“Menorrhagia” Heavy Menstrual Bleeding?
“Menorrhagia” Heavy Menstrual Bleeding:
Don’t let heavy menstrual bleeding interrupt your life and keep you from going about your normal daily business. Before you decide that a hysterectomy will solve all your problems, find out what is causing it and what you can do about it.
Heavy menstrual bleeding is called menorrhagia. Women who have this condition have regular periodic intervals, but the period is heavy. Over time this can lead to a low red blood cell count or anemia if the iron lost through the blood is not replaced in the diet.
Menorrhagia can be caused by fibroids, endometriosis or adenomyosis, hormonal imbalances and some time for no apparent reason. It is important to check with your doctor to find out what may be causing this condition in you.
Menorrhagia is,
Menstrual bleeding that lasts more than 7 days. It can also be bleeding that is very heavy. How do you know if you have heavy bleeding? If you need to change your tampon or pad after less than 2 hours or
you pass clots the size of a quarter or larger, that is heavy bleeding. If you have this type of bleeding, you should see a doctor.
Untreated heavy or prolonged bleeding can stop you from living your life to the fullest. It also can cause anemia. Anemia is a common blood problem that can leave you feeling tired or weak.
If you have a bleeding problem, it could lead to other health problems. Sometimes treatments, such as dilation and curettage (D&C) or a hysterectomy, might be done when these procedures could have been avoided.
Causes of “Menorrhagia”:
Chronically heavy periods can be related to stress over issues including creativity, money, relationships, and control of others. Possible causes fall into the following three areas: 
1. Uterine-Related Problems:
- Growths or tumors of the uterus that are not cancer; these can be called uterine fibroids or polyps.
- Cancer of the uterus or cervix.
- Certain types of birth control—for example, an intrauterine device (IUD).
- Problems related to pregnancy, such as a miscarriage or ectopic pregnancy, can cause abnormal bleeding. A miscarriage is when an unborn baby (also called a fetus) dies in the uterus. An ectopic pregnancy is when a baby starts to grow outside the womb (uterus), which is not safe.
2. Hormone-Related Problems.
3. Other Illnesses or Disorders.
- Bleeding-related disorders, such as von Willebrand disease (VWD) or platelet function disorder.
- Nonbleeding-related disorders such as liver, kidney, or thyroid disease; pelvic inflammatory disease; and cancer.
In addition, certain drugs, such as aspirin, can cause increased bleeding. Doctors have not been able to find the cause in half of all women who have this problem. If you have to bleed such as this, and your gynecologist has not found any problems during your routine visit, you should be tested for a bleeding disorder.
Signs & Symptoms:
You might have menorrhagia if you:
- Have a menstrual flow that soaks through one or more pads or tampons every hour for several hours in a row.
- Need to double up on pads to control your menstrual flow.
- Need to change pads or tampons during the night.
- Have menstrual periods lasting more than 7 days.
- Passing blood clots larger than a quarter.
- Have a heavy menstrual flow that keeps you from doing the things you would do normally.
- Have constant pain in the lower part of the stomach during your periods.
- Are tired, lack energy, or are short of breath.
Various Menstrual Problems:
I. Menstrual Cramps and Pre-menses Tension:
Have you ever felt irritated, depressed and nervous? Even your breast seems fuller and there is lower extremity swelling? Sometimes you may have headaches or insomnia. You may wonder what’s wrong? Well, these are due to hormonal changes and imbalances.
II. Irregular Periods:
can be caused due to hormonal changes.
III. Painful Periods:
Women often have a common problem Dysmenorrhoea medically termed for painful periods. You can feel the pain either immediately when you get your menses or during the period of flow. Sometimes even a few days before your date you might witness pain.
IV. Excessive Flow:
This is a very common condition. Many women suffer from this menstrual problem. You can become anemic or sometimes even have fibroids.
V. Stoppage of Periods:
Medically known as Amenorrhoea this normally occurs at menopause and when you are pregnant, other than this it’s abnormal. The reason can be due to worry, stress, anemic, fright, emotional disturbances, grief, tuberculosis, malformation of the womb after some illness.
Diagnosis of Menorrhagia:
If you have bleeding that lasts longer than 7 days per period or is so heavy that you have to change your pad or tampon nearly every hour, you need to talk with your doctor. To find out if you have menorrhagia, your doctor will ask you about your medical history and menstrual cycles.
He or she may ask you questions like the following:
How,
- Old were you when you got your first period?
- Long is your menstrual cycle?
- Many days does your period usually last?
- Many days do you consider your period to be heavy?
- Do your periods affect your quality of life?
Your doctor may also ask if any of your family members have had heavy menstrual bleeding. You might want to track your periods by writing down the dates of your periods and how heavy you think your flow is (maybe by counting how many pads or tampons you use). Do this before you visit the doctor so that you can give the doctor as much information as possible.
Exam And Tests For Menorrhagia:
- Blood test: to check for anemia, problems with the thyroid, or problems with the way the blood clots.
- Pap test: For this test, cells from your cervix are removed and then looked at to find out if you have an infection, inflammation, or changes in your cells that might be cancer or might cause cancer.
- Endometrial biopsy: Tissue samples are taken from the inside lining of your uterus or “endometrium” to find out if you have cancer or other abnormal cells.
- Ultrasound: This is a painless test using sound waves and a computer to show what your blood vessels, tissues, and organs look like.
Heavy bleeding (menorrhagia) is one of the most common problems women report to their doctors. It affects more than 10 million American women each year. This means that about one out of every five women has it.
Treatment Options For Menorrhagia:
The type of treatment you get will depend on the cause of your bleeding and how serious it is. Your doctor also will look at things such as your age, general health, and medical history; how well you respond to certain medicines, procedures, or therapies; and your wants and needs.
Specific treatment for heavy menstrual bleeding is based on a number of factors, including:
- Your overall health and medical history.
- The cause and severity of the condition.
- Your tolerance for specific medications, procedures or therapies.
- The likelihood that your periods will become less heavy soon
- Your future childbearing plans.
- Effects of the condition on your lifestyle.
- Your opinion or personal preference.
A. Drug Therapy:
- Iron supplements. To get more iron into your blood to help it carry oxygen if you show signs of anemia.
- Ibuprofen (Advil). To help reduce pain, menstrual cramps, and the amount of bleeding.
- Birth control pills. To help make periods more regular and reduce the amount of bleeding.
- Hormone therapy (drugs that contain estrogen and-or progesterone). To reduce the amount of bleeding.
- Intrauterine contraception (IUC): To help make periods more regular and reduce the amount of bleeding through drug-releasing devices placed into the uterus.
- Desmopressin Nasal Spray (Stimate): To stop bleeding in people who have certain bleeding disorders, such as von Willebrand disease and mild hemophilia, by releasing a clotting protein or “factor”, stored in the lining of the blood vessels that help the blood to clot and temporarily increasing the level of these proteins in the blood.
- Antifibrinolytic medicines (tranexamic acid, aminocaproic acid): To reduce the amount of bleeding by stopping a clot from breaking down once it has formed.
B. Surgical Treatment:
1. Dilation and Curettage:
A procedure in which the top layer of the uterus lining is removed to reduce menstrual bleeding. This procedure might need to be repeated over time.
2. Operative Hysteroscopy:
A surgical procedure, using a special tool to view the inside of the uterus, that can be used to help remove polyps and fibroids, correct abnormalities of the uterus, and remove the lining of the uterus to manage the heavy menstrual flow.
3. Hysterectomy:
A major operation requiring hospitalization that involves surgically removing the entire uterus. After having this procedure, a woman can no longer become pregnant and will stop having her period.
4. Endometrial Ablation:
Two types of surgical procedures using different techniques in which all or part of the lining of the uterus is removed to control menstrual bleeding. While some patients will stop having menstrual periods altogether, others may continue to have periods but the menstrual flow will be lighter than before.
Although the procedures do not remove the uterus, they will prevent women from having children in the future.
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Disclaimer: “Nothing in this article makes any claim to offer cures or treatment of any disease or illness. If you are sick please consult with your doctor.”
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