Menstrual cycle is indicative of a woman’s health. Menstrual flow usually occurs every 21-35 days and lasts for two to seven days. It is the hormonal process that a woman’s body goes through every month after puberty till menopause to prepare for a possible pregnancy. However, not every woman experiences a regular menstrual cycle and some even miss their periods for several months, which is also known as amenorrhea.

“Amenorrhea is the medical term for when a woman doesn’t have menstrual periods,” Dr Megha Ranjan, consultant ob-gyn, Sharda Hospital and Dr Neerja Goel, HOD ob-gyn department, Sharda Hospital told www.indianexpress.com.

They, further, explained that there are two types of amenorrhea.

1. Primary amenorrhea: When you are late to start your period for the first time. The normal range is 14-16 years old.

2. Secondary amenorrhea: When you miss a period for three months in a row or more.

Symptoms

*Headache
*Vision changes
*Nausea
*Extra facial hair
*Hair loss
*Changes in breast size
*Milky fluid, or discharge, from breasts

Causes

“The main causes of primary amenorrhea include family history, genetics and lifestyle,” Dr Ranjan and Dr Goel said as they listed factors that put women more at risk of amenorrhea.

*A family history of amenorrhea or early menopause.
*A genetic or chromosomal defect. These can affect your ovary function and menstrual cycle. Turner Syndrome is one example.
*Severely overweight or underweight.
*An eating disorder.
*An extreme exercise pattern.
*A poor diet.
*Stress.
*Pregnancy, breastfeeding, and menopause can cause secondary amenorrhea.
*Other possible causes include birth controls, such as pills, injections, or intrauterine devices. These can affect women’s menstrual cycle during and after use.

Treatment

The experts suggested women to get blood tests done to check the following:

*Thyroid function
*Ovary function
*Testosterone (male hormone) levels, which can detect PCOS
*Estrogen (female hormone) levels

“Treatment options for amenorrhea vary based on the cause. You may need to make lifestyle changes, such as diet, activity, and stress. Certain hormonal medicines and birth control pills can help trigger a period. Others can help trigger ovulation, such as for PCOS. Hormone therapy may be used to balance out your hormones,” the doctors said.

They added that “surgery is rare, but may be needed in some cases”, such as:

*To correct genetic or chromosomal defects.
*To remove a pituitary (brain) tumour.