VERIFIED CONTENTConsultation: Jacek Tulimowski, MD, PhD, obstetrician gynecologist

Menstrual disorders are sometimes a natural phenomenon, sometimes a symptom of a disease. It also happens that they signal a temporary decline in a woman's physical and mental form. Why does menstruation lose its rhythm? What are the causes of menstrual disorders?

Menstrual disordersthe most common occur in adolescent girls and in premenopausal women. But they also do not bypass women in full bloom. What is the cause of them?

They are generally hormonal. They can also be caused by malformations and diseases of the reproductive organ. Therefore, if your periods are too tight or too heavy, painful, irregular, very short or long, consult your gynecologist.

Regular cycles - what is the norm

They last 26-32 days, and the intervals between them are constant. Differences in the length of individual cycles not exceeding 4 days are within the normal range. The number of sanitary pads used is a measure of the blood that is lost. There should be no less than 3 pieces a day and more than 10. Normal menstruation lasts from 3 to 7 days. Slight painful cramps at the beginning of your period are also natural.

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Menstrual disorders aged 11-18

The first period occurs between the ages of 11-13. It is the result of a hormonal game conducted by the hypothalamus, pituitary gland and ovaries. The endocrine system is not fully mature, so the first cycles are irregular and generally non-ovulatory.

Menstrual disorders that persist for 1-2 years after menarche are a natural phenomenon, but they must be monitored. When they last more than 2 years, it makes sense to consult a gynecologist. If it turns out that the girl's body needs more time to "catch" the correct rhythm, any interference is unnecessary.

  • How can a gynecologist help?

If the menstruation is long and profuse, then in girls over the age of 16 it is worth normalizing them by administering hormonal drugs for a year. Heavy bleeding can lead to anemia. A visit to the doctor is also needed in case ofirregular, rare menstruation caused by diseases of the thyroid gland or hypothalamus, polycystic ovary syndrome, malformations of the reproductive organ (e.g. underdevelopment of the ovaries, uterus), some medications (mainly steroids, used, among others, in the treatment of asthma).

It is also worth going to the doctor with your daughter when, unlike her peers, she has not had a period or has stopped bleeding. In the latter case, it is usually the result of anorexia or bulimia which is carefully hidden from parents.

Menstrual disorders aged 19-45

Menstruation is not a Swiss watch that is never in a hurry or late, so you don't have to worry about occasional deviations from the norm. They are usually caused by slimming diets, exhausting training, overwork, lack of sleep or stress. However, if your menstrual cycles are often abnormal, you should find out what is causing it.

They are usually hormonal disorders. Too short or too long monthly cycles, often anovulatory, and scanty bleeding may be a signal of excess prolactin - a hormone secreted by the pituitary gland. Irregular, scanty and at the same time sparse menstruation can be the result of hypothyroidism or hyperthyroidism, as well as polycystic ovary syndrome. The reason for long and heavy bleeding is the lack of progesterone in the second phase of the cycle.

  • How can a gynecologist help?

The disorders presented above are most often treated with hormones. However, hormones are not always to be blamed for cycle disruptions. Long, heavy periods (sometimes even bleeding) in women over 35 are often caused by submucosal fibroids, benign lumps of the uterus.

Read more: Uterine fibroids - types, symptoms and treatment

The cause of very painful periods may be endometriosis, a disease that mainly affects women between the ages of 22 and 45. Endometriosis develops when exfoliated cells in the lining of the womb, the endometrium, enter the ovaries and the inside of the abdomen and nest there. They undergo the same changes in the menstrual cycle as the endometrium, so they grow and then bleed.

The cause of mid-cycle bleeding may be inflammation of the reproductive organ, as well as neoplasms, e.g. endometrial cancer, endocrine tumors, polyps (ovarian polyps, uterine polyps).

Menstrual disorders after the age of 45

Symptoms of perimenopause appear after the age of 45 (several years before the last menstruation and several years after it), because the ovaries reducesynthesis of progesterone and estrogen. Consequently, cycles are increasingly non-ovulatory and irregular. Menstruations are more abundant than they used to be, and the intervals between them are getting longer and longer.

If there was no bleeding for 12 months after another period, she was the last woman in her life. It is known as menopause. After it, even slight spotting is considered abnormal. Cycle disturbances in the years leading up to menopause are a natural phenomenon, but they need to be carefully monitored.

Read more: What is menopause? What are the symptoms of the menopause?

  • How can a gynecologist help?

Heavy and prolonged bleeding with clots can signal endometrial hyperplasia, which occurs mainly in women over 45, as well as diseases that occur in women of childbearing age.

Sometimes menopause occurs prematurely, even before the age of 40. It may be caused by damage to the ovaries during abdominal surgery, diseases of the thyroid gland, diabetes, and an abnormal reaction of the immune system, which destroys the cells of the ovaries by producing antibodies against them.

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Category:

Female diseases