The condition is referred to as FHA or functional hypothalamic amenorrhea, which affects women, preventing their menstrual cycles because of hypothalamic dysfunction.
What Is Hypothalamic Amenorrhea?
The hypothalamus is the brain’s central area, controlling various physical responses such as hunger, body temperature, and certain reproductive elements. Among the latter, the hypothalamus regulates menstrual periods, releasing GnRH (gonadotropin-releasing hormone), which combines with FSH (follicle-stimulating hormone), LH (luteinizing hormone), and estrogen.
Types of Amenorrhea:
- Primary amenorrhea refers to the condition when teenage girls don’t start menstruating after two years of breast development during puberty or by the age of 16.
- Secondary amenorrhea is when a woman stops having her periods for more than three consecutive months after having regular menstrual bleeding, and hypothalamic amenorrhea is a subtype of secondary amenorrhea.
FHA is a common condition affecting approximately 1.62 million women in the US and over 17.4 million worldwide. However, if diagnosed and treated correctly, it is entirely reversible.
To ensure you get the finest personalized care, accurate diagnosis, and treatment, visit skillful and knowledgeable gynecology specialists in Miami, Florida. As such, don’t hesitate to contact Elite Gynecology Miami for your first appointment.
Causes of Hypothalamic Amenorrhea
The hypothalamus acts as a center for various bodily functions, receiving and sending signals, messages, and hormones to release specific chemicals into the bloodstream. However, when the organ receives a message that something’s causing stress to the body, it may seize secreting GnRH, which plays a crucial role in menstruation.
Typically, the hypothalamus may stop secreting hormones for the following reasons:
- Low nutrition or not eating enough food
- Extreme amount of stress
- Excessive physical activity or exercise
- Low body fat
- Eating disorders like anorexia
Physically, functional hypothalamic amenorrhea will be a combination of these factors, which put the part of the brain into survival mode, putting some bodily processes “on hold” to focus on more crucial functions, like breathing, for example.
When talking about your menstrual cycle, GnRH is the compound responsible for signaling the body to create LH and FSH. These two hormones trigger ovulation during each period. When there’s a lack of LH and FSH, ovulation and menstruation will stop.
Hypothalamic Amenorrhea Symptoms?
The most common symptom of hypothalamic amenorrhea is missing your periods for more than three months. However, you should know that women may miss their periods for several other reasons. Therefore you should look out for typical hypothalamic amenorrhea symptoms such as:
- Hunger
- Low energy
- Trouble sleeping
- Anxiety or depression
- Headaches
- Hair loss
- Vaginal dryness
- Low libido
Diagnosing Hypothalamic Amenorrhea
During the initial exam, your healthcare provider will try to exclude any other conditions that might cause you to miss your periods, like hormonal issues or pregnancy.
Your doctor will also ask about your medical history during the first appointment and will probably perform a physical. Some additional tests may also be ordered, such as:
- Blood tests to see any hormonal imbalances: Tests for estrogen, prolactin, LH, and FSH levels. Low levels of FSH and LH may indicate hypothalamic amenorrhea. If prolactin is high, that may show a benign tumor of the pituitary gland, which can cause amenorrhea.
- Pregnancy test or an ultrasound: Some doctors will recommend an ultrasound additionally or instead of a pregnancy test.
- A progesterone challenge test: This test is done to induce menstrual bleeding by taking progesterone. Women with hypothalamic amenorrhea are not expected to experience bleeding under these circumstances.
- An MRI for the pituitary gland: Magnetic Resonance Imaging (or MRI) can provide an image of the pituitary gland in your brain and show any abnormalities, such as tumors.
Hypothalamic Amenorrhea Treatment
Typically, hypothalamic amenorrhea is caused by stress and hormonal or nutritional imbalances in your body. Since these causes affect everyone differently, the treatment and recovery will also depend on your commitment to changing your habits and lifestyle.
Still, you won’t be alone during the treatment journey. HA is a severe condition, so your medical professional will supervise the process and will help find a dietitian to create a diet that will address your medical issues and, at the same time, enable you to enjoy healthy goods.
The help of a dietitian may also come in handy to dial in the right amount of daily physical activity to reach a healthy body mass index.
In some cases, a doctor will prescribe hormonal therapy with birth control or fertility pills to try and trigger menstrual periods. At the same time, in some other situations, a patient will need cognitive behavior therapy prescribed by a mental health specialist.
When it comes to hypothalamic amenorrhea, cognitive behavior therapy is particularly useful for people who are under a lot of stress, have eating disorders, or are in denial about their condition.
How Long Does the Hypothalamic Amenorrhea Treatment Take?
Recovering from hypothalamic amenorrhea can be challenging to put into a specific timeframe, as different factors will affect different patients differently.
Recovery will depend on your body weight, physical activity, age, and even your genetics. If you are committed to changing your lifestyle and following your prescribed medical treatment, it is likely that the recovery will take between three and six months, even though it can sometimes take longer.
Can Functional Hypothalamic Amenorrhea Have Consequences?
While for some, having an irregular or missing cycle might not sound like a significant concern; functional hypothalamic amenorrhea can seriously affect your overall health.
Not having regular periods may cause some long-term problems to your health:
- Infertility
- Harming the bones and causing osteoporosis
- Possibility of cardiovascular diseases
- Hair loss and skin problems
Women with the condition usually have low estrogen levels, which may cause adverse effects on other bodily processes and organs, as estrogen plays an essential role in keeping the heart, blood vessels, and bones healthy. A decrease in estrogen levels can also affect a person’s mood and lead to anxiety and depression.
What to Do if You Have Hypothalamic Amenorrhea?
If you believe you have HA, you should definitely see a healthcare specialist who can properly diagnose and treat the condition.
Recognizing and accepting the medical issue is already an excellent start. Regarding HA, limiting stressors, eating healthy, exercising, and balancing out your lifestyle is the key, which can often be much more difficult than just taking prescribed medication. That’s why it is very important to consult a professional healthcare provider and rely on their help along the way.
We will do our very best to make you feel at home at our clinic and offer you the finest personalized treatment in Miami. As experts in gynecology and diagnostic procedures, we invite you to start by booking your medical checkup and find out what should be the next step toward improving your health.
You may contact our office at (305) 602-3022 or request an appointment online.
