Mrs_eeyore, we were all beginners once, so ask away - it's how the rest of us learned. The girls here are always happy to welcome newbies, and they are nice enough to tolerate the graduates who are still somewhat in denial continuing to hang around, too.

I also had AF disappear for long, long periods of time. Once I took provera, and it's something I'd really rather avoid doing again - turned me into some sort of raging, hormonal mega-b!tch! The second time my FS put me on the pill and once again I had issues with break-through bleeding that nearly had me hospitalised. Hopefully you won't have anything near as dramatic as that happen! I'd be demanding a referral to a specialist (and I'll say that an FS is much better than a gyn, make sure you get an expert!), and if that GP won't give you one, find one that will.

Good luck, and welcome!

BW