Checking Up on A Missed Period

Amenorrhea is the absence of menstruation. For women who used to have a period and now doesn’t, she is said to have secondary amenorrhea. For those women (more like a young teen) who have never had a period, that is primary amenorrhea and that is a very different condition.

1. Pregnancy test. You won’t get a period if you are pregnant. The first test, even then, is a pregnancy, and this should be done on blood. The quicker you figure out you are pregnant, the healthier your pregnancy can be.

2. Those on contraceptives designed to not get a period should not worry.

3. Three missed periods in a row, consult your gyno. One or more missed menstrual periods is just a missed period, but over 90 days or three cycles in a row with no bleeding is termed amenorrhea, and needs evaluation.

4. Nutritional changes can definitely affect your period for better or worse, so getting your gyno to evaluate your period is also important.

5. Thyroid hormone imbalance and other hormone issues can be related to skipped periods. Treatment of the underlying condition would resolved the condition.

6. PCOS not only can cause skipping a period, but weight gain, unwanted hair, health issues, ovarian cysts, and acne can all result from PCOS, so get those checked right away.

7.Menopause will come, but the average age is 51, so discuss with your gyno when you should expect menopause. If your gyno determines you need hormone tests to determine the source of missed periods that would include tests to consider would be a thyroid stimulating hormone level, a prolactin level and LH and FSH tests.

8. Over exercising can change your cycle, but the average exerciser shouldn’t really have this.

9. See if your testosterone levels are off. This can cause a variety of symptoms, not just a skipped period.

10. Prolactin hormone abnormalities can also cause periods to be off, and there are so many causes of this it’s relatively easy to check.

More comprehensive testing is available, and for that we would suguest you contact your gyno.