Causes of amenorrhea

Causes of Amenorrhea: Why Periods Stop

Amenorrhea means absent periods - never started by 15 (primary), or stopped for 3+ months after being regular (secondary). It is a signpost, not a disease: something upstream has changed, and the cause decides everything about treatment.

First: Rule Out Pregnancy

The most common cause of missed periods in any woman who could be pregnant is pregnancy. A home urine test is the first step, always - before any herb, diet change, or worry, per NHS missed periods guidance. Breastfeeding and approaching menopause also pause periods naturally.

The Common Medical Causes

• PCOS (polycystic ovary syndrome): the most frequent medical cause - irregular ovulation, often with acne, weight gain, or facial hair
• Thyroid disorders: both overactive and underactive thyroid disturb cycles
• High prolactin: the milk hormone suppresses cycles; sometimes from a small pituitary growth
• Weight and energy: being significantly underweight, eating disorders, and intense athletic training shut periods down (the body reads famine)
• Significant weight gain can do the same through hormone disruption
• Stress and illness: major physical or emotional stress delays ovulation
• Premature ovarian insufficiency: ovaries slowing before 40
• Medicines: some contraceptives (normal and expected), antipsychotics, chemotherapy

The Classical View of Causes

Classical Ayurveda names this Anartava / Nashta-artava (lost menstruation) and Artava-kshaya (menstrual depletion), attributing it chiefly to Vata (the moving force - blocked or dried up) obstructing or depleting the Artava channels, often with Kapha blocking (as in the classical description matching PCOS-like pictures). The nidana lists read modern: excessive exercise and physical strain, dry/rough/insufficient food, chronic worry and grief, and depletion after illness.

Interpretive framing: the texts could not test hormones. But their causal instincts - body weight, exertion, nutrition, stress - are exactly the modern functional causes. Hormone testing does the naming; the classical frame does the noticing.

Frequently Asked Questions

I missed one period - is that amenorrhea? Not medically - one late or missed period is common and often stress-related. Three months absent (or never starting by 15) is the definition that needs evaluation.

Can stress alone stop periods? Yes - significant stress suppresses the brain signals that drive ovulation. Periods typically return when the stress resolves.

Can exercise stop periods? Intense training with low body fat can - ballet dancers and athletes classically. It signals the body is under-fuelled, and bone health pays the price.

Does amenorrhea mean infertility? Not necessarily - many causes are reversible (thyroid, weight, stress). But absent ovulation means no conception while it lasts, so evaluate early if pregnancy is the goal.