Missing a menstrual cycle can cause a lot of stress for some women, and for others, missing a menstrual cycle is a normal reoccurrence. Although there are many conditions that can cause a woman to miss a menstrual cycle, sometimes menstrual cycles can be thrown off course for seemingly no reason at all. At some point or another, most women will experience missing a menstrual cycle as part of their normal progression into menopause.
Polycystic Ovary Syndrome
Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a condition that affects women of reproductive age. It causes disruptions in ovulation, irregular menstrual cycles and ovarian cysts. Women with this condition find it hard to become pregnant and may also have problems with weight gain and male-pattern hair growth. As of 2010, there is no evidence as to what exactly causes the condition, although an over-production of the luteinizing hormone seems to cause many of the symptoms. The over-production of the luteinizing hormone, causes the ovaries to produce higher than normal level of male hormones. This directly affects the menstrual cycle, causing ovulation to fail. During normal ovulation, an egg is housed and matured in a small sack called a cyst. When luteinizing hormone is released, the ovary secretes a high level of estrogen, which in turn causes the cyst to rupture and release the egg. In women with PCOS, the estrogen does not spike, which causes the cyst to remain in the ovary without rupturing This not only causes a lack of ovulation but also an accumulation of cysts. Symptoms of PCOS are fewer than eight menstrual cycles a year, menstrual periods that last longer than 35 days, heavy or scant bleeding, facial and body hair, male-pattern hair loss, polycystic ovaries, obesity, infertility and type 2 diabetes.
Pregnancy
When pregnancy begins, menstrual cycles cease. However it is not uncommon for a woman to experience light bleeding around the time of implantation, or around the time her normal menstrual cycle was due to take place. During ovulation, the ovary releases an egg that has been matured and nurtured for a few weeks. Before making it's journey into the uterine cavity, the egg travels into the fallopian tube where it is fertilized. Once in the uterine cavity, the fertilized egg will bury itself into the uterine lining and start the production of the human chorionic gonadrotropin (HCG) hormone. This hormone signals to the ovaries to continue producing estrogen and progesterone to prevent a new menstrual period from starting. During this time, a woman may have no more than a missed menstrual cycle as a symptom, however, other women may already begin to experience symptoms such as frequent urination and morning sickness.
Menopause
Menopause occurs between the ages of 45 and 55, when menstruation normally comes to an end. Ovaries start to produce less estrogen and progesterone starting around a woman's late 30s. These hormones regulate the menstrual cycle and ovulation. From this time until the start of menopause, fewer eggs are ripened for ovulation and the cycles become irregular causing ovulation to be less predictable. Eventually the ovaries will no longer produce eggs or cause enough of a hormone surge to begin menstruation, this will be considered as day one of menopause, although menopause cannot technically be counted until one year has passed since your last menstrual period. Symptoms of menopause include decreased fertility, lack of menstruation, vaginal dryness, mood swings, hot flashes, increased abdominal fat and hair thinning. Menopause cannot be cured, however some women may be given replacement hormone pills to lessen the symptoms of it.
