Things You Need to Know About Menstrual Disorders

Dr.Taruna Dua, 5 mins read

Menstruation, commonly known as a period,  is a part of the female reproductive development that begins around adolescence. It usually lasts for 4 to 7 days and comes around after every 28 days. Menstruation is driven by hormones, which causes ovulation to thicken the lining of the uterus. This helps a fertilised egg to implant into the uterine lining. If the egg is not fertilised by the sperm, the lining of the uterus breaks down and sheds. 

Usually, women get through their menstruation cycle easily with few concerns. However, some women experience a host of symptoms before and during menstruation. These could be the emotional, physical symptoms or both. 

These symptoms are usually in the form of delayed or missed periods, heavy or scanty bleeding, severe pain, and mood swings. These problems are labelled as menstrual disorders.

Types of Menstrual Disorder

• Amenorrhea

This condition refers to the absence of a menstrual period. It could also be caused by pregnancy, menopause or breastfeeding. But if these are not the reasons, other reason has to be ruled out. 

The problem is more prevalent among women who are underweight or have the eating disorder anorexia nervosa.

• Abnormal Uterine Bleeding
  

Women with this condition experience may excessive bleeding, more frequent bleeding,  bleeding after intercourse, and irregular bleeding.  If this happens to you, consult a doctor to identify the underlying cause and get treatment.

• Dysmenorrhea
  

Dysmenorrhea is explained as severe cramps and pain during menstruation. It is caused due to strong uterus contraction, which affects the oxygen supply in nearby blood vessels.

• Menorrhagia

It is characterised as heavy or prolonged menstrual bleeding. This makes doing daily tasks difficult and affects overall well-being. Hormonal imbalances, fibroids or polyps and sometimes bleeding disorders are the culprits for this condition. 

• Oligomenorrhea

It is infrequent and unusual light bleeding during the periods. If the period cycle extends 35 days, it could be a sign of oligomenorrhea. 

• Fibroids
  

It is a tumour growth in or on the uterus. Typically, these tumours are not cancerous but can lead to frequent urination, prolonged bleeding, severe cramps and anaemia.

• Premenstrual syndrome (PMS)
  

PMS refers to the change in emotion, mood, behaviour and physical health that happens before a monthly period. As per a study, around 3 of every 4 menstruating women have experienced some form of PMS.

• Premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD)

It is an extreme form of PMS that involves severe mood swings, anxiety, depression, behaviour changes and impaired appetite and sleep. Some women with this condition also experience constipation, bloating and cramps.

Causes

The causes of menstrual disorders could vary. It could be because of:

• Cancer
• Genetics
• Uterine fibroids
• Birth control pills
• Clotting disorders
• Hormonal imbalance
• Pelvic inflammatory disease (PID)
• Sexually transmitted infections (STIs)
• Endometriosis (growth of tissues similar to the uterus lining outside the uterus)

Diagnosis

If you are experiencing menstrual disorder symptoms, you should consult a healthcare provider. Your doctor will ask you questions related to your symptoms and if she suspects any problem, she will advise you on a few tests and exams. This may include blood tests, urine tests, ultrasound scans and sometimes endometrial biopsy, diagnostic hysteroscopy and laparoscopy.

Management and Treatment

Your doctor may recommend you:

• Hot bath
• Yoga, meditation and exercise
• Heating pads and pain control medicines
• Iron supplements to improve haemoglobin
• Birth control pills to control heavy bleeding
• Hormonal treatment to manage heavy bleeding
• Progestin injections, gonadotropin-releasing hormone or a procedure (myomectomy) for fibroids treatment
• Food items like ginger, pineapple, apple cider vinegar, beetroot, aloe vera, turmeric, jaggery and cinnamon (all are helpful in the management of irregular periods)

Prevention

• Use birth control pills as directed
• Follow a healthy sleeping schedule
• Maintain a healthy and balanced diet
• Avoid nicotine, alcohol, refined sugar, salt, caffeine
• Practise relaxation and stress reduction techniques

Also, Read: Prenatal Nutrition: What You Should Include in Your Diet