Secondary Amenorrhea is when a woman does not have a period for more than three months. There are multiple reasons why a woman would experience secondary amenorrhea including polycystic ovarian syndrome, being overweight or underweight, hypothyroidism, increased stress, and hormonal imbalances. The hormone most responsible for menstruation is estrogen, a woman may have secondary amenorrhea when she is not producing enough estrogen or has high amounts of testosterone that interfere with the production of estrogen. There are many ways to treat secondary amenorrhea and the most common are birth control and lifestyle changes. While birth control is effective and helpful for many women it can be inappropriate for women who’s secondary amenorrhea more complex. Surprisingly, Metformin, an anti-diabetic drug that can decrease the body’s blood sugar and decrease insulin resistance has been found to increase ovulation, regulate periods, and increase fertility because it also reduces androgens like testosterone in the body which rebalances the hormones. It also helps with weight loss and prevents weight gain which is very helpful for those who have secondary amenorrhea due to being overweight. Personally, knowing people who have experienced having PCOS and secondary amenorrhea, it is very interesting to see how an anti-diabetic drug plays a role in menstruation. Someone I know described not being able to get a period as a suffocating feeling, they constantly felt as if they were bloated or full and felt uncomfortable. When taking birth control for this issue, they felt no different if not worse during the time they had to take the pills and when their period began, they felt better but it was only temporary. This person was also struggling with weight and diet issues. When they talked to their doctor, they were prescribed metformin, and it changed the way they felt. They lost weight after a few months of taking it, they have a consistent period, and no longer feel bloated and full. They feel significantly better now and have been able to manage their diet and PCOS. This raises questions about the effects of the diets and metabolism with how hormones are released in the body and how that creates symptoms and moods. This showed me that periods are a lot more complex than hormone levels.
In general, looking into different drugs used for women’s reproductive system I found that research on the female anatomy has been narrow or difficult to have a straight answer on. I think part of the reason some solution to women’s health issues is slow in progress compared to other issues. In terms of data collection in the scientific field and in historical context, issues like secondary Amenorrhea should not only have better research advancement and better understanding.
Citations:
1. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6712235/
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