What is amenorrhea, what causes it, and natural and conventional treatments
Amenorrhea is the absence of periods. A normal cycle is anything from once every three weeks to once every six weeks, with the average being once every 28 days. In some women, their cycle is either irregular or totally absent, limiting the amount of time they have to achieve pregnancy or rendering them completely infertile.
What Causes Amenorrhea?
There are a variety of causes - irregular or absent ovulation, premature menopause, previous treatment for cancer, hormonal imbalances, eating disorders and even stress and depression.
Obviously pregnancy causes amenorrhea so it's important to do a pregnancy test first, to rule out the possibility of pregnancy.
Herbal Treatments
If you are not pregnant and your amenorrhea is due to hormonal imbalances and irregular ovulation, there are various herbs you can use to regulate your cycle, including chaste tree berry, false unicorn root, blue cohosh and rue. All of these can be mixed together to make a tea which acts as a uterine tonic, 2 parts chaste tree berry to 2 parts false unicorn root, 1 part blue cohosh, 1 part rue. If you are unsure about making your own herbal remedy, consult a qualified herbalist who can advise you.
The Tansy flower has also been used to bring on delayed periods and can be drunk three times daily until your period arrives.
It is extremely important to exclude pregnancy as a cause before commencing herbal treatment as these herbs can act as abortiacients and can cause a miscarriage which could be dangerous.
Other Treatments
If your amenorrhea is due to premature menopause or cancer, then egg donation may be a viable option for you.
In the case of eating disorders such as anorexia, the majority of women resume normal periods after they have gained weight, so eating a healthy diet and getting appropriate psychotherapy and emotional support for the problem is the key to having normal periods and fertility.
Like all couples, it's important to follow a pre-conceptual, nutritional diet and get your weight up prior to pregnancy as research has shown that babies born to anorexic mothers are low birth weight if the mother had a low body mass index before conception.
If you are stressed or suffering from depression, seeing a counsellor to discuss your feelings or taking some time out for you may help, as may relaxing therapies such as aromatherapy massage or reflexology. This may be enough to regulate your cycle. There are also fertility drugs which can induce ovulation which you can speak to your doctor about to see if this is an appropriate treatment for you.
