Modern women often reduce their food intake to stay slim, but they may not realize that a sudden and drastic reduction in diet leading to weight loss can often cause amenorrhea. If amenorrhea persists for too long, the endocrine regulation will be disrupted, leading to the atrophy of reproductive organs, which will affect fertility and bring unnecessary suffering. Medically, this type of amenorrhea is known as weight loss-induced amenorrhea or diet-induced amenorrhea.
The human brain contains the hypothalamus, which houses the feeding center and the satiety center. When a person develops anorexia or subjectively forces themselves to eat less, the cerebral cortex will impose strong inhibition. Over time, the two appetite centers of the hypothalamus will become dysfunctional, leading to weight loss. This further affects the hypothalamus's center for luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone secretion, causing it to secrete less, which in turn reduces the luteinizing hormone and follicle-stimulating hormone secreted by the pituitary gland, thus causing amenorrhea. About half of these amenorrhea patients can recover by eliminating the causes and restoring their weight. Another quarter can be cured with ovulation-inducing drugs. A small number of cases are more stubborn and difficult to treat. In general, the shorter the duration of amenorrhea and the earlier the treatment, the greater the chance of a cure. The treatment effect is generally quite good for patients whose amenorrhea has lasted for less than 3 years.