Western Medicine Amenorrhea Information

Submitted by yyh_staff on Tue, 2006-08-15 20:08.

For most women a typical menstrual cycle is 23 to 35 days. Women with amenorrhea fail to have either their first menstrual cycle by age 16 (primary amenorrhea) or have not menstruated in over 3 months (secondary amenorrhea).

Menstruation requires the proper functioning of the hypothalamus, pituitary gland, ovaries and uterus and imbalances in any of these organs may lead to amenorrhea. Amenorrhea is somewhat more likely to occur in women who exercise very intensely, but exercise in and of itself is not a predisposing factor.

Causes of amenorrhea include stopping birth control pills, emotional and/or physical stress, rapid weight loss, obesity and frequent/excessive exercise.

  • Differential Diagnosis:
  • Some of the conditions that may present with signs of amenorrhea: polycystic ovary disease, cushing's syndrome, hyperthyroidism, or ovarian cysts or tumors.
  • Western Treatments:
  • If the cause is determined to be stress related, psychological counseling may be appropriate. If related to obesity, dietary therapy may be recommended. For women who are exercising strenously, recommendations will usually be made to follow a more moderate exercise program.
  • For hormone related causes, supplemental hormones may be administered.
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