Amenorrhea is the absence of any periods for more than 6 months.
·        This is normal feature before puberty and in pregnant and postmenopausal women. Breastfeeding is also a common cause.
·        If you are 16 and have never menstruated (or if you are 14 and don’t have any breast growth) you should visit your GP. You might just be a little late in your physical development, but there could also be something wrong. You need to have it checked.
·        A girl who has menstruated can develop secondary amenorrhea. This is the case if she has not menstruated for half a year. Sometimes there is a physical cause, like sudden weight loss after a rigid diet, excessive exercise or marijuana use. But the cause can also be psychic, like stress, changes in the environment and depression.
·        The most common cause of secondary amenorrhea is pregnancy. So if your periods stop, you should always do a pregnancy test first to rule this out. If you are not pregnant and you skip more than 6 periods, you should have it checked.

Take note! When you start having periods it’s completely normal if they are irregular. You can easily skip one or two months or even half a year. Normally the menstrual cycle becomes more regular after one or two years.