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Menstruation - absent

Definition:

The absence of menstruation means no menstrual flow. Absent menstruation may be primary (no menstruation before age 16) or secondary (menstruation begins at the appropriate age, but later stops for more than 3 cycles or 6 months).

Absent menstruation is called amenorrhea.

Alternative Names:

Missed periods; Lack of menses; Periods - missed; Amenorrhea

Considerations:

Many perfectly normal females begin to menstruate later than most (the median age is 12.8).

Pregnancy is often the first thought when a period is missed, but there are many reasons for having a late period.

The incidence of primary amenorrhea in the United States is less than 1%. The incidence of secondary amenorrhea (due to some cause other than pregnancy) is about 4% in the general population.

Symptoms associated with amenorrhea depend on the cause and may include the following:

Common Causes:

Causes of primary amenorrhea:

Factors that can disrupt normal menstruation include:

Causes of secondary amenorrhea:

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