What drugs can cause amenorrhea in women?

Amenorrhea is a common symptom of gynecological diseases. The absence of menstruation during pregnancy, breastfeeding or after menopause is called physiological amenorrhea. It is a normal physiological phenomenon and has nothing to do with disease. So what kind of amenorrhea is a symptom of disease? What causes amenorrhea? Let us learn about it together.

What drugs cause amenorrhea?

There has never been a menstrual period or the menstrual cycle has stopped after it has been established. People who have not had menstruation for more than 18 years are called primary amenorrhea, and those who have had menstruation but stopped for 6 months or 3 cycles are called secondary amenorrhea.

Contraceptive pills: Women taking contraceptive pills, especially long-acting contraceptive pills, can inhibit the growth of the endometrium, causing scanty menstruation or even amenorrhea. However, this phenomenon is generally temporary, and most women can resume menstruation automatically after stopping the medication. Therefore, non-pregnant women with scanty, infrequent menstruation, and rare ovulation should not use oral or intramuscular contraceptive pills for contraception, but should use other methods of contraception.

Antihypertensive sedative drugs: There are Rauwolfia drugs, such as reserpine; phenothiazines, such as chlorpromazine.

Adrenal cortical hormones: such as prednisone, which can inhibit the secretion of gonadotropin and often cause amenorrhea.

Certain Chinese medicines: It is not advisable to use overly cold and astringent medicines before and during menstruation to prevent amenorrhea. Overly cold medicines include Kuding tea, lithospermum root, mung bean, etc. Overly astringent medicines include gallnut, terminalia chebula, black plum, etc.

At the same time, danazol, used in pseudopregnancy therapy to treat endometriosis, can also cause amenorrhea.

Warm reminder: For safety reasons, emergency contraceptive pills should not be taken twice in a month and not more than three times in a year.