Lack of Menstrual Period

Pelvis | Gastroenterology | Lack of Menstrual Period (Symptom)


Description

A menstrual disorder is an irregular condition in a woman's menstrual cycle.

Causes

Hormonal imbalance as a cause of irregular or lack of periods. Too frequent periods, missed periods, spotting or bouts of heavy bleeding and clotting usually occur because of underlying hormonal imbalance in a woman's body and this hormonal imbalance can be treated easily.

Pregnancy is also one of the major causes of missed periods. A woman will miss her period once she gets pregnant, but that is completely natural.

A wide variety of factors can be responsible for irregular periods, among them: significant weight gain or loss; over-exercise; poor nutrition (or a diet too high in carbohydrates); smoking; drug use; caffeine; excessive alcohol use (interfering with how the liver metabolizes estrogen and progesterone); eating disorders; increased stress; polycystic ovarian syndrome/estrogen dominance; uterine abnormalities (fibroids/cysts/polyps/endometriosis); hormonal imbalance related to perimenopause; medications; chemotherapy; recent childbirth, miscarriage; breastfeeding.

Diagnosis and Treatment

Irregular periods are an important symptom which can be suggestive of underlying serious endocrine disease. An attempt to regulate menstrual cycles by the administration of birth control pills without adequate evaluation or ignoring the problem because of the convenience of having infrequent menses (or periods) can lead to delay in the diagnosis of a significant medical problem that could be easily treated. An appropriate evaluation of these problems requires the efforts of a specialist in endocrine disorders trained to recognize the subtle signs of reproductive dysfunction and the appropriate use of a laboratory specialized in hormonal determinations.

With the recognition that reproductive system disorder are widespread among women and usually go unevaluated or unrecognized, it is especially important for women to have an understanding of the significance of menstrual disturbances and the effect on their overall health. Finally, there are new surgeries which have been developed for the management of excessive menstruation which are simple, relatively inexpensive, with virtually no convalescence or pain. These are called endometrial ablation.

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