Treatment Methods for Amenorrhea
Disease description:
I have already missed my menstrual period for nearly six months now. According to online sources, this condition is called amenorrhea. I would like to ask, what are the treatment options for amenorrhea?
Doctor's answer (1)
Dr. Zhang Lu
Amenorrhea, medically termed secondary amenorrhea, refers to the absence of menstruation for at least six consecutive months following regular menstrual cycles. Its treatment mainly includes the following approaches:
1. General treatment: Maintain standard body weight, adjust diet, and enhance nutrition. Pay attention to emotional well-being, eliminate stress and anxiety. Exercise moderately and avoid excessive physical activity that may cause amenorrhea.
2. Medication therapy: Hormone replacement therapy, particularly sex hormones, helps maintain overall and reproductive health in women. For example, estrogen replacement therapy is suitable for women without a uterus. Progestin-like medications are suitable for patients with adequate endogenous estrogen levels.
3. Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) therapy: TCM treats amenorrhea through syndrome differentiation, using dietary adjustments and herbal medicine according to different patterns such as deficiency of qi and blood or yin deficiency of liver and kidney.
4. Acupuncture therapy: Acupuncture, moxibustion, and acupoint injections are primarily used to regulate qi and blood circulation and promote menstrual resumption.
In addition, treatments can be tailored according to specific underlying causes:
1. Endocrine disorders: For conditions such as polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), menstrual cycles can be restored through lifestyle modifications, weight control, and use of oral contraceptives or ovulation-inducing medications.
2. Thyroid dysfunction: Both hyperthyroidism and hypothyroidism can cause amenorrhea. Treatment should be guided by an endocrinologist using thyroid hormone or antithyroid medications.
3. Hyperprolactinemia: Often caused by pituitary tumors, this condition is commonly managed with dopamine receptor agonists such as bromocriptine to regulate prolactin levels.
4. Excessive weight loss or over-exercising: Adjust dietary patterns, increase nutrient intake, and reduce high-intensity exercise appropriately to restore physiological function and menstrual cycles.
