Q: I am kind of embarrassed to ask this question...but I am not sure who to turn to. See, I exercise regularly and intensely, and I recently missed two of my periods. Could my intense exercising be affecting my regular menstruation?

A: First of all, don't feel embarrassed about asking such a question. It's really more common than you might think. And, thank you for trusting us; however, before I answer your question, remember, if you ever have any serious health problems or questions, you should probably use a physician as your first line of defense. Now, let me answer your question, the best I can, from the knowledge I have with this subject.

"A complex group of hormones determines your monthly menstrual cycle. If something goes wrong at any stage of the process, menstruation can be interrupted."The technical term for "absence of periods" is called ammenorrhea. There are two types: either primary amenorrhea, which is when menstruation fails to begin before age 16, or secondary ammenorrhea, which is when a woman has previously had regular periods but stops menstruating for six months or more. This problem occurs in about two to five percent of all of the female population of reproductive age, although this percentage goes up dramatically in female athletes (up to 44%).

Here are the most common medical reasons this might occur:

Hormones controlled by the hypothalamus