Dr. Laxmi Gupta

The absence of periods is medically termed as amenorrhoea. Normally, women do not get their periods prior to puberty, throughout pregnancy and after menopause. If you do not get your periods when you normally should, you might be suffering from amenorrhoea.

Amenorrhoea can be of two types, which include:

1. Primary amenorrhoea: menstruation does not begin till age 16.
2. Secondary amenorrhoea: normal menstruation is disrupted when you skip your periods for more than three months.

Causes
Amenorrhoea is usually caused by a variety of changes in the hormones, glands and organs responsible for a healthy menstrual cycle.

Primary amenorrhoea is usually caused by:
1. Deterioration in the ovaries.
2. The central nervous system (spinal cord and brain) or pituitary gland can get affected, which leads to the malfunctioning of the hormones which are concerned with menstruation.
3. Poorly developed reproductive organs.

However, in several cases, what really causes primary amenorrhoea is unknown. The causes of secondary amenorrhoea include:
1. Pregnancy
2. Breast feeding
3. Discontinuation of birth control pills
4. Menopause
5. Polycystic ovary syndrome induced hormonal imbalances
6. Removal of ovaries or uterus

Symptoms
Usually, underlying conditions can lead to amenorrhoea. The conditions that lead to amenorrhoea include:
1. A condition called galactorrhoea, in which the glands in the breasts produce milk, even if the woman is not breastfeeding or pregnant; can also cause absent periods.
2. Hirsutism, an overproduction of the male hormone androgen, can lead to amenorrhoea.
3. Premature failure of the ovaries can cause absence of periods.
4. Weight gain or weight loss is another cause.
5. Psychiatric anomalies, such as excessive anxiety, can cause women to develop amenorrhoea.

Treatment
Amenorrhoea can either be treated with medication or surgery.
1. Dopamine agonists (dopamine activating compounds) are extremely beneficial for women with amenorrhoea.
2. Hormone replacement therapy (treatment with the use of oestrogens for reducing menopausal symptoms) is a very common treatment.
3. Sometimes, oral contraceptives may restore your normal menstrual cycle.

The surgery options for amenorrhoea include:
1. Surgery or radiation therapy may have to be performed if you have a tumour in your pituitary gland or hypothalamus (part of brain that controls the release of hormones from the pituitary gland).
2. If you have an intrauterine attachment (contraceptive attachments fitted in the uterus), you may need surgery to remove it. If you wish to discuss about any specific problem, you can consult a Gynaecologist.

Copper is found to have many intrinsic properties that are good for your health. It is highly beneficial to store water in a copper cup overnight and drink from it as soon as you wake up.

Some of the benefits of drinking from a copper cup are:

1) Aids digestive functions - Copper has inherent properties that help in the process of digestion. It stimulates the uniform contraction and relaxation of the stomach that eases digestion and helps the food move along the digestive tract. Moreover, it helps to kill bacteria and reduce inflammation in the stomach. Copper also contains properties that help cleanse and detoxify your stomach, aiding and regulating the function of the kidneys and liver.

2) Weight loss - Drinking water from a copper cup on a regular basis can help you shed weight. Copper helps in breaking down fat and also helps to eliminate it efficiently out of the body. Thus, it helps your body to keep whatever it requires and discards the rest.

3) Heals wounds - Copper is also known to possess antibacterial, anti-viral and anti-inflammatory properties. Due to these properties, it serves to quickly heal both internal and external wounds, while strengthening your immune system.

4) Slows the aging process - The natural remedy for the fine lines on your face might be copper. Rich in anti-oxidants, it helps to fight free radicals, bringing about the formation of new cells. Regularly using copper cups can also give a radiant glow to your face.

5) Helps to prevent heart diseases and cancer - Copper is an effective remedy to prevent the risks of cancer and cardiovascular diseases. According to studies, copper has been found to regulate heart rate, blood pressure and also aids in drastically reducing a person's cholesterol level, leading to improved cardiovascular health. Certain studies have found that copper has anti-cancer effects but the exact mechanism for such a process is still unknown.

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Related Tip: Drinking Hot Water Vs Cold Water: Should You Mind Water's Temperature?

Persistent, recurrent problems with the sexual response, desire, arousal, orgasm or pain is medically known as female sexual dysfunction. More often than not greater than 1 problem co-exists that causes distress and also strains the relationship with one's partner.

Hypoactive sexual desire is the persistent or recurrent deficiency (or absence) of sexual fantasies or thoughts and/or the lack of receptivity to sexual activity.

* Sexual arousal disorder is the persistent or recurrent inability to achieve or maintain sufficient sexual excitement, expressed as a lack of excitement or a lack of genital or other somatic responses.

* Orgasmic disorder is the persistent or recurrent difficulty, delay, or absence of attaining orgasm after sufficient sexual stimulation and arousal.

* Sexual pain disorder includes dyspareunia (genital pain associated with sexual intercourse); vaginismus ( a non-coital involuntary spasm of the vaginal musculature that causes interference with vaginal penetrate noncoital sexual pain disorder (genital pain induced by non-coital sexual stimulation).

How safe is it to have artificial sweeteners during pregnancy?

Ingredients that you generally come across in candies, soft drinks, desserts and so on are known as artificial sweeteners. Many women during their pregnancy include these ingredients (in the form of foods and drinks that have been artificially sweetened) in their diet so as to cut down the amount of sugar in their diet.

But before you go about including them in your diet during pregnancy, there are certain things that you need to be aware of. Artificial sweeteners are generally of two types - nutritive sweeteners and nonnutritive sweeteners, the former contains calories while the latter doesn't.

Which sweeteners are safe to have?

Nutritive sweeteners, when consumed in moderation, can be looked upon as safe to have when you're pregnant, as long as they don't add to your body weight. But if you suffer from carbohydrate intolerance like diabetes, insulin resistance or even gestational diabetes, you need to limit the consumption of nutritive sweeteners. This type of sweeteners includes the different forms of sugar sucrose, honey, corn sugar, maltose, fructose and dextrose.

On the other hand, non-nutritive sweeteners are found in small quantities in foods since their role there is to only add a certain sweetening effect to the food product. Experts are still carrying out research on the effects of this type of sweeteners on pregnant women and their babies during pregnancy. The category includes options like sucralose, aspartame, rebaudioside a or stevia and acesulfame potassium.

Which sweeteners are not safe to have during pregnancy?

Apart from certain sweeteners that you can have during this period, there are some that are a total no-go - these are saccharin and cyclamate. While insufficient data is available for the effect of cyclamate on pregnant women, several studies conducted in the past show the adverse effect of saccharin. Certain studies have revealed its effect on the bladder (it can lead to bladder cancer) as well as on fetal tissue and placenta. Contact with this form of sweeteners can cause the unborn or infants to develop muscle dysfunction and irritability

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Related Tip: 6 Pregnancy Complications You Need to Know About