For more than two decades, Dr. Andrew Johnson has practiced as a Family Physician and Hospitalist at William Osler Health Centre in Brampton, Ontario, Canada. In addition to this, Dr. Andrew Johnson maintains an office-based family practice in Brampton and treats a huge range of issues, including absent periods.
Known as amenorrhea, absent periods can be the result of many things. Most people associate them with pregnancy, breastfeeding, and menopause. While these are the natural things that cause amenorrhea, they aren’t the only things.
Another type is primary amenorrhea, whereby menstrual periods fail to ever start. Some of these girls never go through puberty and do not develop secondary sexual characteristics, like breasts, normally. Most commonly, this type of amenorrhea results from a birth defect in the reproductive organs or a genetic disorder, such as Kallmann syndrome, the overproduction of male hormones, and Turner syndrome.
Secondary amenorrhea occurs when women have normal periods and then those periods stop. Lifestyle factors play a huge role in the development of secondary amenorrhea. Excessive stress and exercise are both capable of stopping regular menstrual periods. Similarly, too much or too little body fat can stop or delay menstruation.
Hormonal imbalances also have been tied to secondary amenorrhea. Often, these imbalances are caused by a tumor on the thyroid or pituitary gland, but low estrogen levels and high testosterone levels can also cause amenorrhea. Polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) is a medical condition that may result in hormonal imbalances.
Finally, certain medications can cause secondary amenorrhea. Antidepressants and antipsychotics are medications that can occasionally stop periods, as are chemotherapy drugs and medications for high blood pressure. Certain contraceptives also cause secondary amenorrhea.
Please seek medical advice if you miss a period.
