Amenorrhea: your period skips but you are not pregnant
When a menstrual cycle skips, a woman is usually worried. The lack of periods is called amenorrhea and, in addition to pregnancy, it can be caused by various reasons, more or less serious.
In these few lines I wanted to address women and girls who often panic for having missed a menstrual cycle: first of all, we must not be frightened and then we must consult a gynecologist to find the causes.
You should never do self-diagnosis even if knowing the possible causes of missing periods can be useful.
If the cycle has just begun and we are at the first experiences with women’s peculiarities, it is normal that it is irregular. In a while it settles down and shouldn’t jump anymore.
Lifestyle can affect your menstrual cycle
Great stresses (such as changing jobs), heavy diets with large losses or weight gain can affect the menstrual cycle. Malnutrition and lack of adequate amount of body fat are causes of missed periods.
Malnutrition does not mean only the lack of food as occurs in poor countries, for example in Africa. Even in our society we can be malnourished, as demonstrated by the many food problems often present in young people.
Periods of intense exercise
Intense physical exercises perhaps linked to demanding competitive activities , can cause the lack of menstrual cycle.
It is known that female Olympians may not have periods. But be careful: this “exaggerated” physical form, if it denatures the normal routine of women, is not said to be healthy.
Important diseases and intensive care
Important illnesses can cause you to lose your period for a while, but in this case your doctor must be able to give you adequate information.
Hormonal disorders
Hormonal imbalances that affect the normal pattern of female hormones (and which determine ovulation and menstruation) can make your flow irregular or disappear.
Also in this case it must be a gynecologist who prescribes special tests to verify the situation and possibly undertake a treatment to restore the correct hormonal framework.
Emotional turmoil
Finally, and perhaps to be carefully evaluated, emotional or psychological disorders , if intense, can modify the normal menstrual cycle.
Over six months
If a cycle continues to skip for more than six months, it is called secondary amenorrhea .
Kathryn Barlow is an OB/GYN doctor, which is the medical specialty that deals with the care of women's reproductive health, including pregnancy and childbirth.
Obstetricians provide care to women during pregnancy, labor, and delivery, while gynecologists focus on the health of the female reproductive system, including the ovaries, uterus, vagina, and breasts. OB/GYN doctors are trained to provide medical and surgical care for a wide range of conditions related to women's reproductive health.