Amenorrhea means the lack of menstruation.

Doctors classify amenorrhea as primary (when it occurs in girls that are aged under 16) and as secondary (when menstruation fails to occur for more than 3 cycles in women who have previously had menstruation during their life).

The first though women have when observing their menstruation is late would be: “Am I pregnant?” It is true that pregnancy usually stops menstruation, but still there are other causes that can cause amenorrhea and not many of us know about them.

One frequent cause of amenorrhea is an inadequate nutrition. And we are not talking here about anorexia. Yes, in anorexic women menstruation will fail to occur at some point if they continue starving themselves. The interesting thing is that amenorrhea can occur in women who have a normal weight but have an unbalanced diet. Scientists have discovered that a low in fat diet can be a cause of the lack of menstruation. Also they have noticed an increased rate of amenorrhea in women who gained their calories form high fiber carbohydrates and had a low percentage of body fat.

Also, excessive exercising can be another cause of amenorrhea. It seems that ballet and track sports are more likely to stop menstruation periods in women. This fact can be linked with an unbalanced diet, especially if considering the need of avoiding weight gain in the women who practice such sports.

Emotional traumas, depression, anxiety and even grief can be a major cause of amenorrhea. Usually menstruation comes back after these psychological affections get resolved.

Hormonal imbalances can also be held responsible for the lack of menstruation. In such a case, polycystic ovarian syndrome is suspected and further tests including an eco must be done in order to place a diagnose. Sometimes polycystic ovarian syndrome can come with excessive bleeding, so conclusions can not be drawn until the eco is performed by a gynecologist.

Sometimes menstruation is delayed due to chronic illnesses. If you have been sick for quite some time and have followed a treatment for that affection your body will respond positive once you get better and your menstruation will return.

Thyroid affections can also cause amenorrhea so you should go see an endocrinologist if you know you have had problems with this gland in the past.

No matter what the cause of your amenorrhea is you should not let too much time pass before you go see your doctor. The faster you go the sooner your menstruation will get back on you and you will get rid of stress and worries.