Understanding Abnormal Uterine Bleeding
by Premier Hospitals | July 12, 2018 |
There are a range of ‘normals’ attached with your periods- in simple words every woman’s experience of menstruation can be different from the other’s with a little similarities here and there. While talks about mood swings and cramps are quite normalised, people hesitate in talking about the details of what their real cause of worries are. Abnormal bleeding, stinky discharge before and after your periods etc., these terms weigh enough to unsettle a group of women having a conversation about their chums. It is to be understood that talking about your concerns of the way your body is functioning and responding is not a taboo and is only natural. While a little discharge and a little spotting before and after your periods is okay, what is not okay is when you start feeling that you are bleeding abnormally. It is a cause of concern and talking to a professional or even someone knowledgeable and experienced to begin with is recommended. Know about the possible reasons for dysfunctional uterine bleeding.
What is abnormal or dysfunctional uterine bleeding?
What are the symptoms of abnormal bleeding?
- Frequency of your period: The length of each cycle usually shouldn’t change by more than a week, which generally happens if the month has been stressful or if you’ve been on painkillers or antibiotics. If you get your periods just two weeks after getting done or if it is delayed by 5 weeks, you should see a professional.
- Duration of your periods: A typical period lasts for 4 or 5 days. If yours is regularly less than 2 days or lasts longer than a week, it is a symptom.
- If you need more than one tampon or pad in an hour it is an abnormally heavy menstrual bleeding and is called menorrhagia.
- You observe and suffer because of spotting between your periods.
- You might bleed after sex, frequently.
- Early in your pregnancy, some spotting is normal but bleeding can be a sign of a serious condition called an ectopic pregnancy in which a fertilized egg implants somewhere outside your uterus, most commonly in a fallopian tube. It could also possibly mean you’re having a miscarriage.
- Women during menopause face unusual bleeding sometimes light sometimes heavier, some caused due to hormone medication. Any kind of unusual bleeding should be checked.
What Causes It?
Hormonal imbalance is the most common reason for abnormal uterine bleeding. When one of your ovaries releases an egg in the process known as ovulation, certain hormones tell your body to build up then shed the lining, known as the endometrium, of your uterus. With teenagers who are just getting used to this process of shedding out the lining (periods) and women who are getting close to menopause, the endometrium can build up too much, and cause an irregular or heavy period or spotting between periods. Things that can throw your hormones off the charts too are mentioned below,- Birth control pills and other medicines
- Fast weight loss or gain
- Emotional or physical stress
- An intrauterine device (IUD)
- Fibroids
- Polyps- grow  in the lining of your uterus
- Bleeding or clotting disorders
- blood-thinning medicines
- Cancer of the cervix, endometrium, or uterus
Image Credit: invitra
What are the treatments for abnormal bleeding?
The course of treatments depend on the cause of the abnormal bleeding,- If a chronic illness or a blood disorder is the root cause of your symptoms, treating the disorder can help.
- Drugs are usually the first thing to try, medication for hormonal disbalance, or other hormones medications like contraceptives are known to stop the lining of your uterus from getting too thick helping your menstrual cycle to become more regular and reduce cramping.
- Your treatment also can depend on whether you plan to have children. If you plan to have children in the near future, beginning a treatment can harm the baby and even make it impossible for you to conceive. If you’re close to menopause maybe a wait-and-see approach could be chosen because your symptoms might just get better on their own.
- Hysterectomy- This is a surgical procedure to remove your uterus.
- Endometrial ablation- this treatment option is an invasive procedure that destroys the lining of the uterus. Unlike hysterectomy, this procedure does not remove the uterus.