Definition of Amenia
Amenia: Better known as amenorrhea, amenia is
the absence or cessation of
menstruation. Amenorrhea is conventionally divided into
primary and
secondary amenorrhea. With primary amenorrhea, menstruation
never takes
place. It fails to occur at puberty. With secondary
amenorrhea,
menstruation starts but then stops. The absence of
menstruation during
pregnancy is a form of physiologic amenorrhea, physiologic
in the sense that
it is completely normal and is not caused by anything
pathologic. Amenorrhea
during lactation is another type of physiologic
amenorrhea. The word
"amenorrhea" is compounded from three Greek roots "a-", no
+ "men", month +
"rhoia", flow = no monthly flow.
Last Editorial Review: 10/4/1998
Back to MedTerms online medical dictionary A-Z List