oligomenorrhea

9.9

Menstrual periods that happen less often than normal

noun
/ˌɑlɪɡoʊˌmɛnəˈriə/

Specialized

: oligomenorrea

Hypogonadal states characterized by delayed menarche, oligomenorrhea, or amenorrhea may occur in young women with emotional stress, low body weight, or who participate in strenuous athletic training.

Examples

Although rates of amenorrhea were low in the female collegiate athletes (2.8%) and nonexistent in the other women, 29.4% of the female collegiate athletes and 16.7% of the other women reported oligomenorrhea.

Academic text (2004)
In a large-scale investigation of the natural history of LOCAH in women, the chief complaints of symptomatic women were one or more of the following: oligomenorrhea, hirsutism, infertility, or acne.

Academic text (2002)
Many young athletes experience oligomenorrhea due to intense training and low body fat.
After her diagnosis of oligomenorrhea, she was advised to manage her stress and improve her nutrition.
Doctors often check for oligomenorrhea in women who report irregularities in their menstrual cycle.

Antonyms

menorrhagia

Specialized

1 9.9

Very heavy or long bleeding during a woman's period

How Frequent

menorrhea

Specialized

7.2

oligomenorrhea

Specialized

9.9

amenorrhea

Specialized

1 9.9

Surface Forms

oligomenorrhea singular

oligomenorrheas plural

Morphology

oligomenorrhea = menorrhea (opaque) = oligo + menorrhea

Both 'oligo-' and 'menorrhea' are medical combining forms unlikely to be known by an average B1 learner, so the meaning is not transparently derivable from the parts.

Etymology

Oligomenorrhea comes from three parts: oligo- meaning 'few', men- meaning 'month', as in menstruation, and -rrhea meaning 'flow'. So it means 'few monthly flows', which is why it describes menstrual periods that are light or do not come often.