Absent and Infrequent Periods: What is oligomenorrhoea?

J Orthop Sports Phys Ther. 2003 Oct;33(10):594-614.

The female athlete triad: an emerging role for physical therapy.

Department of Physical Therapy, Marquette University, Milwaukee, WI 53201-1881, USA. ppapanek@mu.edu Over the last thirty years, participation by girls and women in organized athletics has increased dramatically. This presents unique challenges in the area of sports medicine, orthopaedics, and pediatrics. While the benefits of participation in sports and exercise vastly outweigh the risks of permanent injury, an evolving concern is the number of stress fractures in active women. The female athlete triad ("triad") describes the coexistence of 3 distinct medical conditions that may occur in athletic girls and women. Originally, the triad included eating disorders, amenorrhea, and osteoporosis. Presently, it includes eating disorders/disordered eating behavior, amenorrhea/oligomenorrhea, and decreased bone mineral density (osteoporosis and osteopenia). Briefly, when coupled with inadequate nutrition, the high caloric expenditure of exercise training results in a sustained negative caloric balance or low energy availability, which is exquisitely sensed by the hypothalamus, initiating a complex neuroendocrine adaptive cascade. This cascade is associated with changes in the hypothalamic-pituitary-ovarian axis, such that estrogen levels are decreased, resulting in reproductive dysfunction that may include amenorrhea, oligomenorrhea, or anovulation. Low estrogen in otherwise young healthy women, like menopause, is associated with decreased bone mineral density and increased risk of fractures. The triad is not an inevitable consequence of participation in sports or physical activity at any level, however, exercise may contribute to the disruption of caloric balance. The triad is a complex disorder that requires intervention by a multidisciplinary team. Physical therapists bring a unique expertise to the team. The present review summarizes each component of the triad, component linkage, and the role of physical therapy in prevention, assessment, and intervention.

Please click on the required question.

• 1 What is amenorrhoea?
• 2  What is oligomenorrhoea?
• 3  What are true and false amenorrhoea?
• 4  What is the difference between primary and secondary amenorrhoea?
• 5  Our daughter has not started her periods yet. When should we seek medical advice?
• 6  My periods have stopped. When should I seek medical advise?
• 7  My periods have stopped. How can the cause be determined?
• 8  Can generalised ill health result cause periods to stop?
• 9  I am a keen sportswoman. Could this stop my periods?
• 10 What is hyperprolactinaemia?
• 11 Which investigations are particularly helpful in finding the cause for the cessation of my periods?
• 12 What is karyotyping?
• 13 What is Turner Syndrome?
• 14 What is the testicular feminisation syndrome?
• 15 What is the resistant ovary syndrome?
• 16 What are autoantibodies?
• 17 What is premature ovarian failure (premature menopause)
• 18 What uterine abnormalities may cause amenorrhoea?
• 19 What is Asherman's syndrome?
• 20  What are the late effects of prolonged amenorrhoea?
• 21  How can my amenorrhoea be treated?
• 22  What are the risks and benefits of hormone replacement when used for premature menopause?
• 23 My periods are coming infrequently (oligomenorrhoea). What is likely to be the causes?
• 24  How are infrequent periods investigated?
• 25  How can oligomenorrhoea be treated?
• 26  If my periods are absent or infrequent, do I need contraception?
• 27  Where can I obtain more information?
• 28  Support Groups.
  • Anorexia Nervosa
  
  
  
  
  

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  This is the personal website of David A Viniker MD FRCOG, Consultant Obstetrician and Gynaecologist at Whipps Cross University Hospital, London - Specialist Interests - Reproductive Medicine including Infertility, PCOS, PMS, Menopause and HRT.

  I do hope that you find the answers to your women's health questions in the patient information and medical advice provided.