Late Period - Rocklin,CA

I have been reading about autoimmune disorders a lot in the last couple of years and the subject of absent periods comes up OFTEN.

This article is very informative and may help you look at some potential causes of your daughter's condition: http://adam.about.com/reports/000101_2.htm

These two paragraphs about thyroid and celiac issues caught my eye:
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"Thyroid Problems. Thyroid problems, either too much thyroid hormone (hyperthyroidism) or too little (hypothyroidism), can interrupt cycles. Hypothyroidism can result in excess prolactin. Most women with hypothyroidism fail to produce eggs, and they may receive a diagnosis of hypothyroidism for the first time during a fertility evaluation.

Celiac Sprue. Celiac sprue is an inability to tolerate gluten, a protein found in wheat, rye, oats, barley, and other grains. Exposure to gluten damages the lining of the intestinal tract. It is also associated with late puberty, early menopause, and amenorrhea. This disorder is now considered more common than previously believed and may even be linked to non-intestinal symptoms, such as depression, discolored teeth, and neurologic problems."
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Celiac disease is an autoimmune condition. It is an intolerance of gluten which is found in wheat, rye barley and some other grains. It is not as uncommon as the doctors seem to think and it can sometimes be hard to properly diagnose. The condition causes inflammation of and damage to the intestines and results in your body's inability to absorb the nutrients from your food resulting in serious vitamin and mineral deficiencies. This can lead to can lead to MANY problems including digestive issues, anemia, depression, skin rashes and hives, cancers (especially of the intestines), fatigue (especially after eating), hair loss, headaches, canker sores, constipation or diarrhea, weight loss or gain, numbness in hands or feet, etc.

Celiac diesease or gluten intolerance is also linked to autoimmune disorders such as diabetes, lupus, arthritis, Hashimotos's Thyroiditis (thyroid autoimmune condition), and eczema.

I hope that you have some time to do a little reading about Celiac disease and gluten intolerance. Research shows that approx 1 in 150 have it but most are undiagnosed. Researchers believe that approx 1 in 50 people are actually gluten intolerant which is a little different that celiac but causes virtually the same problems. You can go online and search "celiac gluten absent periods menstruation" and you should find some info. The condition often causes secondary problems (like hormone imbalances) which led to the problem you are describing. I hope her doctor finds you some answers soon. I just wanted to mention this to you so you can see if others in your family have any of the symptoms (it is a genetic condition) and maybe the doctors will consider testing her.

Take care.

My heart goes out to you and your daughter. Hopefully it is nothing serious.

My best freind went through PCOS and it was so difficult. My advise is get to a doctor ASAP... if there are cysts in there, take care of them NOW before it is to late! My friend let hers go on as "normal" for too long and ended up with a full hysterectimy at age 24.

But keep your head up and things will get better, time heals all wounds. God has a plan and sometimes you may not understand the plan until looking back.

Good luck

It is certainly unusual, however, you'll eventually figure it out. Medical mysteries are difficult. Seek more medical help, and get the ultrasound. It may be something that's not worth the worry, you just never know.

A co-worker of mine never started and at 17, she found out that though she was very much genetically female, she was born w/o her uterus. It was a shock, and she's come to accept that child bearing isn't possible, she will never have a period, but she is going on with her life. She's engaged to a man, and plans to adopt.

HELLO. I HAVE A DAUGHTER AGE 25 WHO ALTHOUGH IS MARRIED, DOES NOT HAVE "NORMAL" PERIODS. VERY FRUSTRATING. THE DOCTOR FINALLY DIAGNOSED HER WITH P.C.O.S. "POLY CYSTIC OVARIAN SYNDROM". MEANS SHE HAS TOO MUCH TEST. IN HER BLOOD. THEY PUT HER ON A DRUG USED FOR FERTILITY, BUT, STILL NO PREGNANCY & ANOTHER "SKIPPED" PERIOD. WHEN YOU SEE THE DOCTOR AGAIN FOR YOUR DAUGHTER, ASK HIM IF SHE HAS PCOS. I FEEL FOR YOU & YOUR DAUGHTER.
BLESSINGS & PRAYERS,
A. MYERS
____@____.com

It is possible she is genetically male, but androgen insensitive, which means that she never developed normally in utero because her cells don't respond to the testosterone in her system. Has she been tested to establish if she is XX or XY?

Often these girls end up being quite beautiful, but are infertile and never menstruate. There are a handful of famous women who have this, such as Jamie Lee Curtis and a few of the olympians over the years.

If this is the case, I would get her some counseling to help her cope with the situation, and you too. She is still a marvelous woman and a wonderful daughter. She just represents an unusual part of the spectrum of human experience. There is some evidence that in some of these cases, stress in utero effected the normal course of things. But no one knows for sure.

I don't have experience with this, but I wanted to suggest that you should find a good endocrinologist, someone with expertise in this and someone who you like working with. If she has hormone imbalances like this, it will be a long-term issue to deal with. Good luck to you both.

All I wanted to say is push the doctor on this and get referred to a specialist asap. This must be very upsetting especially after what 2 of the posters said. You're in my thoughts.