Menorrhagia
Quick Reference
Reviewed by Jonathan Smith, MD
Menorrhagia is the medical term for excessive bleeding during menstruation. It is a relatively common problem among women, and can be very inconvenient, if not painful. Causes of menorrhagia can vary widely, and if not evaluated by a doctor, some causes can become dangerous or even life-threatening.
Detailed Description
During a normal menstrual period, approximately six to eight teaspoons of blood loss occurs. In women suffering from menorrhagia, however, this amount is significantly increased. In some cases, the woman might need to change their pads or tampons very frequently, and in other cases, bleeding may not able to be controlled satisfactorily with ordinary menstrual products. In more severe cases, there may also be interference with sleep at night, and there may be embarrassing or inconvenient situations during the day.In addition to becoming inconvenient and even painful in some women, the menstrual bleeding in menorrhagia can include clots or be thicker than normal blood, and may be so excessive that women suffer from anemia (lack of sufficient red blood cells). Patients with severe menorrhagia sometimes present to their doctor’s office complaining of associated symptoms such as fatigue, light-headedness, and shortness of breath. Some women may find, after consultation with a health care provider and appropriate examinations and testing, that they simply suffer from heavy periods, while others may be diagnosed with other dysfunctional uterine bleeding (DUB). DUB is often attributable to specific underlying disorders, such as uterine fibroids (non-cancerous tumors in the uterus), complications from IUD (intrauterine device) birth control, thyroid or other hormonal disorders, uterine cancer, or infections or injuries in the reproductive tract. Formal evaluation is essential to distinguish between benign and malignant underlying conditions.
Treatment
The treatment of menorrhagia depends very much on the cause. While women who simply suffer from heavy periods without any pathologic or dangerous underlying cause may simply need to take iron supplements, others may opt to undergo procedures that can prevent the excessive bleeding in the first place. One such procedure is endometrial ablation, where the lining of the uterus is removed using electricity, heat, freezing or microwave energy, thereby ridding the uterus of the part that causes menstrual bleeding. Other women may choose hysterectomy (removal of the uterus). In women whose menorrhagia is attributable to a specific underlying cause, other treatment(s) may be necessary. Uterine fibroids can be controlled with a wide variety of treatments and procedures, such as hormonal therapy, open or laparoscopic surgery to remove fibroids, and a host of other procedures that kill and shrink fibroids, with agents ranging from plastic particles to liquid nitrogen. Uterine cancer must be treated immediately with chemotherapy, radiation therapy, surgery, or a combination of the three; if the cancer can be eliminated, the symptoms it causes can be, as well. Infections can be treated with antibiotic regimens, and injuries to the reproductive track may require surgical repair. While an occasional heavy period is something that most women have experienced at one time or another, it is important to seek the advice of a medical care professional if the problem is recurrent. In addition to the obvious advantages of no longer suffering from excessive menstrual flow, prompt treatment reduced the potential for lasting damage due to underlying causes, and ensures that potentially life-threatening illnesses can be ruled out or treated.
Last updated: 16-Feb-07
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