You need to see a gynecologist. You should not go more than 3 months without a period. If you do, then you need to have one induced medically. It is unhealthy not to get your period. You gyn will decide what you should do from there. There are many reasons people miss periods or stop menstruating. With athletes, low body fat is the number one reason. There is also a condition called Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome which one of the main symptoms is lack or period or very irregular periods. Or it can be a thyroid problem.

Either way you need to see a dr.

I have had problems with this in the past. Any time I did even a moderate amount of exercise (like running 2 miles 3x a week), I would lose my period. It would also happen if I was under emotional stress. In my case, I don't really think it was about low body fat or eating too little -- it happened even during periods when I was sedentary, overweight, and overeating (I think this was due to emotional stress). I had this problem since I was a teenager. I had all the serious problems ruled out -- which I think you should do too. Bottom line is, I think my cycles are just hypersensitive to physical or emotional stress. Eventually, a doctor suggested that I take birth control pills. That has worked beautifully -- I now get my period regularly and predictably. I can understand how you wouldn't want to be too quick to do this and cover up any underlying problems (as the poster above suggested). But if you get it checked out carefully and they still can't figure out what the problem is, then it might be a good approach.

http://This message has been edited by ss2406 (edited Sep-17-2006).

Every girl develops differently. I was regular from my first period at age 12. One of my sisters, on the other hand, (who was a heavier exerciser than I was, but at a healthy weight with a plentiful diet), got her period at around 14 and had only 1-2 periods A YEAR for five years. She's in her mid-20s now and has periods every few months. Gynecologically speaking, she is perfectly healthy and no doctor has ever considered it a problem, this is just what's "normal" for her. Unless this is a major shift from what was previously normal to you, it's likely nothing to worry about.

hey--

i second (third, fourth, whatever) the idea of seeing a gynecologist about the absence of your period-- it could be very many different things, and some bloodwork may help narrow it down. a few things definitely do jump to mind:

- too few calories coming in to replace the ones you burn
- hormonal fluctuations that are normal during the beginning of adolescence
- hormonal fluctuations that are normal during pregnancy
- hormonal fluctuations that are normal when you start or stop birth control, or because you are on birth control, period (my friend doesn't get her period at all since she started Depo)
- hormonal fluctuations that are not normal and are caused by thyroid or other glandular malfunctions
- gynecological problems such as ovarian cysts, pelvic inflammatory disease, etc. - this is where the gyno would come in.

ideally, you would be able to be open with your mom or guardian about this and have them support you, but if for whatever reason your situation keeps you from opening to them, you can always go to Planned Parenthood for gynecological services that are scaled to fit what you can afford (this is what I did when I was your age, because of my own weird menstrual cycles-- my mom is wonderful, but kind of closed about dealing with body stuff).

whatever you do, good luck with all of this.