Sounds strange? Amenorrhea is simply the absence of menstruation; that is, you probably have missed one or more periods over time.
It occurs naturally during pregnancy, breastfeeding, and menopause. Now, it is not limited to that alone; it could be due to underlying health conditions.
That brings us to Primary and Secondary Amenorrhea. Primary Amenorrhea is the lack of menses in a girl at the age of 16, especially if there is a lack of secondary sexual characteristics like breasts and rounded hips. Most times, this could be due to anatomical and genetic abnormalities.
Amenorrhea is secondary when the female has had a menstrual period before but stops menstruating for more than three months. This could be caused by lifestyle factors, hormonal imbalance, and some type of medication.
Oligomenorrhea, just like Amenorrhea, is a type of abnormal menstruation, although as opposed to an absent period for over three months, Oligomenorrhea is an infrequent period; you may not get your period for more than 35 days, so it would not be the usual 28 days cycle.
Hormonal imbalance is a major cause of Oligomenorrhea. A lot of factors could be responsible for hormonal imbalance, such as Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome, Hypothyroidism or Hyperthyroidism, stress, and Diabetes.
Some symptoms of Oligomenorrhea include abdominal pain, headaches, periods that are lighter than normal, Irregular menstrual cycle. It is important to be aware of your own ‘normal,’ as you will be able to give accurate information about any changes you have experienced for proper diagnosis and push the urgency to see a doctor.
Your doctor may order some tests to be done, such as a urine test to rule out pregnancy, a blood test, a pap smear to detect cervical cancer, Ultrasounds/Ct scans, and in some cases, laparoscopy.
Laparoscopy is a minor surgery that involves an incision made in the belly to allow your pelvic cavity to be explored for diagnosing conditions that cannot be easily diagnosed with scans and blood tests.
Oligomenorrhea is not a serious condition on its own.
Treatment is based on the causative factor, the reason an extensive test is carried out to determine the root cause so it can be tackled.
Lifestyle change can be recommended if the cause is due to stress, weight gain, vigorous exercise, and so on. Hormone therapy is another treatment.
Treatment is basically based on treating the condition causing Oligomenorrhea.
Menstrual abnormalities can be emotionally draining, but we want to assure you these conditions can be resolved or managed.
