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Menorrhagia

Menorrhagia is the medical term for heavy or excessive menstrual bleeding. It is a common problem for women but can be a difficult health problem for premenopausal women. Menorrhagia is typically caused by either a hormonal imbalance or uterine growths. 

Risk Factors and Symptoms

Hormones control your menstrual cycle so when something happens to cause your hormonal system to be off-balance you may experience excessive bleeding during your period or bleeding between periods. A wide variety of factors can cause hormonal imbalance including:

• obesity
• thyroid disease
• diabetes
• stress
• excessive exercise
• anorexia

Growths within your uterus could also be the cause of menorrhagia. There are numerous types of possible uterine growths - some are potentially cancerous but many are not. Types of uterine growths include:

• adenomyosis
• endometriosis
• endometrial cancer
• fibroids
• hyperplasia
• polyps

In addition to severe menstrual cycle bleeding, symptoms of menorrhagia include:

• non-menstrual cycle bleeding
• uterine cramping
• pelvic pain
• anemia (in severe cases)

 

Treatment Options

There are several types of treatment plans for diagnosed cases of menorrhagia, including:

• hormone therapy - your gynecologist may prescribe prescription hormone drugs such as progesterone or the birth control pill to control your menstrual cycle and bleeding.
• endometriosis resection - a surgical procedure to remove your uterine lining
• hysterectomy