There are two types of amenorrhea, i.e. the absence of menstruation. These are primary amenorrhea and secondary amenorrhea. The former is very rare and is the term used when a girl has not had her first period by the time she reaches sixteen years of age. Or, it applies when a girl has not had her first period by the age of fourteen years together with no secondary sexual development such as the development of breasts. Secondary amenorrhea is a temporary cessation of the period and is quite common, with different amenorrhea causes abounding.
If you believe you have amenorrhea, reading through the possible amenorrhea causes may give you a good indication as to what may be responsible. We also touch on what you can do about it. Please do remember, though, that only a qualified healthcare practitioner can give an accurate diagnosis.
Secondary amenorrhea refers to missing your period for at least three consecutive months. This implies you have already had your period at least once before this happens.
A normal menstrual cycle is accompanied by a rise in your body’s estrogen levels. This hormone, in women, plays a major role in their reproductive development with higher estrogen levels resulting in a thickening of the uterus. When this happens, an egg is released into one of your ovaries. If a sperm cell fertilizes this egg, a fetus develops. If no fertilization takes place, the egg comes apart, your estrogen levels go down, and the thickened uterine lining together with some blood is released via your vagina. We refer to this as ‘having your period or menses’. This is a normal process.
Sometimes, however, this normal cycle is disrupted, resulting in amenorrhea. Here the amenorrhea causes may include:
So now that we have dealt with possible amenorrhea causes, what are the symptoms we need to look out for?
Well, the first symptom is obvious: an absence of a period for three months. But there are other things you should also watch for. These include:
We will take a look at both primary and secondary amenorrhea in this section:
Amenorrhea itself is a symptom of another condition. In the case of primary amenorrhea, one would look at such amenorrhea causes as vaginal agenesis, Turner syndrome, androgen insensitivity syndrome, mosaicism, and others.
A short breakdown of these different conditions follows:
The partial development or absence of your womb without any vaginal development before birth. It's usually associated with a kidney, skeletal, or heart issue.
A genetic condition in women often accompanied by an early loss of proper ovarian function. Common symptoms associated with the condition, besides amenorrhea, include a broad chest, short stature, webbed neck, and sexual immaturity due to hypoestrogenemia. This is a condition whereby you have a deficiency in estradiol and/or estrogen hormones.
Where a male, i.e. someone with an X and a Y chromosome, has some or all of the female characteristics.
This condition has much in common with androgen sensitivity but may not see any breast development. Also, people with the condition have testes instead of ovaries.
This condition results from a person having two (or more) different types of cells in their body. In other words, each cell in your body normally has 46 chromosomes grouped into 23 pairs. This means that each cell has 23 chromosomes from one parent, and 23 from the other parent. In the case of mosaicism, however, some cells may have the usual 46 chromosomes, while other cells have 47. Mosaicism, also referred to as gonadal dysgenesis, is also associated with a hormonal imbalance.
Please note the conditions mentioned above do not apply to people with secondary amenorrhea. They are possible amenorrhea causes only in those with primary amenorrhea.
When talking about secondary amenorrhea causes one is referring to the occurrence of amenorrhea due to an interference in your normal menstrual cycle. In other words, you had normal menstruation cycles previously, but they stopped due to the development of a health condition or because of some form of treatment.
These health conditions or treatments include, amongst others:
Chemotherapy or radiation treatments to your pelvic area may disrupt your normal menstrual cycle by creating a condition known as hypergonadotropic hypogonadism. These treatments may have a negative influence on your gonads resulting in a decrease in estradiol production.
Hypergonadotropic hypogonadism may also result from anorexia nervosa, stress, depression, and even too much exercise. Please note that a very low body fat count has a negative influence on hormone production.
Central nervous system tumors, i.e. those growing in your brain or on your spinal cord, may also be one of the many amenorrhea causes. This is because these tumors could potentially compress your portal vessels and thus hinder the flow of gonadotropin-releasing hormone from your brain’s hypothalamus to the pituitary gland. Your hypothalamus and pituitary gland form part of your body’s NeuroEndoMetabolic (NEM) stress response that plays a role in all your body’s hormone functions.
This condition (which may result in amenorrhea) is caused by ovarian hyperthecosis, whereby luteinized theta cell nests are present in your ovarian stroma. Other symptoms of the condition include hirsutism, obesity, and acne and could be associated with Type 2 diabetes, for example.
Premature ovarian failure is also known as primary ovarian insufficiency or early menopause. This implies that your ovaries decrease egg production or stop before you reach the age of 40 years. This may be due to autoimmune issues, radiation therapy or chemotherapy. Whatever the cause, your hormone production is affected and may result in amenorrhea.
Chronic health issues, especially while young, may interfere with your sexual development because it may negatively influence your body’s normal metabolic process due to the malabsorption of needed nutrients. Examples of such chronic health issues include hypothyroidism, hyperthyroidism, cystic fibrosis, and Crohn disease.
Various disorders may also cause amenorrhea by disrupting your brain’s pituitary function. These include cranial aneurysms and head trauma.
Your healthcare practitioner’s first call to action would be ruling out the possibility of a pregnancy. Once he or she confirms pregnancy is not the cause, the next step would be ruling out the different causes of the condition to find the root cause. Once the cause is determined, treatment would begin, if applicable. Treating the cause of your amenorrhea should, in most cases, see your menstrual cycle return to normal once again.
Different tests your healthcare practitioner may employ include, amongst others:
Your Hormone Circuit consists of three components: the adrenal glands, the thyroid glands, and the reproductive system. For your Hormone Circuit to be in balance, all three of these systems need to work correctly. When one of these does not work as it should, it negatively affects the other two. This is because your body, in essence, is a machine. Just like a machine, if one part has a dysfunction, different parts of the machine start breaking down until finally, the whole machine grinds down to a stop.
This is, essentially, why holistic medicine looks at finding the root cause of any condition instead of treating the various symptoms.
As part of your Hormone Circuit, your reproductive system depends on balanced hormones to function correctly. Yet these hormones may become imbalanced due to various reasons, including thyroid or adrenal gland dysfunction. It may also become imbalanced due to issues with hormones in your brain. In your brain, for instance, your hypothalamus and/or pituitary function could be compromised. Please note that, as part of your Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal (HPA) axis, and an important component in your NEM stress response, your brain plays a very important role regarding hormone function throughout your entire body.
As seen from the different amenorrhea causes, the single issue that ultimately stands out is a hormone imbalance. This means that treating the issue of this hormone imbalance, in the case of secondary amenorrhea, would go a long way to solving your issue.
Treating amenorrhea causes naturally would imply addressing a hormonal imbalance. This means first finding the cause of this imbalance and doing what is necessary to address it. However, there are also other things you can do. Please do note that, when considering the use of dietary supplements, you should do so with the guidance of a qualified healthcare practitioner able to identify its suitability in your case, as well as recommend a suitable dosage.
Various studies show a correlation between diet and hormone imbalance. A low-fat, high-fiber, plant-based diet may help rebalance your hormones, while one that is high in fat and refined carbohydrates tends to encourage a hormone imbalance.
Foods to consider include cruciferous vegetables like cabbage, kale, broccoli, and cauliflower. You should also consider staying away from food and drinks with high caffeine and sugar content. Following this diet can also help you deal with adrenal fatigue as well.
Your liver is your body’s main detoxifying pathway and removes free radicals from your body. Excessive amounts of these free radicals can damage your liver and impede its function. What people may not know or tend to forget, is that your liver also converts hormones, like estradiol, into excretable substances and in so doing, helps maintain a balance.
While excessively low weight may cause amenorrhea, excessive weight tends to be a larger problem in the USA. About 61% of the adult population in the USA is considered overweight. Estrone, one of the three types of estrogen in your body, is produced within fat cells. This could promote a hormone imbalance in your body. So, maintaining a healthy weight is very important.
Exercise, according to various studies, helps to modulate hormonal imbalances. People who exercise regularly are also happier and less depressed than their sedentary counterparts. They also have an increased overall life expectancy.
Numerous natural supplements deal with hormone imbalances. Good choices that support a balanced hormone system while boosting your immunity and reducing toxicity in your body include a B vitamin complex, French maritime bark extract, pycnogenol, milk thistle, and fish oil.
While there are many amenorrhea causes, the good news is that most women suffering from this condition need only worry about secondary amenorrhea causes that, in most cases, can be addressed.
If you are suffering from amenorrhea and are worried about the different amenorrhea causes, here are some things you can do:
If you have amenorrhea and would like to know more about the various amenorrhea causes, the team at Dr. Lam Coaching will help. We offer a free** no-obligation phone consultation at +1-626-571-1234 where we will privately discuss your symptoms and options with you. You can also send us a question through our Ask The Doctor system by clicking here.
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Adrenal fatigue does not develop overnight. The condition takes very long to develop, and has many factors involved. A hormonal imbalance, such as many women with amenorrhea causes experience, may impact the condition with adrenal fatigue itself increasing a hormonal imbalance.
