Gynecology

Abnormal Menstrual Periods

Signs and Symptoms
Diagnosis
Treatment

Signs and Symptoms

Missing or absent menstrual periods, when not due to pregnancy, usually have a hormonal cause. One of the most common of these is menopause, in which a woman stops having periods because her ovaries are no longer producing estrogen. Other reasons for absent menstrual periods include lack of ovulation, excess prolactin secretion by the brain, thyroid disorders, eating disorders and excessive exercise. Rarely, absent menstrual periods can be caused by scarring of the uterine cavity as a result of a medical curettage procedure.

Reviewed by health care specialists at UCSF Medical Center.
Last updated February 28, 2008