Psychosomatic Medicine 16:129-147 (1954)
© 1954 American Psychosomatic Society

Psychological Correlations with Secondary Amenorrhea

¹ Departments of Psychiatry and of Obstetrics and Gynecology, and from the Sloane Endocrine Clinic, Columbia University, College of Physicians and Surgeons New York
² Now at Tulane University, New Orleans, Louisiana

Secondary amenorrhea has been defined and its pathophysiology discussed.

The literature on the psychogenesis of, and psychic correlations with, secondary amenorrhea was reviewed.

Twenty-six subjects were studied to determine if any correlations between secondary amenorrhea and psychic imbalance could be observed in them.

Such correlative psychic imbalance was observed in the form of extreme degrees of psychosexual immaturity, oral conflict, and schizoid thinking.

The conclusion was reached that the amenorrhea in some instances constitutes a symptom of neurohumoral disorder of function, the psychic correlates of which are the psychopathological manifestations described above.

It was observed that psychiatric study and therapy is often imperative in amenorrhea of the type described, but that a psychotic breakdown during treatment is a very real hazard, the possibility of which must be taken into account.