Menorrhagia- The Contribution to Women's Menstrual Phase.

A normal periodic flow is a norm for every woman, but there are times when it drifts apart from the norm we use to have, and at that point, it becomes very scary. One of the irregularities attached to monthly flow is Menorrhagia, which is heavy or prolonged menstrual bleeding, when monthly circles begin to extend more than the usual specified date and intense bleeding, there is a cause to suspect Menorrhagia. It is a possible cause of polyps, fibroids, tumors, and other bleeding disorders.

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In secondary school, I had a classmate who could not step out of the hostel during her monthly circle, the flow was so heavy that going to class will lead to serious embarrassment for her. Gladly, she was taken to the hospital and after a series of treatments, she became better and her cycle became normal like the rest of us, the last time I saw her post on Facebook, she already had her own baby and I was indeed excited on her behalf.

Normally, the average blood loss that should be experienced should be 2-3 tablespoons, that's around 30-45 milliliters spread across 4-5 days, but when the bleeding begins to last beyond seven days or come with heavy bleeding that soaks through the used sanitary pads or tampons every four hours. A person experiencing menorrhagia may be required to put on one sanitary pad at a time or have to wake up in the middle of the night to change tampons.

Scambler and Scambler (1993) suggest that menstrual disorders present an even more complex situation as distress associated with periods may not be considered an illness.

A lot of women often reject the medical definition of their condition, Bancroft (1995) has questioned what women who have menorrhagia have to go through since there is attached evidence of suffering from blood loss. So many women use the term ''heavy bleeding'' while describing their period, using the term revealed different meanings and the use of the term. Different definitions of the term heavy used by people are described based on the length of the period, the appearance of the blood, how the bleeding feels, and the way it affects liver function. A period is heavy when it becomes deep red and it remains wet.

Asides from the fact that menorrhagia limits normal activities, it also could cause iron-deficiency anemia, which affects about two-thirds of women in the United Kingdom. Prolonged menstrual bleeding could be a result of many problems, the possibility of developing menorrhagia falls into three major categories, menorrhagia can occur based on; uterine-related problems, hormone-related problems, and other existing disorders, now let's explore what the possible problem could be one after another;

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Uterine Fibroids: These are non-cancerous tumors that grow inside or outside the walls of the uterine, it would result in heavy bleeding or painful periods.

Nonhormonal intrauterine device (IUD): This birth control is a device type that comfortably sits in the uterus and would lead to heavy bleeding.

Irregular ovulation: Hormonal disruptions can lead to irregular ovulation, and when this happens, the lining of the uterus could build up and then becomes too thick. It is this lining that can shed during menstruation, and with this, heavy bleeding will happen. This case is more common during perimenopause and puberty, sometimes it would be due to stress, weight loss, or medical conditions like hypothyroidism and PCOS.

Uterine polyps: Polyps is an overgrowth of the endometrial tissue, it is a tissue type that lines the inner part of the uterus.

Pelvic inflammatory disease (PID): This is an infection of the reproductive organ resulting from an untreated sexually transmitted disease.

Adenomyosis: When people have this condition, the tissue proceeding from the lining of the uterus becomes embedded in the muscle of the uterus, would result in pain and heavy menstrual bleeding.

Pregnancy complications: Complications and difficulties that are associated with pregnancy loss or ectopic pregnancy, would lead to abnormal bleeding.

Medications: Some types of anti-inflammatory and anticoagulant drugs would result in heavy bleeding.

Cancer: Some types of cancer like cervical, ovarian, and uterine cancers could affect the reproductive system and result in severe heavy bleeding.

• Inherited bleeding disorders.

The symptoms of menorrhagia are characterized with;
Heavy menstrual flow that gets through one or more sanitary pads within the space of four hours intervals for consecutive hours, basically any bleeding that requires the use of a period product at a time.
Menstrual flow or bleeding that lasts beyond a week, with symptoms of anemia that includes shortness of breath and fatigue, and of course the inability of the affected victim to perform regular daily activities.

The process of diagnosing menorrhagia will require a careful, and comprehensive history with an assessment for iron deficiency anemia, and of course an assessment for the reproduction of tract cancers, and complete blood count amongst others. These tests will help you find the presence of a bleeding problem, tests as; Blood test, ultrasound, pap test, and endometrial biopsy. Depending on the result of the first test, the doctor may recommend more tests like; Hysteroscopy, Dilation, and Curettage (D&C), and Sonohysterogram.

The treatment type available will be highly dependent on the cause of the bleeding and how severe it is, the medical expert in charge will consider your age, medical history, and general health. Some treatments are a one-time thing while others will take time before and will need to be taken through different procedures.

Conclusion.

Menorrhagia is not known to threaten life, but it causes a negative impact on women's personal, family, social, and work life that is known to decrease the quality of life. Once the menstrual cycle lasts longer than seven days and there is an urgent need to change menstrual pads almost every hour, you need to visit a doctor as fast as you can.

Reference.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK536910/

https://www.hindawi.com/journals/isrn/2013/918179/

https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/295202#summary

https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0149881

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0277953699003184

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2907973/

https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/medicine-and-dentistry/menorrhagia

https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/blooddisorders/women/menorrhagia.html

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Hi, I am Tobi a writer, speaker, relationship blogger, and lover of good music. I love making friends and learning from people. Want to hear me speak on relationships and general life issues, you can find my youtube channel where you can listen and watch any episode for free, please, If do not forget to subscribe, friends. I sincerely appreciate every love I get from here, kindly do well to keep them coming.