Sunday, May 19, 2013

Secondary amenorrhea

Table of Contents

Definition

Secondary amenorrhea occurs when a woman who has been having normal menstrual cycles stops getting her periods for 6 or more months.

Amenorrhea is when a woman does not get her monthly menstrual cycle, or period.

See also:

  • Menstruation - Absent
  • Primary amenorrhea

Alternative Names

Amenorrhea - secondary; No periods - secondary; Absent periods - secondary; Absent menses - secondary; Absence of periods - secondary


Causes, incidence, and risk factors

Women who are pregnant, breastfeeding, or in menopause are not considered to have secondary amenorrhea.

Women who are taking birth control pills or receive hormone shots such as Depo-Provera may not have any monthly bleeding. When they stop taking these hormones, their periods may not return for more than 6 months.

You are more likely to have amenorrhea if you:

  • Are obese
  • Exercise excessively and for long periods of time
  • Have less than 15% - 17% body fat
  • Have severe anxiety or emotional distress
  • Lose a lot of weight suddenly (for example, with a strict diet or after gastric bypass surgery)

Other causes include:

  • Brain (pituitary) tumors
  • Polycystic ovarian syndrome
  • Premature ovarian failure
  • Thyroid dysfunction

The following drugs may also cause missed periods:

  • Busulfan
  • Chemotherapy drugs for cancer
  • Chlorambucil
  • Cyclophosphamide
  • Phenothiazines

Also, procedures such as a dilation and curettage (D and C) can lead to scar tissue formation that may cause a woman to stop menstruating. This is called Asherman syndrome. Scarring may also be caused by some severe pelvic infections.


Review Date: 06/16/2010
Reviewed By: Susan Storck, MD, FACOG, Chief, Eastside Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Group Health Cooperative of Puget Sound, Redmond, Washington; Clinical Teaching Faculty, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Washington School of Medicine. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.

A.D.A.M., Inc. is accredited by URAC, also known as the American Accreditation HealthCare Commission (www.urac.org)