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Amenorrhea - is an absence of menstruation for more than 6 months. Physiological amenorrhea is observed before the age of pubescence, during pregnancy, lactation, and menopause (climacteric period).
During a false amenorrhea a normal menstruation cycle takes place but there are no any external manifestations of it due to the defect of privy parts development. When a real pathological amenorrhea takes place there are no cyclic changes in a system of hypothalamus - hypophysis - ovary - womb and in the woman's organism in a whole. Real pathological amenorrhea is directly connected with reproductive system disorder in the result of ionizing radiation, infections, stress, starvation etc. It arises in the result of central nervous system and genetic disorders. It can also be observed in cases of congenital absence of womb and endometrial injury.
There are two types of pathological amenorrhea: primary - absence of menstruation during the whole period of life; secondary - there was at least one fact of menstruation. Amenorrhea is accompanied by sterility, psycho-emotional disorders, and sexual activity reduction.
Primary amenorrhea is defined as the absence of menstruation till the age of 16 or the absence of secondary sexual characters till the age of 14. Usually it happens due to pathological development of woman's reproductive organs or hormonal disorder caused by hypothalamus, hypophysis or ovary improper functioning. Presence of secondary sexual characters tells about anatomic pathology of such patience. It can be obstruction or underdevelopment of womb and vagina. And on the contrary, absence of secondary sexual characters points to hormone disorder.
These can be disorders connected with faulty operation of endocrine glands as well as central nervous system ailments (schizophrenia, brain-growth, meningoencephalitis, shock, etc.). Some acute and chronical infections such as: typhus, rheumatics, gonorrhea, alcoholism and drug addiction.
It is necessary to take a series of medical research to diagnose amenorrhea: anamnesis, gynecological examination, special tests (rectal temperature measurement, vagina smear cytology), endometrial biopsy (diagnostic scraping), and special methods of research (electroencephalography). In some cases it is necessary to make complex research in special gynecological hospital.
A leading role in ovary functioning disorders diagnostics belongs to special tests. Rectal temperature measurement is the most precise method of ovulation monitoring. During the first half of a normal period rectal temperature should be under the level of 37C. Directly after ovulation temperature raises on 0.4-0.6C, and it remains on that level till the next menstruation. So it is clear, that if rectal temperature remains on the same level during a month or more - there is no menstruation at all.
Vagina smear cytology gives an idea of all hormones in the organism of a woman. If amenorrhea takes place, the quantity of woman's hormones is decreased.
First measures to struggle against amenorrhea are: body weight normalization, physical and emotional stress reduction. If all these measures have no effect, substitutive hormonal therapy is prescribed.
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