Menorrhagia Specialist

What conditions define menorrhagia?

Menstrual bleeding is considered heavier than normal when one or more of the following conditions occur:

•         Using one or more tampons or sanitary pad every hour for several hours
•         The need to double up on sanitary protection to control menstrual bleeding
•         Waking up in the night to change pads or tampons
•         Periods of bleeding lasting more than a week
•         Passing blood clots more than one day of the period
•         Anemia, typically indicated by tiredness, fatigue, and shortness of breath

What causes menorrhagia?

Common conditions that give rise to menorrhagia include:

• Blood coagulation disorders
• Complications with pregnancy
• Hormone imbalances between estrogen and progesterone
• Medical conditions such as pelvic inflammatory disease, endometriosis, and thyroid problems
• Non-hormonal IUDs
• Ovary dysfunction: if ovulation doesn’t occur, no progesterone is produced and an imbalance occurs
• Some medications, including anti-inflammatories and anticoagulants
• Uterine fibroids or polyps

How is menorrhagia treated?

Treatment is based on what’s causing the problem as well as an assessment of the patient’s health. Drug therapy solutions include:

•         Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, or NSAIDs, help reduce menstrual blood flow with the added benefit of pain relief
•         Oral contraceptives regulate the menstrual cycle and may reduce prolonged or excessive bleeding
•         Oral progesterone may be helpful to restore hormone balance, which may stop menorrhagia
•         An intrauterine device that releases progestin
•         Tranexamic acid, a medication that helps decrease the blood loss
•         Iron supplements may offset the symptoms or onset of anemia

Surgical treatments of menorrhagia include:

•         Dilation and curettage
•         Ultrasound ablation to shrink fibroids, if they’re causing the bleeding
•         Endometrial ablation
•         Uterine artery embolization
•         Hysterectomy

When menorrhagia results from another condition, such as thyroid disease, treating the precipitating condition usually reduces menstrual blood flow. Call or schedule an appointment online at Gemini OBGYN.