Hormonal Diagnosis of Menstrual Irregularities or Secondary Amenorrhoea

In the daily clinical routine, clarification of menstrual irregularities is one of the major essentials for consultation in gynaecological practice. For an effective therapy, it is necessary to know the exact cause of the bleeding disorders. Menstrual irregularities can be the expression of a disturbed ovarian function or another disorder, usually uterine pathology. The type of menstrual irregularity is not necessarily indicative of the underlying disorder so that the examination of the levels of hormones is indispensable. Moreover, an organic cause of the bleeding disorder should be excluded. Whether the ovulatory cycle is associated with normal follicle maturation and corpus luteum function has to be clarified in the treatment of childlessness. The existence of anovulatory cycles or cycles with corpus luteum insufficiency can be normal in specific phases of life, e.g., puberty or peri-menopause. The issue of therapy should be addressed briefly. Firstly, the symptoms such as bleeding disorders and the disease patterns which are responsible for it should be highlighted. The clarification of menstrual irregularities is not only important in sterility therapy, they also influence the quality of life (1). Furthermore, hormonal disorders which are associated with chronic oestrogen or progesterone deficiency have an impact on the overall health (2). The following review represents the diagnostics of hormone-related menstrual irregularities in the fertile phase of life. The issue of bleeding disorders with the application of hormone preparations is not addressed.