What Are The Side Effects Of Not Having A Period?

Posted on Tue, 4 Mar 2014

Question: I have been suffering from Hotflashes, Insomnia and irregular periods. I have not had a period since 9/2013. I received my lab test back and I am figuring I may be post-menopausal. My results are as follows (55.8) range is 7.7-58.5 FSH (95.2) range is 25.8-134.8 and TSH (1.910) range is 0.450-4.50. I just had a transvaginal ultrasound and I guess the results are normal. I am meeting with gynecologist Tuesday to discuss results. The test was done last Wednesday and I guess no news is good news, if it was bad I am sure they would of contacted me. My mom stated when she was in her 40's she had irregular periods and when she turned 51 her periods stopped altogether and she never took hormone therapy of any kind and she is 65 and does not have cancer. In fact no family member in my family has ever had cancer. My question is if I can live with the symptoms and just try to take natural herbs to help with sleeping and hotflashes would that be enough to tackle problem? My gynecologist probably is going to recommend birth control pills and I am afraid to take the pill due to all the side effects. Am I too young to not have a period? If so what are the side effects of not having a period? What tests should be performed yearly to ensure I am in optimum health if I do not have a period?

Answered by Dr. Madhuri N Bagde (2 hours later)

Brief Answer: Do not worry, its not uncommon Detailed Answer: Hi I understand your problem and your concern. You have many issues let me address them one by one. Regarding your hormone levels: The levels of FSH and LH are on the higher side but not raised enough to be in the menopausal range. So it appears that you are undergoing a transition from normal menstrual pattern to menopause. Menopause has said to occur if there are no menses for atleast 1 continuous year. So we must wait in your case. The process can take a long time or occur within a few months depending upon person to person. Family history has a key role and menopause tends to occur early in women with similar family history. Regarding herbal therapies: The effects of menopause are due to lack of estrogen. So estrogen replacement therapy is the mainstay of treatment. Your doctor will not prescribe Birth control pills as they are not a good option in such cases. The best estrogen is conjugated estrogen used in lowest possible dose. Plants and certain cereals like soya bean contain natural estrogens called phytoestrogens and are used to tide over menopause. They are available as protein supplements over the counter or you can simply increase dietary intake of these to decrease symptoms. About age of menopause: there is no specific age and menopause can occur at any age between 40-55 years with most women attaining it around 45-50 years. So you are not too young. It is not uncommon for women of similar age come to our clinic with similar issues. So do not worry about this. The side effects of not having periods: All occur due to lack of estrogen. The main effects are loss of elastic support to tissues example; skin, thickening of blood vessels and weakening of bones. Use of hormone replacement therapy for short term helps control menopausal symptoms. Addition of calcium and vitamin D tablets along with milk help deal with osteoporosis. The yearly tests include a blood lipid profile, blood pressure check, bone density check, pap smear and self breast examination. This should be enough. daily exercise and meditation techniques help to prevent bone loss, maintain blood vessels and blood pressure and also mental health. So please do not worry. These are common problems and can be dealt with the above mentioned simple measures. Hope this was helpful. Please feel free to ask more queries and I would be happy to answer. Thanks for using XXXXXXX Have a good day. Dr Madhuri Bagde Consultant OBGY

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Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Raju A.T