Menorrhagia, what is it and what are the causes?
A woman must and has the need to know perfectly what the amount of her menstrual flow is, rating it in a range of: little, moderate, or abundant.
Usually, the amount of blood in menstruations ranges from very little, which can range from 2 to 6 milliliters, to 80 milliliters per period, which roughly equals five and a half tablespoons, which is already a lot.
Bleeding that reaches 80 ml or passes from these ranges is considered abnormal menstruation and is called menorrhagia or hyper-abundant flow.
In adolescent girls, menstrual bleeding may be longer, more frequent, and irregular, but after two years it tends to shorten and regularize.
Characteristics of abnormal menstruation
With regard to abnormal bleeding, the definition proposed by the International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) states as:
- Absence of menstrual bleeding.
- Alterations in the amount (heavy menstrual bleeding, low menstrual bleeding).
- Disruptions in cycle duration (prolonged menstrual bleeding, shortened menstrual bleeding).
- Or, irregular bleeding.
BUT THEN, WHAT IS MENORRHAGIA?
It is considered menorrhagia to intense, prolonged, and/or abundant menstrual bleeding, in which blood loss is greater than 80 milliliters, which may limit the woman in her daily activities and can sometimes cause anemia.
“10 to 30 percent of women report suffering from heavy menstrual bleeding.”
This menorrhagia has also been called “hyper-abundant flow”, may have its origin in unknown causes or in some of the following cases:
- Natural conditions. Hormonal changes that a woman may experience during menopause, postpartum recovery, or because it is the normality of each woman’s body are considered.
- Hormonal imbalance. When there is instability between the hormones estrogen and progesterone, the endometrium may develop in excess.
- Anovulation or dysfunction of the ovaries. They happen where the ovary does not release an egg during the menstrual cycle, the body does not produce enough hormone progesterone, which regulates the formation of the endometrium, which can cause very copious and abundant menstrual bleeding.
- Benign tumors such as fibroids or polyps in the uterus. They are those that can cause severe or prolonged menstrual bleeding.
- Endometriosis and adenomyosis. These conditions are characterized by the invasion of endometrial tissue in areas that should not be. Example: outside the uterus or in your muscle wall, which causes severe and painful bleeding.
- Medications. Some drugs, such as anti-inflammatory, hormonal, or anticoagulant, may promote heavy or prolonged menstrual bleeding.
- Other causes. Less common than menorrhagia, but which should be addressed immediately by a doctor, are miscarriage, ectopic pregnancy or cancer
Hyper-abundant menstrual bleeding is one of the most reported conditions for doctors, affecting women between 15 and 20 at some point in their lives.
On the other hand, 28 women report in their medical visits that they consider their menstrual bleeds excessive.
In my next articles, I will continue to tell more about various topics in relation to women, for now, I invite you to visit the blog promoted by the brand Ontex Mexico in order to break taboos about menstruation periodoabundante.com
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