HEAVY PERIODS - how to know the cause

By Dr. Chinda

04:04:00

Wednesday, 25 May 2016

Do you think your periods are becoming heavy? There are a lot of factors that can make your periods changes from a ‘normal’ (varies among individuals) flow to becoming particularly heavy and a source of concern to you.

A visit to your doctor may reassure you that your periods are in fact normal. However, if it is not, below is a list of possible causes of heavy menstrual bleeding:

·       Fibroids.

·       Pelvic inflammatory disease.

·       Endometrial cancer.

·       Cervical cancer.

·       Thyroid disease.

·       Disorders of the blood clotting mechanisms in the body AKA bleeding disorders (e.g. Von Willebrand disease).

·       Diseases affecting your thyroid gland.

·       Use of intrauterine contraceptive devices.

·       Taking drugs that prevent blood from clotting (e.g. warfarin).

·       A growth in the womb called an endometrial polyp

·       Sometimes a cause cannot be found; doctors have a fancy name for this and they will tell you when you meet them.

powerful guide to knowing the cause?

Fibroids are very common among women of African descent. They can grow to very huge sizes and they commonly signal their presence through heavy menstrual bleeding. If you have fibroids, they may compress your bladder, making you pass urine frequently. Things that could increase your risk for fibroids include:

·       Just being an African or having African ancestors (black Americans).

·       A woman who has never given birth.

·       Being obese.

·       Having somebody in your family who has fibroids.

Unless fibroids are causing symptoms (like heavy menstrual bleeding or infertility), they do not need to be removed; surgery has its own risk. Fibroids usually shrink after menopause; if they don’t, see your doctor again (you are probably dealing with cancer).

How do you know you have a bleeding disorder?

·       You bleed excessively from other sites even after a small bruise.

·       Bleeding excessively during childbirth.

·       Bleeding excessively after surgery or tooth extraction.

·        A family history of people with bleeding disorders.

For pelvic inflammatory disease, you could have things like:

·       Abnormal vaginal discharge.

·       Pain (abdominal, pelvic and/or during sex).

·       Fever could be present.

If you are using an intrauterine device like the copper T, heavy menstrual bleeding is a side effect. If it continues, you may want to remove it (there are better choices for family planning).

Other things you could notice in cervical cancer include:

·       Bleeding after sex.

·       Bleeding after menopause.

·       Blood stained vaginal discharge.

Screening for cervical cancer is widely available and cheap or even free. Get yours today; you will be glad you did.

The most common symptom of endometrial cancer is abnormal vaginal bleeding. What are things that could increase your risk for this cancer?

·       Obesity (this guy is a risk factor for a lot of diseases, better maintain a healthy weight).

·       Diabetes mellitus.

·       Hormone replacement therapy.

·       Endometrial cancer in a member of your family (people you share genes with).

·       Never giving birth (maybe I should add “to a child” because people give birth to things these days).

·       Late menopause.

Any bleeding after menopause must be taken seriously; a diagnosis of cancer is likely.

Due to excessive blood loss, you are likely to be tired all the time. This is a feature of anaemia.

There are a lot of treatment options for heavy menstrual bleeding, see your doctor. I must add however, that surgical treatment options compromise your fertility; unless you have completed your family size, this may not be the best option.

 

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Posted by Dr. Chinda on Wednesday, 25 May 2016