Amenorrhea :-
Amenorrhea is the medical term for when a woman does not have menstrual periods.
Amenorrhea Types :-
There are two types of amenorrhea.
• Primary amenorrhea -
This is when you are late to begin your period for the first time. The normal age for periods to begin is 14 to 16 years old.
• Secondary amenorrhea -
This is when you miss a period for 3 months in a row or more then that.
Amenorrhea Symptoms :-
The important symptom of amenorrhea is the non-appearance of your monthly period. It frequently signifies a larger health problem or condition.
Connected symptoms can include :
• Headache.
• Vision changes.
• Nausea.
• Extra facial hair.
• Hair loss.
• Changes in breast size.
• Milky fluid, or discharge, from your breasts.
Amenorrhea Causes :-
The important causes of primary amenorrhea involve family history, genetics, and lifestyle.
Women having a following factors are more at risk :
• Having a family history of amenorrhea or early menopause.
• A genetic or chromosomal defect. These can affect your function of ovary and menstrual cycle. Turner syndrome is one of the example.
• Critically overweight or underweight.
• An eating disorder.
• An maximum exercise pattern.
• A poor diet.
• Stress.
Pregnancy, breastfeeding, and menopause can give rise to secondary amenorrhea.
Other possible causes include:
• Some birth controls pills, injections, or intrauterine devices. This can affect your menstrual cycle during and after you use.
• Some medicines for depression and blood pressure.
• Chemotherapy and radiation treatment.
• Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS).
• Fragile X syndrome (caused by the FMR1 gene) or fragile x-connected primary ovarian insufficiency (FXPOI).
• Problems with your pituitary gland or thyroid
• Hypothalamic disease.
• Uterine scar tissue.
Amenorrhea Diagnosis :-
Consult your family doctor or a gynecologist if you have a doubt that you have amenorrhea. If you have never menstruated, the doctor will see your health history and do an test. A regular physical and pelvic check may show signs of puberty.
For secondary amenorrhea, the doctor will start with a pregnancy test. If this is negative, he or she will do an test and will look after your health history.
Your doctor can tell additional tests to rule out or find out a cause. A karyotype test looks at your chromosomes. A genetic test see for the mutated FMR1 gene. Imaging tests can see at your female organs.
A blood test can check your :
• Thyroid function (thyroid-stimulating hormone, or TSH levels).
• Ovary function (follicle-stimulating hormone, or FSH, and luteinizing hormone, or LH, levels).
• Testosterone (“male hormone”) levels, which can find out PCOS.
• Estrogen (“female hormone”) levels.
Amenorrhea Prevention :-
It is very difficult to prevent amenorrhea. You should try to maintain a healthy diet and exercise plan. If you are underweight or overweight, have a conversation with your doctor about how to find a balance. Once you start to menstruate, keep track of your periods each n every month. This can help classify amenorrhea early on and aid in your diagnosis and treatment. It is also good practice if you try to become pregnant in the future.
Amenorrhea Treatment :-
Treatment for amenorrhea differ based on the cause. You can need to make changes in your lifestyle like diet, activity, and stress. Particular hormonal medicines and birth control pills can help activate a period. Others can help activate ovulation, like for PCOS. Hormone therapy can be used to balance out your hormones.
Surgery is very hardly done, but can be needed in some cases,
Such as :
• To right genetic or chromosomal defects.
• To take out a pituitary (brain) tumor.
• To take out uterine scar tissue.