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Amenorrhea (cont.)

Amenorrhea Causes

Amenorrhea can result because of an abnormality in the hypothalamic-pituitary-ovarian axis, anatomical abnormalities of the genital tract, or functional causes.

Hypothalamic causes

  • Craniopharyngioma (a brain tumor near the pituitary gland)


  • Teratoma (a tumor made up of a mixture of tissues)


  • Sarcoidosis (a chronic disease of unknown cause characterized by the formation of nodules in different parts of the body)


  • Kallmann syndrome (deficiency of gonadotropins, which are hormones capable of promoting growth and function of reproductive organs)  


  • Nutritional deficiency


  • Low body weight
Pituitary causes
  • Prolactinemia (high blood levels of prolactin, a hormone that stimulates secretion of milk from the breasts during breastfeeding) - Possibly caused by prolactinoma (a tumor of the pituitary gland secreting the hormone prolactin)


  • Other pituitary tumors (for example, Cushing syndrome, acromegaly, or thyroid-stimulating hormone)


  • Postpartum pituitary necrosis (death of pituitary cells after a woman delivers a baby)


  • Autoimmune hypophysitis (cells of the pituitary gland destroyed by the body’s own defense system)


  • Pituitary radiation


  • Sarcoidosis  
Ovarian causes
  • Anovulation (lack of the release of an egg)


  • Hyperandrogenemia (high blood levels of male hormones)


  • Polycystic ovary syndrome (hormonal disorder affecting women of reproductive age)


  • Premature ovarian failure


  • Turner syndrome (a genetic disorder characterized by underdeveloped ovaries, absence of menstrual onset, and short stature)


  • Pure gonadal dysgenesis (defective development of the ovary)


  • Autoimmune oophoritis (cells of the ovaries destroyed by the body’s own defense system)


  • Fragile X premutation


  • Radiation or chemotherapy


  • Galactosemia (an inherited disorder in which galactose, a type of sugar, accumulates in the blood)


  • Anatomical abnormalities of the genital tract


  • Intrauterine adhesions (the opposing surfaces of the uterine cavity stick together)


  • Imperforate hymen (a hymen in which there is no opening, the membrane completely closes off the vagina)


  • Transverse vaginal septum (a dividing wall or membrane in the vagina)


  • Aplasia (absence of an organ or tissue) of the vagina, the cervix, or the uterus 
Functional causes



Next: Amenorrhea Symptoms »

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Amenorrhea, Primary »

Primary amenorrhea is the failure of menses to occur by age 16 years, in the presence of normal growth and secondary sexual characteristics.

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