Excessive menstrual bleeding — a cause for serious concern

Every woman whose menstrual cycle is stable and regular best knows herself how heavy her monthly period usually is. One woman may experience very heavy and painful periods, but another — ones that are more easily to live through. Therefore, it is hard to set a strong boundary between normal and excessive bleeding: every woman should observe herself every month and seek the help of a gynaecologist as soon as it seems that a period has become unusually heavy or differs from the usual cycle in other ways.

Gynaecologist Vija Plume points to the signs that indicate that something is not right and that you should see a gynaecologist without waiting for your regular yearly appointment:

· you get your period on the day of the menstrual cycle, when it should not be happening

· your period occurs more often than it is considered normal (the length of a menstrual cycle is 28 days on average)

· your period continues for longer than it should (for more than 7 days)

· the heaviness of your period is higher than usual, meaning it exceeds 80 ml per day for several days in a row

Dr. Vija Plume brings attention to several reasons that may cause menstrual irregularities and excessive bleeding of the genital tract. Pathological bleeding of the uterus during a period and before/after it may be a warning sign of the following problems:

· endometriosis which is a condition in which tissue similar to the endometrium — the internal layer of the uterus — develops not just inside, but also outside of the uterine cavity — (if endometrial tissue forms in the muscle layer of the uterus, it is also called adenomyosis)

· genital tract infections

· uterine polyps

· uterine fibroid which is a non-cancerous muscle tissue tumour

· other pathologies of the uterine cavity

· ovarian cysts — (both non-cancerous and cancerous ovarian cysts)

· other gynaecological diseases the treatment of which should not be delayed in any case.

If menstrual bleeding is heavy, long or frequent, anaemia may form which causes fatigue, weakness, inability to concentrate. Women often think that they have become "lazy” or "old", when in truth — they have bled out!

Of course, when encountering bleeding in the middle of the menstrual cycle, for example, one should not panic because it could simply indicate other types of diseases — hormonal imbalance, high blood pressure (of which the woman herself may not be aware of) or an inflammation caused by a cold. In any case — it is worthwhile to visit a gynaecologist and find out the cause of bleeding. Even if a heavy period is normal for you, pay attention if a period seems heavier when compared to the cycle up until now. While no menstrual period is pleasant, see a doctor any time when having doubts about the fact that this time something is definitely not right.