Delayed/skipped period

amother

Sun, Nov 07 2010, 5:05 pm

My dd is sixteen and hasn't gotten her period for over two months. She started dorming for school this year and she's worried about it. I know when going away to camp that many girls have changes in their cycles and told her this it's probably pretty common when dorming due to the changes in schedule, etc. If your daughter was dorming for high school or seminary, can you share if this was something she also experienced? Was this something that resolved itself when she came home?

Thanks in advance for any reassurance!

Ruchel

Sun, Nov 07 2010, 5:08 pm

Girls in dorms/with no exposure to seeing boys/not a lot of time outside may stop having their period. It's well known. My mother had it, btw, for about one year around 17!
It came back normally when she left the dorm.

amother

Sun, Nov 07 2010, 5:57 pm

Ruchel wrote:

what the heck does it have to do with seeing boys?

morah

Sun, Nov 07 2010, 6:32 pm

It's a well-documented phenomenon that girls dorming can miss for several months, even a year. This has been known to happen amongst college freshmen and I remember it happening to many of my peers in seminary. Scientists believe that that the factors contributing to this include the stress of unfamiliar surroundings, the different sleep schedule, and the different diet that often come along with with dorm life. With time- meaning, adjustment to a good eating, sleeping, and general routine- the periods should resume.

amother

Sun, Nov 07 2010, 6:46 pm

When I was a teen I once ate almost nothing for 3 days in a row (long story). I missed my period that month. Also, isn't it known that anorexics don't get their period? Not to scare you, OP. I'm not saying she's anorexic ch"v. Just maybe too busy to eat, or something.

bluebird

Sun, Nov 07 2010, 7:14 pm

It sounds like an old wive's tale, but there may actually be some truth to the idea that women in close proximity can influence each other's menstrual cycle. It's called the McClintock effect, but the proof provided so far for it has all been anecdotal. It's unlikely that your daughter is going to skip periods because of this if it is true.

Stress, changes in diet, overzealous exercising, and diseases such as polycystic ovary syndrome can caused missed periods. If it's just one I'd chalk it up to stress/anxiety/excitement at going away to school for the first time. If it keeps up, I'd take her to the gyno to get checked out. If she keeps missing periods due to PCOS she may eventually hit a point where she'll get a very heavy and long period.

LadyG

Sun, Nov 07 2010, 7:23 pm

I missed my period until pesach time of seminary year in Israel. Once I came back, it got back to normal basically. I don't think you should worry after only 2 months, unless there are other factors that concern you.

amother

Sun, Nov 07 2010, 7:33 pm

I didn't have a period most of sem.. I lost a lot of weight (was eating less plus getting a lot more excerise (welcome to Tzfas: everything is either upstairs/uphill or downstairs/downhill)). It came back to regular after some time at home.

You can have it checked out but it's a normal phenomenon.

amother

Tue, Nov 09 2010, 10:54 am

OP here - thanks for your replies. I appreciate hearing others went through this and it was normal. I told dd that I'd ask here and I'll share this with her.

(No anorexia concerns, no involvement with boys.)

amother

Tue, Nov 09 2010, 11:04 am

I know someone who kept missing periods while NOT in a dorm. Before getting married, she went to an endocrinologist and was diagnosed with an autoimmune disorder called Hashimoto's Thyroiditis. She has to take pills every day to regulate hormones. If your daughter continues missing periods for a few months, you may want to take her to an endocrinologist.

speaks the truth

Tue, Nov 09 2010, 11:06 am

hi I stopped having my period for 6 months when I was in 12th grade, it got to the point where my friends kept teasing me good naturedly, nu, so when are we gonna meet him??? I started to get nervous and went to an endo...long story short I ended up having pcos, so you really should check it out with a dr. hopefully shell start having it again soon!

paprika

Tue, Nov 09 2010, 12:50 pm

Is she eating enough protein? It's very normal for kids in dorms not to eat protein which results in missed periods.