ABOUT THE DISEASE
Menorrhagia is the most common type of abnormal uterine bleeding characterized by heavy and prolonged menstrual bleeding occurring at regular intervals over several cycles or lasting for more than 7 days. With menorrhagia, every period causes enough blood loss and cramping, restricting normal activities to some extent.
SYMPTOMS
- • Excessive bleeding necessitating use of one or more sanitary pads or tampons every hour for several consecutive hours
- • Bleeding for longer than a week
- • Passing blood clots with menstrual flow
- • Symptoms of anemia, such as tiredness, fatigue or shortness of breath
CAUSES
• Hormonal (particularly estrogen and progesterone) imbalance
• Pelvic inflammatory disease
• Uterine fibroids
• Abnormal pregnancy (i.e., miscarriage, ectopic)
• Infection, tumors, or polyps in the pelvic cavity
• Certain birth control devices (IUDs)
• Bleeding or platelet disorders
• Adenomyosis
• Polycystic ovaries (PCOD)
• Liver, kidney, or thyroid disease
DIAGNOSIS
- Clinical Evaluation
- Blood tests
- Pap test
- Ultrasound
- Endometrial Biopsy
- Hysteroscopy
- Dilation and curettage (D & C)
TREATMENT METHODS
Treatment for menorrhagia may include:
Medications like Iron supplements, NSAIDs, Tranexamic acid, Oral contraceptives, Oral Progesterone. Other options include Hormonal IUD, D & C, Uterine artery embolization, Endometrial ablation and Hysterectomy.
You may also like to learn about:
Uterine fibroid
Polycystic Ovarian disease (PCOD)
Menopause
Pelvic Inflammatory disease (PID)
Endometrial hyperplasia
Postmenopausal bleeding