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What Causes Heavy And Prolonged Vaginal Bleeding?
Posted on
Tue, 10 Jun 2014
Medically reviewed by
Ask A Doctor - 24x7 Medical Review Team
Tue, 10 Jun 2014
Answered on
Mon, 30 Jun 2014
Last reviewed on
Question : Hello, Im asking a question for my niece, she is 38 years old, for the past 10 mo. she is having very heavy menstral bleeding, larger than normal clots, with extreme sharp stomach cramping, she is having her period every 3 weeks, she doesnt have insurance so she hasnt been to the dr. went to ER today waited over 2 hours to be seen she is so very weak from all this blood loss she left without being seen to go home to return to bed.
do you have any idea what can be causing these symptoms.
thank you, XXXXX
do you have any idea what can be causing these symptoms.
thank you, XXXXX
Brief Answer:
Details below.
Detailed Answer:
Hello,
Thanks for trusting us with your health concern.
Your niece is having heavy and prolonged vaginal bleeding, a menstrual disorder called Menorrhagia.
There are many cause for having such heavy bleeding commonest being:-
-Female hormone imbalance,
-Uterine fibroids,
-Disorders of the uterine lining,
-Uterine,ovarian or cervical cancer,
-Hypothyroidism,
-Endometrial hyperplasia,
-Dysfunctional uterine bleeding, to name a few.
For diagnosis, she needs to have an ultrasound scan of her lower abdomen and some blood tests.
Laboratory assessment of hemoglobin, luteinizing hormone (LH), follicle stimulating hormone (FSH), prolactin, T4, thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH), and androgen profile can be done.
The management of this condition would require treatment with progesterone to stabilize the endometrium and reduce bleeding along with hemostatic agents like ethamsylate or tranexaemic acid . Oral contraceptive pills (OCPs) suppress endometrial development, reestablish predictable bleeding patterns, decrease menstrual flow, and lower the risk of iron deficiency anemia.
She can consult a gynecologist who can do the needed tests and initiate the proper therapy.
Meanwhile ask her to start taking iron supplements to combat excessive blood loss from the body.
Please feel free to discuss further. I will be glad to answer the follow up queries that you have.
Wishing you good health.
Regards.
Dr. Rakhi Tayal.
For future query, you can directly approach me through my profile URL http://bit.ly/Dr-Rakhi-Tayal
Details below.
Detailed Answer:
Hello,
Thanks for trusting us with your health concern.
Your niece is having heavy and prolonged vaginal bleeding, a menstrual disorder called Menorrhagia.
There are many cause for having such heavy bleeding commonest being:-
-Female hormone imbalance,
-Uterine fibroids,
-Disorders of the uterine lining,
-Uterine,ovarian or cervical cancer,
-Hypothyroidism,
-Endometrial hyperplasia,
-Dysfunctional uterine bleeding, to name a few.
For diagnosis, she needs to have an ultrasound scan of her lower abdomen and some blood tests.
Laboratory assessment of hemoglobin, luteinizing hormone (LH), follicle stimulating hormone (FSH), prolactin, T4, thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH), and androgen profile can be done.
The management of this condition would require treatment with progesterone to stabilize the endometrium and reduce bleeding along with hemostatic agents like ethamsylate or tranexaemic acid . Oral contraceptive pills (OCPs) suppress endometrial development, reestablish predictable bleeding patterns, decrease menstrual flow, and lower the risk of iron deficiency anemia.
She can consult a gynecologist who can do the needed tests and initiate the proper therapy.
Meanwhile ask her to start taking iron supplements to combat excessive blood loss from the body.
Please feel free to discuss further. I will be glad to answer the follow up queries that you have.
Wishing you good health.
Regards.
Dr. Rakhi Tayal.
For future query, you can directly approach me through my profile URL http://bit.ly/Dr-Rakhi-Tayal
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
Answered by
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