Women Care

Amenorrhea is absence of period. It is classified into two types – primary and secondary

Primary Amenorrhea
Primary amenorrhea is when a young girl
1. Does not have menses by age of 14yrs and also secondary sexual characteristics (I.e.development of breast and pubic hair.) Or
2. No menses by age of 16yrs despite having secondary sex characteristics

In either of these cases she would need further investigation. There can be many causes for primary amenorrhea. One would need investigations and then appropriate treatment.

Secondary Amenorrhea

Secondary amenorrhea occurs when a woman who has been having normal menstrual cycles stops getting her periods for 6 or more months., but excludes women who are pregnant, breastfeeding, menopausal, using Depo-Provera, or having a LNG-IUS in situ.

Secondary amenorrhea may happen in case of
• Obesity
• Loss of weight suddenly – due to diet or obesity surgeries.
• Too much exercise for long periods.
• Severe emotional stress
• Cancer treatment
• Tumors in the brain
• Various medication
• Lining of the uterus is damaged after Dilatation and Curettage. – This happens when it is done repeatedly e.g. multiple terminations of pregnancy.