23/08/2024
💊MENORRHAGIA💊
√Menorrhagia is heavy menstrual bleeding.
√If you bleed for more than 7 days or change pads every hour, you may have menorrhagia.
√Also a blood loss of more than 80mls per cycle can signal Menorrhagia.
NOTE: Heavy periods can have causes that aren't due to underlying disease.
√For examples include regular variation among individuals, hormonal imbalance, IUD use or medication side effects.
•LET US NOTE THIS PLEASE•
√Heavy menstrual bleeding is a common concern.
√But most women don't have enough blood loss for it to be called heavy menstrual bleeding.
√Some women have menstrual bleeding between periods, or earlier or later in their cycles than expected; This type of bleeding is called abnormal uterine bleeding or irregular menstrual bleeding.
•THESE ARE THE SYMPTOMS:
1.Soaking through one or more sanitary pads or tampons every hour for several hours in a row.
2.Needing double sanitary protection to control your menstrual flow.
3.Getting up at night to change sanitary pads or tampons (frequency variation).
3.Bleeding for more than a week.
4.Passing blood clots larger than a ¼.
5.Limiting daily activities due to heavy menstrual flow.
6.Feeling tired, fatigued or short of breath as the result of blood loss.
•WHEN ARE YOU SUPPOSED TO CHECK FOR AN APPOINTMENT IMMEDIATELY?
1.Vaginal bleeding so heavy soaking at least one pad or tampon an hour for more than two hours in a row.
2.Bleeding between periods or unusual va**nal bleeding.
3.Vaginal bleeding after menopause.
•ON CAUSES•
√In some cases,the reason for heavy menstrual bleeding is UKNOWN,But a number of conditions may cause heavy menstrual bleeding.
They include:
1.IMBALANCED HORMONES.
√Note that in a typical menstrual cycle, there's a balance between the hormones estrogen and progesterone.
√This controls the buildup of the lining of the uterus.
√The lining of the uterus also is known as the endometrium.
√This lining is shed during a menstrual period.
√Now,when hormones are out of balance, the lining becomes too thick and sheds by way of heavy menstrual bleeding or unexpected bleeding between periods.
2.PROBLEMS WITH THE OVARIES.
√It's good to know that sometimes ovaries don't release an egg during a menstrual cycle.We call this anovulation.
√When this happens, the body doesn't make the hormone progesterone the way it usually does during a menstrual cycle.
This leads to hormone imbalance and may result in heavy menstrual bleeding or unexpected bleeding between periods.
3.UTERINE FIBROIDS
√These tumors develop during childbearing years.
√Just understand that they are benign, which means they are not cancerous👌.
√Uterine fibroids may cause heavier than normal menstrual bleeding or bleeding that goes on for a long time.
4.POLYPS
√These small growths on the lining of the uterus may cause menstrual bleeding that is heavy or lasts for a long time.
√They may cause bleeding between periods.
√Just know that polyps also can cause spotting or bleeding after menopause.
√NOTE : The growths are not cancerous .
5.ADENOMYOSIS
√In this condition, glands from the lining of the uterus grow into the wall of the uterus itself.
√This can cause heavy bleeding and painful periods.
6.PREGNANCY COMPLICATION
√KNOW THIS 👉A single, heavy, late period may be due to a miscarriage.
√Another cause of heavy bleeding during pregnancy includes the unusual location of the placenta,which supplies nutrition to the baby and removes waste.
√The placenta may be too low or covering the opening of the uterus,[cervix.] Medically we call it placenta previa.
7.CANCER
√Cancer of the uterus or cervix can cause abnormal uterine bleeding, unexpected or heavy menstrual bleeding.
√These cancers can happen before or after menopause.
√Women who have had an abnormal Pap test in the past are at higher risk of cervical cancer.
8.GENETIC BLEEDING DISORDERS
√It's clear that some bleeding disorders that run in families cause heavy menstrual bleeding.
√These include von Willebrand's disease {This is a condition in which the blood does not clot properly}
9.DRUGS
√Some medicines can result in heavy or lengthy menstrual bleeding. √These include hormonal medicines such as birth control pills that have estrogen and progestin.
√Understand that these medicines typically help lessen menstrual bleeding BUT sometimes cause unexpected bleeding between periods.
•RISK FACTORS
√Risk factors vary with age and the medical conditions you have. √Usually, the release of an egg from the ovaries signals the body to make progesterone„now,progesterone is the hormone most responsible for keeping periods regular.
√If no egg is released, the body does not make enough progesterone.
√This can result in heavy menstrual bleeding or unexpected bleeding between periods.
NOTE: In teenagers, an irregular period or heavy menstrual bleeding often happens when an egg is not released during a monthly cycle. 👉Teenagers are most likely to have cycles without an egg release during the first year after they have their first period.
NOTE : In older women of reproductive age,heavy menstrual bleeding is often caused by problems with the uterus.
•COMPLICATIONS
√ANAEMIA & SEVERE PAIN are the main complications.
•ON THE MANAGEMENT I WON'T COVER MORE ON IT BECAUSE IT'S FOR DOCTORS BUT I CAN HIGHLIGHT ON A FEW.
1.In some cases you will get your Doctor taking you to the path of IUDs and some patients wonders.
Niw,the hormonal IUD I.e Mirena, Liletta and others,They releases a type of progestin called levonorgestrel,This progestin makes the uterine lining thin and reduces menstrual blood flow and cramping.
2.If the pain is severe and after taking the OTC pain relievers the pain is not subsiding,please visit the hospital.
Point no 3.To some clients we do some procedures which some of the clients get so much worried when the Doctor talk about it.
a) We have DILATION AND CURETTAGE, also called a D&C.
√In this procedure, your doctor OPENS your cervix (We call it dilating the cervix.)
√The doctor then scrapes or suction tissue from the lining of your uterus [we call this curettage]
√You may have a D&C to find the source of abnormal uterine bleeding.
√Causes of bleeding may include polyps, fibroids or cancer of the uterus (As we have said above).
√If you've had a miscarriage, you may need a D&C to completely empty the uterus.
NOTE that what we call Hysteroscopy is often used with D&C to help doctors find the source of bleeding in the uterus.
(I hope nimeeleweka 😂😂)
b)UTERINE ARTERY EMBOLIZATION.
√The goal of this procedure is to BLOCK blood flow to uterine fibroids.
√Blocking blood flow to fibroids helps to shrink them.
√During the procedure, the surgeon (SPECIALIST) passes a catheter through the large artery in the thigh {femoral artery}.
√The surgeon guides the catheter to the blood vessels in the uterus and injects tiny beads or sponges to reduce blood flow to the fibroid.
c)MYOMECTOMY.
√This is the surgical removal of uterine fibroids.
d)ENDOMETRIAL ABLATION.
√This procedure involves destroying the lining of the uterus.
√The process of destroying tissue is called (ablation).
√The surgeon uses a laser, radio waves or heat applied to the lining of the uterus to destroy the tissue.
e)ENDOMETRIAL RESECTION
√The surgeon uses an electrosurgical wire loop to remove the lining of the uterus.
√NOTE PLEASE DEAR ONES ,We don't recommend Pregnancy after this procedure.
f)HYSTERECTOMY
√In this procedure, the uterus and cervix are removed.
√It ends menstrual periods and the ability to get pregnant.
√This procedure is performed by a GYNAECOLOGIST under anesthesia and may require a short hospital stay.
