Dr. Marjorie Greenfield
Specializing in pregnancy and birth.
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 Ask Dr. Greenfield
Over Three Years without a Period | | | QUESTION | | | Dear Dr. Greenfield,
Hello I am 33 years old. I have not had a period in over three years. When I started to not have them my gynecologist stated that I was not going thru menopause but just a break from ovulating, and that I could start up again down the road. Well, my main question is: how possible would it be to become pregnant out of the blue with out knowing that I have ovulated?— CORI in Huron, OH | | | ANSWER |
December 19, 2001 | | | Dear Cori,
I am so glad that you wrote in with this question. While you are concerned that you could get a surprise pregnancy due to an unexpected ovulation, I also am concerned about why you aren't getting periods. It's generally not a healthy situation when a woman in her "reproductive years" doesn’t have periods. While there are many causes, the hormone state you are in may put you at increased risk for hemorrhage and uterine cancer, or vaginal atrophy and osteoporosis. Either way, you deserve evaluation for the cause of the hormonal imbalance and treatment to prevent these unwanted complications.
The silver lining for you will be that the doctor you see for this evaluation can also provide you with a good birth control method, so you don't have to worry about unplanned pregnancy. The doctor who originally reassured you may not have realized that your absence of periods was going to go on this long. It is definitely time to look into it in more detail now. Take care.— by Marjorie Greenfield, M.D. |
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