Excessive Menstrual Bleeding

Almost every women occasionally in their life, has possibly had excessive menstrual bleeding during a period. The correct health term for those periods involving excessive or prolonged bleeding or both – is the term menorrhagia.

Excessive Menstrual Bleeding Symptoms

Menstrual flow which is normal usually has:

• Happens each 3 to 4 weeks
• Periods of 4 to 5 days
• Generates a loss of blood of around 2 – 3 tablespoons

Symptoms or signs of menorrhagia can comprise:

• Menstrual flow soaks thru 1 or more tampons or sanitary pads each hour for a number of successive hours
• Need to adjust safety during the night time hours
• Menstrual period lasts longer than 7 days
• Blood flow includes large clots of blood
• Serious menstrual flow impedes a person’s regular lifestyle
• Fatigue, short of breath and tiredness – all signs of anemia

Excessive Menstrual Bleeding Causes

• In a number of cases the reasons for serious menstrual bleeding is not identified, but there are frequent conditions which can cause this problem. Frequent causes include:

Imbalance of hormones

Normally there is an equilibrium between the hormones progesterone and estrogen. These hormones manage the increase of the uterus lining which is discarded during menstruation. If an imbalance of these hormones develops, the endometrium grows excessively and ultimately sheds intense as menstrual bleeding.

Uterine fibroids

These non-cancerous tumors of the uterus often materialize during reproductive years. Uterine fibroids can develop heavier than normal or lengthened bleeding.

Polyps

Benign, small growths on the lining of the uterine wall can cause or lengthened bleeding. Polyps are also referred to as uterine polyps and are mostly seen in women of reproductive years because of hormone levels which are increased.

Adenomyosis

This is a condition which occurs when the glands from the endometrium embed in the muscle of the uterine and often causes heavy bleeding as well as pain.

Intrauterine device or IUD

Heavy bleeding is a very familiar side effect from using a non-hormonal intrauterine device as a birth control method

Complications of pregnancy

A heavy, single, late period can be due to a miscarriage.

Cancer

Very rarely, cancer of the uterine, cancer of the ovaries as well as cancer of the cervical can cause extreme menstrual bleeding.

Bleeding disorders that are inherited

Some disorders with blood coagulation – such as von Williebrand’s disease, can cause abnormal bleeding.

Medications

Some drugs, including medications for anti-inflammation as well as anticoagulants which avert blood clots, can add to heavy or prolonged bleeding.

Other medical problems

There are numeral medical problems, including pelvic inflammatory disease or PID, endometriosis, thyroid problems as well as kidney or liver disease, can cause menorrhagia.

Excessive Menstrual Bleeding Treatment

Definite treatments for menorrhagia are founded on numerous factors, including:

• Overall medical and health history
• Severity as well as cause of the condition
• Tolerance for definite procedures, medications, or therapies
• The probability that periods will become less heavy before long
• Upcoming plans for childbearing
• Special effects of the circumstance on lifestyle
• Personal preference or opinion

Drug therapy for menorrhagia includes:

Iron supplements

If the circumstances are coupled by anemia, the doctor can suggest that iron supplements be taken frequently.

Non-steroidal drugs for anti-inflammatory

NSAIDS such as Advil, Motrin, help to reduce blood loss. NSAIDS also have the additional assistance of pain relief of menstrual cramps known as dysmenorrhea.

Contraceptives that are oral

To provide efficient birth control, oral contraceptives can assist to regulate menstrual cycles as well as reduce incidents of extreme or lengthened menstrual bleeding.

Oral progesterone

Taken for 10 to more days of each cycle, the hormone progesterone may aid in correcting hormonal imbalance as well as reducing bleeding.

The hormonal IUD or Mirena

This is a kind of intrauterine device which releases a kind of progestin which is called levonorgestrel, and causes the uterine lining to thin and decreases blood flow as well as cramping.

The patient might need treatment surgically for bleeding when drug therapy is not successful. Treatment alternatives include:

Dilation and curettage or D and C

This is a surgical process where the surgeon dilates the cervix and then suctions or scrapes the uterine lining to decrease bleeding.

Operative hysteroscopy

This is a method using a tiny tube with a light called a hysteroscopy in order to view the patient’s uterine, cavity as well as aid in the surgical removal of a polyp that can be causing extreme bleeding.

Endometrial ablation

By using a variety of diverse techniques, the surgeon lastingly destroys the total lining of the uterus.

Endometrial resection

Surgical procedure uses an electrosurgical loop to remove the uterus lining.

Hysterectomy

Surgical removal of the uterus as well as the cervix is a permanent process that causes sterility as well as termination of periods.

Except for hysterectomy, these procedures are normally done on an out-patient basis. Although the patient may need a general anesthetic, it is likely that the patient will go home later the same day.

When menorrhagia is a symptom of another problem such as thyroid disease, treating that condition usually results in lighter periods.