Menstrual Disorders

Menstrual disorders

Highlights

Menstrual Disorders

Menstrual disorders include:

  • Dysmenorrhea refers to painful cramps during menstruation.
  • Premenstrual syndrome refers to physical and psychological symptoms occurring prior to menstruation.
  • Menorrhagia is heavy bleeding, including prolonged menstrual periods or excessive bleeding during a normal-length period.
  • Metrorrhagia is bleeding at irregular intervals, particularly between expected menstrual periods.
  • Amenorrhea is the absence of menstruation.
  • Oligomenorrhea refers to infrequent menstrual periods. Hypomenorrhea refers to light periods.

Treatment for Menstrual Disorders

Treatment options for menstrual disorders include:

  • Acetaminophen (Tylenol) or nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), such as ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin) and naproxen (Aleve) can help provide pain relief for cramps.
  • Oral contraceptives (birth control pills) can help regulate menstrual periods and reduce heavy bleeding. Newer continuous-dosing oral contraceptives reduce or eliminate menstrual periods. Progesterone injections (Depo-Provera) are another option. The LNG-IUS (Mirena), a progesterone intrauterine device (IUD), is often recommended as a first-line treatment for heavy bleeding
  • Endometrial ablation is a surgical option.
  • In cases where medical therapy is not successful, hysterectomy may be considered.

Introduction

Menstrual disorders are problems that affect a woman’s normal menstrual cycle. They include painful cramps during menstruation, abnormally heavy bleeding, or not having any bleeding.

Menstruation occurs during the years between puberty and menopause. Menstruation, also called a “period,” is the monthly flow of blood from the uterus through the cervix and out through the vagina.

The Female Reproductive System

The organs and structures in the female reproductive system include:

  • The uterus is a pear-shaped organ located between the bladder and lower intestine.
  • The cervix is the lower portion of the uterus. It contains the cervical canal, which has a narrow openings towards the uterus and the vagina called the os. The cervical canal connects the uterine cavity to the vagina and allows menstrual blood to flow out of the uterus into the vagina.
  • The fallopian tubes connect the uterus and ovaries. Ovaries are egg-producing organs that hold 200,000 to 400,000 follicles(from folliculus, meaning “sack” in Latin). These cellular sacks contain the materials needed to produce ripened eggs, or ova. An egg develops within the follicle.
  • The endometrium is the inner lining of the uterus. During pregnancy it thickens and becomes enriched with blood vessels to house and nourish the growing fetus.
  • If at the end of a menstrual cycle pregnancy does not occur, the endometrium is shed and the woman starts menstruating. Menstrual flow consists of blood and mucus from the cervix and vagina.
Uterus

The uterus is a hollow muscular organ located in the female pelvis between the bladder and rectum. The ovaries produce the eggs that travel through the fallopian tubes. Once the egg has left the ovary it can be fertilized and implant itself in the lining of the uterus. The main function of the uterus is to nourish the developing fetus prior to birth.