Absent menstruation means no menstrual flow, or period. Absent menstruation may be:

• Primary -- no menstruation by age 16
• Secondary -- menstruation begins at the appropriate age, but later stops for more than 3 cycles or 6 months

Absent menstruation is called amenorrhea.

Missed periods; Lack of menses; Periods - missed; Amenorrhea

Many perfectly healthy females begin to menstruate later than most (the average age is about 13).

Pregnancy is often the first thought when a period is missed, but there are many reasons for having a late period. The rate of primary amenorrhea in the United States is less than 1%. The rate of secondary amenorrhea (due to some cause other than pregnancy) is about 4% in the general population.

Symptoms associated with amenorrhea depend on the cause and may include:

• Headache
• Galactorrhea (breasts produce milk in a woman who is not pregnant or breast-feeding an infant)
• Vision loss (in rare cases of pituitary tumor)
• Marked weight gain or weight loss
• Acne
• Dry vagina
• Increased hair growth in a "male" pattern (hirsutism)
• Voice changes
• Breast size changes
• Cyclic pain without bleeding

Causes of primary amenorrhea:

• Delay may be normal if puberty characteristics, such as breast development, are present by age 13
• Birth defects of the female reproductive system
• Lack of an opening in the membrane at the entrance of the vagina (hymen)
• Problem with the hypothalamus or pituitary gland

Factors that can disrupt normal menstruation and cause secondary ammenorrhea include:

• Drastic weight loss
• Eating disorders
• Pregnancy
• Stress and anxiety
• Drastic weight reduction
• Significant weight gain or obesity
• Hormonal imbalance (such as with polycystic ovarian syndrome)
• Endocrine disorders such as thyroid disease or pituitary disease/tumor
• Intrauterine device (IUD)
• Too much exercise
• Premature ovarian failure
• Menopause (normal for women over age 45)
• Use of birth control pills and other contraceptives
• Uterine scarring, usually from procedures such as dilation and curettage (D and C)

Images

Secondary amenorrhea

Primary amenorrhea

Absence of menstruation (amenorrhea)

Review Date: 06/16/2010
Reviewed By: David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc., and 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.

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