Signs, causes and possible treatment for heavy menses

There are several discomforts that come with periods that leave women wondering whether they are that necessary. Running from mood swings, crazy cravings, cramps, just to mention a few, monthly periods are just a constant irritation women have to deal with for almost all their lives. However, it can get worse than that; when one experiences heavy bleeding, it brings a whole lot of hatred towards this trying times. Heavy menstrual bleeding also known as Menorrhagia is when one’s periods are more than they should and take longer to end.

Symptoms of menorrhagia

The need to use double protection against flow, i.e., tampons and towels Soaking tampons within two hours The need to wake up at night to change tampons Irregular bleeding which is characterized by bleeding between periods Big blood clots in menstrual blood Flow that restricts daily activities Symptoms of anemia including fatigue and shortness of breath

Causes of Menorrhagia

Hormonal imbalances Dysfunction of the ovaries Non-cancerous uterine fibroids Endometrial polyps which are small growths on the lining of the uterus Use of non-hormonal Intrauterine Device (IUD) for birth control Pregnancy related complications such as miscarriage, ectopic pregnancy or wrong position of the placenta Adenomyosis, which occurs when glands from the uterus lining become embedded in the uterus muscles Pelvic Inflammatory Disease (PID) which is an infection of the reproductive organs Uterine or cervical cancer especially in post-menopausal periods Some medications e.g., anti-inflammatory, hormonal and anti-coagulants Inherited bleeding disorders like Von Willebrand’s disease Some other medical conditions like problems of the liver or kidney

Complications arising from Menorrhagia

Anemia- this arises from shortage of iron in the blood. It is a consequence of losing too many red blood cells. The symptoms of this are; pale skin, general body weakness and fatigue. Severe pain- this is brought about by cramping. What’s the one thing that never fails to make you feel better?

Diagnosing Menorrhagia

To confirm whether one has excessive and prolonged bleeding, one may undergo one or all of the following procedures. The doctor usually advices on which one to take depending on the individual

Physical examination

Pelvic examination

Biopsy- examination of tissue removed from the body to discover presence, cause or extent of a disease

Blood tests

Ultrasound scan

 

Treatment

After concluding whether one has menorrhagia, and figuring out the possible causes for an individual, the doctor will advise on treatment. In the list of common treatment is;

Iron supplements to treat anemia Tranexamic acid or Lysteda to reduce ones flow Oral contraceptives to regulate irregular menses Oral progesterone to balance hormones Hormonal IUD to thin the uterus lining

 

Other menstrual flow related complications include;

Oligomenorrhea- periods that are too light and infrequent

Metrorrhagia-irregular bleeding between periods that is not always related to normal periods

Post-menopausal bleeding- bleeding that happens late after one has gotten into menopause

Polymenorrhea- periods that are too often