Missing Periods: How to Care for Your Daughter

Sometimes girls miss one or more periods. There are many different reasons this can happen. Sometimes the periods become regular on their own. If needed, treatment may help periods become more regular. Help your daughter follow these instructions.

• Help your daughter track her periods on a calendar or a smartphone app. She should include:

  • when her period starts and ends

  • the amount of flow each day

  • whether there are any blood clots

  • whether she has cramps or other problems during her period

• Depending on what is causing your daughter to miss periods, the health care provider may recommend that your daughter:

  • Wait and see if her periods become more regular. 

  • Manage stress by getting enough sleep and plenty of exercise, avoiding drugs and alcohol, and doing things that are relaxing for her, such as listening to music, yoga, or meditation.

  • Take medicines that can balance hormones, such as the birth control pill ("the Pill"), or get a birth control shot, a birth control implant, or an IUD.

  • Stop medicines that she is taking.

  • Lose or gain weight through changes in diet and exercise.

  • See a doctor who specializes in women's health (a gynecologist) or other specialist for more testing.

• Fill any prescriptions and be sure your daughter follows the health care provider's recommendations for taking medicines.

• Call the health care provider or log in to your daughter's electronic health record (EHR) to get any test results.

• Follow up as instructed by your health care provider.

• Girls who are not getting their periods can still get pregnant if they have sex. Talk to your daughter about using condoms to protect against pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections (STIs, also called sexually transmitted diseases or STDs).

• Your daughter continues to miss periods or has other problems with her periods.

What causes amenorrhea? Amenorrhea in teens can be caused by:

• changing hormone levels in the first few years after a girl starts getting her period

• hormone problems from medical conditions such as polycystic ovary syndrome 

• being too thin or too heavy

• intense exercise

• stress

• some medicines, including the Pill, as well as a birth control shot, a birth control implant, or an IUD

• pregnancy

How do hormonal forms of birth control affect periods? Hormonal forms of birth control (such as the Pill, a birth control shot, a birth control implant, or an IUD) work by balancing hormones. This can help periods become more regular.