Anovulation causes
Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]; Associate Editor-In-Chief: Cafer Zorkun, M.D., Ph.D. [2]
Overview
Causes
Anovulation can result from a variety of factors:
- Taking birth control pills
- Stress, new environment
- Chronic mental illness, such as depression
- Chronic physical illness, such as inflammatory bowel disease, poorly controlled diabetes, tuberculosis, or anemia
- Undernutrition, specific nutrient deficiencies, inadequate body fat
- Prolonged or continuous physical exertion
- Various pharmaceutical (especially phenothiazines) and recreational drugs
- Hormone imbalances, such as prolactin or testosterone excess (e.g., polycystic ovary syndrome), hyper– or hypothyroidism, adrenal insufficiency or Cushing’s syndrome.
- Pituitary failure or ovarian failure. [1]
Some anovulatory women may have two or more contributing conditions. Anovulation can generally be reversed by ameliorating the causal factors (except in cases of permanent pituitary or ovarian failure).
References
- ↑ Sailer, Christian, Wasner, Susanne. Differential Diagnosis Pocket. Hermosa Beach, CA: Borm Bruckmeir Publishing LLC, 2002:77 ISBN 1591032016
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