Amenorrhea is a condition in which a woman of reproductive age misses her menstrual periods for various reasons. Often misunderstood for pregnancy, here in this article we will try to figure out the relation between amenorrhea and pregnancy.
Amenorrhea is basically absence of menstrual periods in a woman of childbearing or reproductive age. Generally, for a woman who is trying to conceive, missed or late periods can be a major indication that you are pregnant. Though in some cases, absence of periods can be considered as an early sign of being pregnant, sometimes the situation is not as you expect it to be. This is because a missed period or unexplained interruptions in your regular menstrual cycle, need not necessarily be a symptom of pregnancy rather can be a result of some kind of disorder in the menstrual cycle.

One such disorder is amenorrhea wherein the menstruation stops due to some unexplained reasons. The term amenorrhea has been derived from Greek words, 'a' meaning without, 'men' as month and 'rhea' meaning flow or discharge. During the reproductive years of a woman's life, physiological states of amenorrhoea can be seen during pregnancy and lactation (breastfeeding), otherwise, the condition can also prevail during childhood and even after menopause. Read more on missed menstrual cycle.

Amenorrhoa and Pregnancy

Amenorrhea and pregnancy are two conditions in a woman's life which need not depend on each other. In fact, primary amenorrhea and pregnancy have no relation between them, as this type of amenorrhea occurs during childhood when a girl does not get her menstruation by the age of 16. Primary amenorrhea is usually seen in extremely thin girls or athletic girls who do not have sufficient body fat to stimulate estrogen and other sex hormones.

Likewise, secondary amenorrhea and pregnancy is another condition in which a girl even after having regular periods for a certain period of time, experience no bleeding for consecutive 3 to 4 months. This condition can prevail in a woman of childbearing age and can be misconceived for pregnancy. However, secondary amenorrhea is typically the result of drop in hormonal levels, infertility or some kind of reproductive complication, premature menopause or intrauterine scar formation. Another type is hypothalamic amenorrhea and pregnancy, which is characterized by an abnormality of the hypothalamus, a basal part of the diencephalon governing autonomic nervous system. Hypothalamic abnormality can be a result of low body fats, exercise, stress, eating disorders, obesity, and even pregnancy.

Amenorrhoa and Pregnancy: Causes

There are various factors that may result in amenorrhea, varying from hormonal imbalance, i.e., abnormal levels of sex hormones, to poor nutrition. Hence, check out the below given some of the probable causes of amenorrhea.
Birth defects of the female reproductive system
Absence of an opening in the membrane at the entrance of the vagina (hymen)
Hypothalamus or pituitary gland problems or abnormalities
Pregnancy
Stress and anxiety
Drastic weight reduction
Hormonal imbalance (such as with polycystic ovarian syndrome)
Endocrine disorders such as thyroid disease or pituitary disease/tumor
Use of birth control pills and other contraceptives
Premature ovarian failure or menopause
Amenorrhoa and Pregnancy: Symptoms and Complications

Besides the most obvious sign of amenorrhea, i.e. absence of menstrual period, most women exhibits some other symptoms, as well, including increased facial hair, deepening of the voice, reduced breast size, lowered sex drive and breast secretion. Amenorrhea can also lead to some underlying complications to the reproductive system like polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) or ovarian cyst, hirsutism or uterine fibroids. On a more severe side, amenorrhea can also affect your fertility and can lead to conception complications. Basically, women having amenorrhea suffer anovulatory, a lack of ability to produce viable eggs for conception or in simple words, they are unable to ovulate.