Bloody Women: A Discourse Analysis of Amenorrhea as a Symptom of Anorexia Nervosa

Amenorrhea, the absence of menstruation, is now considered to he a major diagnostic symptom of anorexia nervosa and has been interpreted as 'psychobiological' retreat from adult womanhood. However, such interpretations may be overly simplistic. This article draws on poststructuralist theory to examine the ways in which menstruation and amenorrhea are discursively constituted in relation to constructions of femininity. It is based on interviews with 23 women (21 who had been diagnosed as anorexic and two who were self-diagnosed). Discourse analysis of the interviews indicated that 'menstruation' was negatively construed as a signifier of 'femininity'. However, it signified a very specific 'femininity' that was alien, out of control, highly emotional, sexual, vulnerable and dangerous. It is argued that amenorrhea in anorexia may signify a rejection of this particular negative construction of 'femininity' rather than of adulthood or femininity per se.