Hypothalamic amenorrhea is the inability of the hypothalamus (and by extension the pituitary gland) to produce necessary hormones in the body that may control menstruation hence depriving it of a lot of key functions. In the case of females, the lack of production of reproductive hormones like LH and FSH can lead to irregular menstruation and often even long-term infertility.
The hypothalamus is a structure in our brains that links the endocrine and nervous systems. It is responsible for homeostasis, or keeping the body at a stable state. A lot of its job depends on either the direct influence on the nervous system or secretion of hormones.
The hormones released by the hypothalamus are received by the pituitary gland (another part of your brain) that released yet another hormone into the body, in response to that. Some of the key reproductive hormones released by the hypothalamus and pituitary glands are: Luteinising hormone (LH) and follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH).
LH is responsible for releasing the egg from the ovaries in females and also helps to produce progesterone, a hormone necessary to maintain a pregnancy to term. FSH is responsible for the formation of follicles in ovaries and in that way is also responsible for controlling the menstrual cycle.
Hypothalamic amenorrhea affects about 1.62 million women and people assigned female at birth (AFAB) between 18 and 44 in the United States and 17.4 million women and people AFAB worldwide. Causes for it can vary from things like brain injuries to tumours in or around the hypothalamus, and the symptoms are fluctuating blood pressure, dehydration, delayed puberty, insomnia and many more. Infertility is also a primary symptom of it.
There are literally millions of women affected by this condition worldwide and though it is not a very well-known condition it is still quite prevalent and has a significant global impact. It is our aim to raise awareness about conditions just like this in order to let women know about all the possible biological causes of infertility and how common infertility is.
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