Where to find help for amenorrhea?

[Acorn]

I have had amenorrhea for about two years. Usually, I’ve gotten periods every three to four months during this time, but now I haven’t had one in about eight months. I went to my physical doctor, and she said it was caused by stress (my blood results were normal) and I should ask my therapist. I asked my therapist, and she said it was probably physical, and I should see my doctor. What should I do at this point?

Other info: I’ve never had sex, so I don’t think it can be caused by physical trauma. I do have a lot of eating disorder symptoms that started around the same time (preoccupation and anxiety with food and exercise), but my weight is healthy and I eat and exercise an appropriate amount, so both my physical doctor and my therapist dismissed that. I am extremely stressed because I’m a college student and there’s a pandemic, but I’m already doing everything I can to reduce it (regular sleeping and eating, plenty of downtime, etc).

I would love advice on what kind of doctor I should be talking to at this point and how to find one. I really want my period back.

[Siân]

Hi Acorn,

How frustrating that neither your mental health nor your physical health professional seem to be taking this seriously!

Everyone's "normal" is different, and all by itself having time without a period isn't something to worry about. Eight months is a fairly sizeable gap though, so you want to rule out any broader issues. You touched on stress, food and exercise all of which can affect your period. Even if you're a health weight now, if your weight has changed dramatically in a short period of time that can cause changes to your period. Really though, I'd suggest seeing a gynaecologist if you have access to one - or a second gynaecologist if the physical doctor you've already seen was one. Is that something you can access?

[Acorn]

Theoretically I can see a gynecologist because I have health insurance but I’m not sure how to go about finding one. Also, I have been resistant to this because I have a lot of issues being touched, particularly around my genitals. My doctor said that what the gyno would be looking for was just physical trauma but I don’t think that’s possible. Are there other causes of amenorrhea that a gyno could find?

[Siân]

It doesn't sound like your doctor has a great deal on insight on this subject, if I'm honest. The gynaecologist will look for far more than signs of physical trauma - they can do things like ultrasounds of your uterus to see if there's anything out-of-the-ordinary going on there, for example.

As for finding one, a couple of things to try are asking your primary care physician for a referral, or if you are in school you could see if student services offers any reproductive health care. If neither of those sound like good options, let us know and we'll help you find something!

I do get that going to a gyno can be intimidating at the best of times, especially if things like touch are tricky for you. We can talk through a bunch of stuff about what to expect, how to talk to the doctor about it and things that can make it easier, if that sounds good to you? First though, how about checking out this article to get a feel for what a gynaecology check-up can look like, and let me know if there's anything specific you want to talk more on?

Your First Gynecologist Visit