Facts About Heavy Menstrual Bleeding
Contents
- Bleeding at regular intervals and normal, but with an increased duration (over 8 days) and / or the amount (more than 80 ml per minute. Menstruation)
- Symptoms related to the physical, mental and social genes by very heavy bleeding
- Often found no identifiable cause
- May be due spiral, hormone disorders, fibroids, increased bleeding, blood thinners. Cancer is found not in regular bleedings
- Treatment is directed at the cause and to ensure a normal blood percent
What is heavy menstrual bleeding?
- Termed in the jargon as menorrhagia
- Bleeding with regular and normal ranges, but with:
- Increased duration (over 8 days) or
- Increased blood volume (more than 80 ml per minute. Menstruation)
Frequency
- Strong menstrual bleeding is frequent, but there are no precise figures. A US study found that women aged 18-50 years reported abnormal bleeding annually on 53 of 1000. Only part of these will be heavy menstrual regularity
What can lead to menorrhagia
- Often found no identifiable cause, although you will be thoroughly investigated
- In young girls
- Can endocrine disruption the first time after that period is up and running, be a reason. Use of copper coil can also lead to long periods
- Increased bleeding can occur with the heavy bleeding from the first menstrual
- In women older than 30 years
- Fibroids or polyps in the uterus is a frequent cause
- During menopause
- May be due to hormonal disturbances – but irregular bleeding is more frequent
- Fibroids and polyps can also lead to increased and prolonged bleeding – in some cases, bleeding between periods. If the bleeding is completely regular, cancer is not likely
What can be the reason?
Common causes
- Harmless endocrine disruption
- Frequent among young girls
- Also common in women in their 40s
- Often irregular bleeding
- Fibroids in the uterus (myoma uteri)
- Is a frequent cause
- Increased incidence with increasing age, but muscle knots is usually less after menopause
- Often no symptoms other than severe bleeding
- They can be discovered by chance or because they cause severe and frequent menstrual periods, pressure symptoms, difficulty in urination, defecation difficulties
- Smaller fibroids and polyps, which sits inside the womb, can not feel at a regular gynecological examination
- spiral
- Ordinary copper coil generally provides stronger bleeding
- hormone Spiral , by contrast, less bleeding and in some stops bleeding quite
- Generally, increased bleeding
- There are other signs of increased bleeding as bleeding of the skin and nose bleeds
- Optionally, the use of blood thinners which aspirin or warfarin
No identifiable cause
- Often menstruation stronger with age, in absence of an obvious cause
- It is believed that a contributing cause of heavy bleeding is the changing of substances that affect blood coagulation (clotting) and contraction of the small blood vessels locally in the uterine lining
rare causes
- Uterine cancer (endometrial cancer)
- May cause bleeding and vaginal discharge in women after menopause or irregular bleeding in women before the changeover. Is rarely seen before the age of 40. Cancer is not a likely diagnosis during heavy, regular bleeding
- High metabolism (hyperthyroidism)
- Normal symptoms are palpitations, fatigue, nervousness, irritability, weight loss despite good appetite, sweating, heat intolerance. Provides usually rare menstruation
- Low metabolism (hypothyroidism)
- Typical symptoms are lack of initiative, cold intolerance, muscle pain, increased need for sleep, lighter weight gain, constipation, dizziness, loss of hair, unclear voice and in some heavier menstrual bleeding
- Congenital or acquired defects between the arterial and venous circuits. If bleeding becomes heavier in connection with invasive examination, strengthens the suspicion
- You can not do anything
- Any bleeding after menopause, i.e., bleeding coming a year or more after the last menstrual period, should be examined by doctor
- Sustained strong menstrual bleeding, either troublesome or causes fatigue, should be investigated
- At such heavy bleeding that it provides acute malaise
What does the doctor?
Medical history
Questions the doctor may ask you:
- What is menstruation?
- Have they changed compared to the past?
- How long do they last, how often do they?
- Amount?
- Do you bleed through the bandage?
- How often switch Volume / tampons?
- If switching at night?
- Is there blood clots (clots)?
- How does bleeding your daily life?
- Do you use spiral?
- Do you have other diseases?
- Do you have pain during menstruation
- Have you increased tendency to bleed from other places?
- From the nose?
- Sheep easy bruising?
medical examination
- The doctor will usually perform a gynecological examination of the uterus and ovaries. If you have not fully screening program with cell samples every 3 years, can a doctor take a Pap smear
- On suspicion of other underlying disease may need a more comprehensive study
other studies
- For heavy bleeding measured hemoglobin level to see if you have developed anemia
Referral to a specialist or hospital
- You are referred to a specialist if the diagnosis is unclear