Amenorrhoea (Absence of periods)

It is a failure to have periods, which may be described as primary or secondary . Primary amenorrhoea is the failure to menstruate  by age 16, and the main  cause is the late onset of puberty. A girl may have the other signs of puberty  but lack of periods. this may be a cause of a pituitary tumor, which can be found  via a skull X -ray , or because of cryptomenorrohea, where menstrual bleedings does occur but it is held inside the vagina  by an obstruction such as imperforate  Hymen. The condition  may arise because parts of the female reproductive system are missing. The most common reason for primary amenorrhoea is disruption  of the relationship  between  the ovaries  and the pituitary gland.

Secondary amenorrhoea occurs  when a woman stops  menstruating  for 3 months  or more  after normal menstrual  periods have been established but before the onset of the Menopause.  It may arise  as a result of stress, chronic  diseases.  Stopping the contraceptive pill, which affects  hormone  production  in the brain , can cause amenorrhoea for up to a year, and it may arise after child birth and breast feeding. Failure of ovaries, prompting a premature  menopause before the age of 40, is another cause.  Amenorrhoea is permanent after the menopause or if the uterus is removed in a Hysterectomy