Menorrhagia (menstrual bleeding): what is it, causes and treatment

Menorrhagia, also known as menstrual bleeding, is where heavy and profuse bleeding occurs during menstruation for more than 7 days, which can be accompanied by other symptoms such as pain in the intimate region, abdominal inflammation and fatigue, for example.

This situation can worsen due to the fact that it causes the accentuated reduction of the hierro and, as a consequence, anemia can arise, which leads to the reduction of the amount of oxygen in the body. Furthermore, in some cases, menorrhagia could be a sign of a serious health problem, such as cancer, for example, and it is important to see the gynecologist as soon as possible to identify the cause and initiate the most appropriate treatment.

What can cause menorrhagia?

There are several causes of menorrhagia and, although it can occur in any woman, it is more frequent in obese women, who are entering menopause and who have a history of menstrual bleeding in the family.

The main causes of menstrual bleeding are:

• Modifications at the uterine level such as myoma, polyps, adenomyosis and cancer;
• Changes in blood clotting;
• Hormonal problems such as hypothyroidism or hyperthyroidism or lack of ovulation;
• Uterine, urinary or bladder infection;
• Use of oral contraceptives;
• I embarrass spontaneous abortion.

When it is not possible to identify the cause of the heavy bleeding, it can be considered that the woman suffers from dysfunctional uterine bleeding that does not have an organic cause and that causes an uncontrolled growth of the uterine wall, causing bleeding and increasing the possibility of developing endometrial cancer .

Main signs and symptoms

The characteristic symptom of menorrhagia is the loss of profuse bleeding from the vagina for more than 7 days. However, other symptoms may arise such as:

• Pain in the intimate region and pain in the womb;
• Menses with large clots;
• Vientre swollen; tiredness;
• There could be fever.

In addition to this, due to blood loss, signs and symptoms associated with anemia such as tiredness, weakness, difficulty concentrating and skin pallor can appear. Know more details about the symptoms of anemia.

How is the treatment performed?

Treatment for menstrual bleeding depends on the cause of heavy bleeding. Therefore, in cases related to the production of hormones, in general, drugs to treat menorrhagia are the use of oral contraceptives.

In case it is due to an infection, the doctor could prescribe an antibiotic. In the most serious cases, where the cause is the presence of a uterine fibroid or cancer, the doctor could take the decision to perform a hysterectomy, which is a surgery to remove part or all of the uterus. See more details on how to treat menstrual bleeding.