Photo by Sora Shimazaki. Article written by Dr. Michelle Strydom MD
Amenorrhea is a condition where a woman does not have menstrual periods. The importance of amenorrhea is that the woman is not able to conceive and have a baby. There are two types of amenorrhea:
- Primary amenorrhea which is where a female has not had her first menstrual period by the age of 16 years.
- Secondary amenorrhea which is the absence of menstruation for 6 months or more in a non pregnant, pre-menopausal woman who previously had normal menstruation.
There is another condition called oligomenorrhea which is where there is an increase in the interval between menstrual periods of more than 35 days (instead of the normal 28 days between each menstrual cycle). The causes behind oligomenorrhea are closely related to secondary amenorrhea.
The cause of primary amenorrhea is usually related to a genetic or developmental defect, for example abnormal development of the uterus and/or vagina. In this case, you need to read through the chapter on genetically inherited diseases on page 153. You also need to ask God to work a creative miracle and restore the genetics, ovaries, uterus and/or vagina back to how He originally created it before the foundation of the world. This is what it means to operate in the gift of miracles. I explain more about this on page 123 under the heading “You Can’t Always Do It Alone”.
The most common causes for secondary amenorrhea are:
- • Polycystic ovarian syndrome.
- Ovarian, adrenal and brain tumors (discussed in chapter on cancer on page 257).
- Destruction of ovaries due to:
- Infection, for example TB (discussed on page 249).
- Autoimmune diseases (discussed on page 200).
- Chemotherapy and radiation.
- Damaged during surgery.
- Hypothyroidism or hyperthyroidism (discussed on page 442).
- Cushings disease.
- Obesity, severe weight loss or anorexia (discussed on page 234).
- Extreme physical exercise, for example marathon runners.
If you have secondary amenorrhea, it is important for you to consult a doctor to exclude the above causes. When the spiritual root behind those diseases is dealt with, your menstrual cycle will normalize. Many people with amenorrhea have none of the above underlying medical conditions. In this case toxic thinking patterns of fear, anxiety and stress is a powerful driving force behind amenorrhea. Therefore, before reading this section further, it is important for you to read through the chapter on page 180 which has important background teaching on the different stages of stress and how long term fear and anxiety affect your body.
Toxic thinking patterns of fear, anxiety and stress is a powerful driving force behind amenorrhea.
Menstruation occurs under the control of a hormone cycle (involving oestrogen and progesterone) which in turn is under the control of the hypothalamus, the pituitary gland, ovaries and several other hormones, the most important being the thyroid hormones which are released from the thyroid gland. Remember the hypothalamus is the mind-body connection – it is the area of your brain that converts everything that is going on in your thought life into a physical reaction (See picture on page 13). A thought life dominated by fear, anxiety and stress disrupts the whole sequence of chemical and hormonal reactions in the hypothalamus – pituitary gland – ovary pathway, resulting in amenorrhea.
In his ministry Henry Wright has dealt with many people who suffered from amenorrhea. He has noted that when women who had not menstruated for years dealt with fear, anxiety and stress in their thought life, return of their menstrual cycle was one of the first fruits of their healing. When your menstrual cycles are restored, you feel better about yourself because your hormone levels are correct. To be healed of amenorrhea, you have need to deal with those issues that are robbing you of your peace. The chapter on page 523 will help you with this.
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