Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Practice Guideline
. 2017 May 1;102(5):1413-1439.
doi: 10.1210/jc.2017-00131.

Functional Hypothalamic Amenorrhea: An Endocrine Society Clinical Practice Guideline

Catherine M Gordon  1 , Kathryn E Ackerman  2   3 , Sarah L Berga  4 , Jay R Kaplan  4 , George Mastorakos  5 , Madhusmita Misra  3 , M Hassan Murad  6 , Nanette F Santoro  7 , Michelle P Warren  8
Affiliations
Practice Guideline

Functional Hypothalamic Amenorrhea: An Endocrine Society Clinical Practice Guideline

Catherine M Gordon et al. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. .

Abstract

Cosponsoring associations: The American Society for Reproductive Medicine, the European Society of Endocrinology, and the Pediatric Endocrine Society. This guideline was funded by the Endocrine Society.

Objective: To formulate clinical practice guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of functional hypothalamic amenorrhea (FHA).

Participants: The participants include an Endocrine Society-appointed task force of eight experts, a methodologist, and a medical writer.

Evidence: This evidence-based guideline was developed using the Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development, and Evaluation approach to describe the strength of recommendations and the quality of evidence. The task force commissioned two systematic reviews and used the best available evidence from other published systematic reviews and individual studies.

Consensus process: One group meeting, several conference calls, and e-mail communications enabled consensus. Endocrine Society committees and members and cosponsoring organizations reviewed and commented on preliminary drafts of this guideline.

Conclusions: FHA is a form of chronic anovulation, not due to identifiable organic causes, but often associated with stress, weight loss, excessive exercise, or a combination thereof. Investigations should include assessment of systemic and endocrinologic etiologies, as FHA is a diagnosis of exclusion. A multidisciplinary treatment approach is necessary, including medical, dietary, and mental health support. Medical complications include, among others, bone loss and infertility, and appropriate therapies are under debate and investigation.

PubMed Disclaimer

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

Publication types

LinkOut - more resources