| Women can have a range of problems with their periods, including pain, heavy bleeding, and skipped periods.
- Amenorrhea (ay-men-uh-REE-uh) the lack of a menstrual period. This term is used to describe the absence of a period in:
- Young women who haven't started menstruating by age 15
- Women and girls who haven't had a period for 90 days, even if they haven't been menstruating for long
Causes can include:
- Pregnancy
- Breastfeeding
- Extreme weight loss
- Eating disorders
- Excessive exercising
- Stress
- Serious medical conditions in need of treatment
As above, when your menstrual cycles come regularly, this means that important parts of your body are working normally. In some cases, not having menstrual periods can mean that your ovaries have stopped producing normal amounts of estrogen. Missing these hormones can have important effects on your overall health. Hormonal problems, such as those caused by polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) or serious problems with the reproductive organs, may be involved. It’s important to talk to a doctor if you have this problem. |
