A 38-Year-Old Patient Is Concerned That a Month After Becoming

A 38-year-old patient is concerned that a month after becoming a widow, her menstrual cycles stopped. What should the nurse suspect as being the cause for this patient's secondary amenorrhea?

A) Ovarian failure
B) Pituitary dysfunction
C) Severe or prolonged stress such as that which occurs with an unexpected death can lead to hypothalamic dysfunction. Ovarian failure is related to exposure to radiation, chemotherapy, viral infection, and surgical removal of the ovary. Pituitary dysfunction is related to pituitary tumors or disease, use of antipsychotic medication, low prolactin levels, head trauma, and cancer. With an anatomic abnormality the patient would not have had a menstrual cycle.
D) Hypothalamic dysfunction