least 3 months (this can include pregnancy ).
Causes: The most common causes are:
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Pregnancy: Pregnancy is one of the main causes. Often, without prior testing, this can be the main cause for sexually active women. Any woman with a delay period of more than eight days should take a pregnancy test .
Breastfeeding: Breastfeeding causes amenorrhea (although ovulation can still occur unless the baby is just breastfeeding and is less than six months old.) It is the secretion of prolactin ( hormones of lactation and development of the mammary glands), which induces amenorrhea . In case of pituitary tumor, this hormone can be produced in high doses, causing amenorrhea to occur.
Delayed Puberty: (non-severe): The age of puberty depends on ethnic origin, diet, geographic location, and general health status. If secondary sexual characteristics are present, no investigation is necessary until age 16 years (see description and statistics of amenorrhea ).
Menopause: Menopause occurs between the ages of 45 and 55 and causes a gradual decrease in menstruation , due to changes and decrease in female hormones (estrogen, progesterone).
Symptoms: The main symptom is the absence of menstruation . Regular menstrual cycles are a sign of good general health. When a woman does not have a menstrual period, it can be a sign of pregnancy or that something is wrong. It’s important to let your doctor know if you miss a menstrual cycle so they can start looking for what’s going on.
Amenorrhea in itself is not a disease, but is usually a symptom of another medical condition. Depending on which medical condition it is, the woman may have other symptoms, such as a headache , changes in vision, hair loss , or excess facial hair.
Treatments: Treatment varies according to the identified cause. More serious causes are less common and treatments are specific, aimed at solving the source of the problem.
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In the more frequent and less serious causes of amenorrhea , the treatment usually meets the patient’s wishes, for example, if the patient wants to become pregnant or if the patient wants contraception, the treatments for amenorrhea will be completely different.