Amenorrhea is the medical condition used to refer the situation when there temporary or permanent absence of the menstrual cycle. Amenorrhea can be classified into two types:
Primary amenorrhea is the condition where periods have not begun may be by the age of 16years. It is caused due to anatomic or genetic condition in females which affects their chances of pregnancy. Amenorrhea develops into many genetic conditions wherein some or all normal internal female organs fail to form normally during the development of fetal or functions improperly. Causes: Primary amenorrhea can also be caused due to diseases of hypothalamus and pituitary gland which has major role in ovarian hormonal regulation. One of the common causes of primary amenorrhea is Gonadal Dysgenesis. It is a condition where ovaries prematurely deplete the follicles and egg cells resulting into premature ovaries failure. Turner syndrome is another cause of primary amenorrhea. In this condition woman lacks all or one part of one of the two X chromosomes present in female body. Also amenorrhea can be caused due to reasons like congenital adrenal hyperplasia, polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and androgen insensitivity wherein individuals’ posses XY (male) chromosomes but the external characteristic does not develop as male due to less response to testosterone.
Secondary amenorrhea is a condition where the menstrual period remains absent for consecutive three cycles or exceeding six months in a woman menstruating previously. It results due to disturbance in regulator hormones which are caused by hypothalamus in brain. The host of conditions that affects hypothalamus amenorrhea is: Severe illness Rigorous exercising Emotional and physical stress Extreme weight loss
