In some cases you may need treatment for your periods to return. You should also see your GP if your periods stop before you're 45 or if you're still bleeding when you're over If your GP thinks a medical condition might have caused your periods to stop, they may refer you to a consultant who specialises in the condition. If test results show a medical condition has caused your periods to stop, you may be offered treatment for your condition.
For example, if the cause is PCOS, you may be advised to take the contraceptive pill or tablets containing a hormone called progesterone. Read more about the treatment of PCOS.
If the cause is early menopause premature ovarian failure , this means the ovaries no longer function normally. Hormone medicine is usually recommended. Treatments may include the contraceptive pill or hormone replacement therapy HRT. If you have an overactive thyroid gland, you may be given medication to stop your thyroid producing too many hormones. Read more about treating an overactive thyroid gland. Page last reviewed: 02 August Next review due: 02 August Stopped or missed periods.
Why your periods might stop There are a number of reasons why your periods can stop. The most common reasons are: pregnancy stress sudden weight loss being overweight doing too much exercise taking the contraceptive pill the menopause polycystic ovary syndrome PCOS Periods can also sometimes stop as a result of a medical condition, such as heart disease , uncontrolled diabetes , an overactive thyroid , or premature menopause. Pregnancy You might be pregnant if you're sexually active and your period is late.
Stress If you're stressed, your menstrual cycle can become longer or shorter, your periods may stop altogether, or they might become more painful. Sudden weight loss Excessive or sudden weight loss can cause your periods to stop. Being overweight Being overweight can also affect your menstrual cycle.
Excess oestrogen can affect how often you have periods, and can also cause your periods to stop. A range of factors, including those below, can cause a lack of estrogen. The rapid gain or loss of a significant amount of weight can lead to hormonal imbalances. These imbalances can cause a person to miss periods initially, but they tend to resolve over time. Long-term or intense stress can affect the part of the brain that controls the reproductive hormones.
This can cause ovulation and periods to stop. Once the cause of the stress goes or the person learns coping strategies to manage it, their regular cycle may return. Excessive exercise can cause missed periods, particularly for people with low body weight or very little body fat. Missing periods due to excessive exercise is called exercise-associated amenorrhea. Prolactin is a hormone that the body usually makes during breastfeeding.
It can halt menstruation and is the reason why most breastfeeding women do not have periods. In people who are not breastfeeding, a milky discharge from the nipples can signify that the body is making an abnormally high amount of prolactin. Doctors can treat excessive prolactin production with medication. Hypothyroidism , or an underactive thyroid, is a condition in which the thyroid does not produce enough of these hormones.
Hyperthyroidism , or an overactive thyroid, results in the levels of thyroid hormones in the body being too high. Some of the reasons you might miss a period include:. There are a number of changes that happen in the female lifecycle that can result in a skipped period. All of these are normal reasons to miss a period and are not cause for concern.
The most common reason for a missed period is pregnancy. If this is a possibility, take a home pregnancy test to see if this is the cause of your missed period. Breastfeeding can suppress your period, depending on how frequently you are nursing. You may get a period while breastfeeding, and then not have another one for several months or more, particularly if your baby is nursing exclusively.
A skipped period may be a sign that you are entering menopause and your periods are beginning to become less regular, especially if you are experiencing other symptoms of menopause e.
If you are 45 or older, there is a good chance this is the cause of a missed period. Both psychological and physiological stress can cause a missed period. If you are going through a difficult period of life e. There are many things you can do to help manage your mental stress levels. Talking to a trusted friend or family member about what you are going through can help. Carving out small blocks of time for activities that help you relax, such as exercise, yoga, painting, or reading can also help.
If you are finding your stress very hard to manage, talking to a therapist with expertise in cognitive behavioural therapy can help you change some of your thinking patterns and learn to cope better.
Excessive exercise and rapid weight loss can result in a missed period. If your caloric intake is very low, the hormones that cause ovulation to happen are suppressed. If you are underweight, a dietitian can help you plan your dietary intake to promote weight gain. If you are struggling with an eating disorder, there is help out there. Counseling, support groups, self-help strategies, and support from a team of health care providers such as a dietitian, psychiatrist, and your family doctor can all be part of recovery.
Try not to freak out. But sometimes, it can also be a sign of a larger issue. While you may no longer be running from predators, your body is still hard-wired to react as if you were. When your stress level peaks, your brain tells your endocrine system to flood your body with hormones that switch on your fight-or-flight mode. This lack of ovulation, in turn, can cause missed periods.
Severe changes in body weight can lead to a condition known as secondary amenorrhea, which means missing your period for three months or more. This is particularly common when your BMI undergoes a rapid change. Extreme increases or decreases in body fat can lead to a chaotic hormonal imbalance that causes your period to come late or stop entirely.
When this communication channel is disrupted, hormones can get really out of whack. A strenuous exercise regimen can also cause missed periods. This is most common in those who train for several hours a day. This can lead to a hormonal imbalance that throws off your menstrual cycle, leading to missed or late periods. Periods typically go back to normal as soon as you stop training so hard or increase your caloric intake. Polycystic ovary syndrome PCOS is a set of symptoms caused by an imbalance of reproductive hormones.
As a result, your periods may be lighter than normal, arrive at inconsistent times, or disappear altogether. Many love the pill because it makes their periods so regular.
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