Our 18 year old daughter moved to the US from China in December of 2009. She has not had her period since she arrived.
Her mother came to the US about 3 years ago and her father is an US citizen from birth. The child seems healthy and alert and makes excellent grades at school. She is about 5' 2" and 125 pounds, so maybe she could be described as stocky but she is not underweight.
The child does have a temper with her mother but has no attitude problem with her father.
Chinese culture does not allow for much boyfriend/ girlfriend activity until girls are 20, she blushes if I suggest she has a boyfriend and her mother is with her constantly since she arrived. WE live in a very rural area and her mother drives her to Tech school and waits for her every day. Since she has been here six months, I would think she's unlikely to be pregnant.
Any suggestions or comments would be appreciated.
She has an appointment to have a physical next Wednesday[5/26]. She already saw one physician in Atlanta who told us not to worry last week but her mother is very concerned so we'll look into a second opinion. I'll update next Wednesday. Thank all of you for your guidance.
An Ob/Gyn visit is in order... it is just a good thing to get that exam but then she can work with the doctor on why this may be possible. Since she is 18 you/mother will not be able to sit in (unless the young women gives the ok) but if she is alone she might open up to the doc about some issues that she may not want to bring up with others she knows.
Three thinks come to my mind:
1- pregnancy
2 - weight issues/eating disorder (anorexia will shut down your reproductive system)
3 - trauma
From the information you provide I would guess it is #3. Sometimes big changes in life can shut down some of your body systems because it goes into survival mode, even if the person "looks" ok.
Might want to see a Gyn first but I would also try a Psychologist.
Hope this helps.
My mother would go months at a time without her period. She had a very irregular cycle. I would check with a doctor because she may need her cycle corrected, but there are lots of reasons this could happen. A (female) doctor should be able to help her straighten it out.
is she underweight? has she ever had menstrual problems? she is old enough to have her gynocologist appointment, can you take her to the Gyn and see what the doctor says.
I only know hormone problems cause irregular periods and so do being underweight. Sorry I couldn't help more,
good luck!
Ok well with the added information that you gave i would vote stress then too. your body does really weird things when it is stressed. She may not even realize that she feels this way to that extremem, but moving and starting life over in a VERY different place can't be easy on anyone. It takes time. I would still say go to see a OB/GYN and get a female for her comfort and let her go in alone unless she wants someone with her, don't make her ask to go by herself just let her so she is comfortable.
Not to sound stupid but is there any chance she is pregnant. It is very easy to hide that in some cases and just cause she doesnt look it doesnt mean its not a possibility. All women carry different. if thats not the problem then i would really say take her to see a doctor. good luck i hope things work out
Stress, Pregnancy, illness.. So many possibilities..
Also the Chinese culture is very different than ours about girls and their menstrual cycles.. They do not usually allow unmarried girls to even use tampons. They believe it will take away their virginity. ANd only once the girl is married is she allowed to use them.
So not sure how she will feel about the OB/GY, definitely try a female Dr.
First thing's first she needs to be seen by a doctor (OB/GYN). You need to rule out pregnancy even if you believe it to be unlikely. They will be able to test her hormone levels and such and let you know what exactly is going on. If she's not pregnant then sometimes getting prescribed birthcontrol pills(or whichever) can regulate her menstral cycle. How was her menstral cycle before she came over to the states? Six months is a very long time to not have a menstral cycle specially for an 18 year old. Most young woman when pregnant with their first child won't show until about 6-7 months along. I wish you all the best!
It could be stress of moving to the other side of the world.
I'd also have her see an OB/GYN
Have her hormone levels checked. When I was younger, I had elevated levels of a hormone called prolactin that suppressed my period. I would go months at a time without getting it. She should definitely talk to a doctor. Even if pregnancy is not the cause, she still needs to figure out what's going on with her body.
She needs to see a health care provider. She might be more comfortable with a female OB/GYN or a midwife (many provide regular womens health care too.
Irregular periods aren't too uncommon, but should be checked out.
Good luck.
Sometimes a woman under stress can miss her cycle. I am sure moving to a new country is exciting but stressful for her. 6 months does seem like a long time to go without a period. Maybe her mom needs to take her to the Dr. to have her hormones checked.
Hi,
I don't think she is pregnant. I think its normal, many women don't get regular periods.
HI R.,
I have heard that international travel and time zone changes can disrupt periods so that could be a factor. Also, if she was eating a fairly different diet in China than she is now that could be an issue. A lot of people who come to the west and eat the western diet after eating a more natural or plant-based diet elsewhere struggle. You can always take her in for a routine check-up; most primary-care physicians will do a urine test for a check-up. I hope you get some answers soon. If she was 5-6 months pregnant t by now you would probably notice changes in her body I would think so I doubt that's it but might give you more peace of mind to have a doctor rule it out.
Also, in addition to all of the answers here, she could have PCOS. It is small cysts on the ovaries that could cause the cessation of her menstrual cycle. Dr. visit definitely in order.
