Menstrual Disorders
Menstrual cycle, pregnancy and labor are some phases of
women life that no men can understand despite abundance
of empathy. Many women get through with their periods
casually without any significant concern. Their periods
are regular and follow the same duration and interval
month after month.
However, other women experience a lot of physical and
emotional troubles during their periods. These menstrual
disorders can range from heavy bleeding and missed
periods to unmanageable mood swings; these symptoms may
disrupt a woman's lives in major ways.
Common
Menstrual Disorders:
-
Amenorrhea (lack of periods or missed periods)
-
Dysfunctional Uterine Bleeding (DUB)
-
Dysmenorrhea (painful periods)
-
Polycystic Ovary Syndrome
-
Menorrhagia (heavy or lengthy periods)
-
Other Menstrual Disorders (Metrorrhagia or spotting
and others)
Amenorrhea:
Some
women never go through puberty, so periods never start.
This disorder is called primary amenorrhea. In other
women, periods start at puberty, then stop. This
disorder is called secondary amenorrhea. Amenorrhea is
not considered a disorder when it is before puberty,
during pregnancy, while breastfeeding, and after
menopause.
Dysfunctional Uterine Bleeding (DUB):
Dysfunctional uterine bleeding is abnormal bleeding
resulting from changes in the normal hormonal control of
menstruation.
Dysfunctional uterine bleeding occurs most commonly at
the beginning and end of the reproductive years: 20% of
cases occur in adolescent girls, and more than 50% occur
in women older than 45.
Dysfunctional uterine bleeding commonly results when the
level of estrogen remains high. The high level of
estrogen is not balanced by an appropriate level of
progesterone, and release of an egg (ovulation) does not
occur. As a result, the lining of the uterus
(endometrium) thickens. This condition is called
endometrial hyperplasia. The lining is then shed
incompletely and irregularly, causing bleeding. Bleeding
is irregular, prolonged, and sometimes heavy. This type
of bleeding is common among women who have polycystic
ovary syndrome.
Dysmenorrhea:
Dysmenorrhea is pelvic pain during a menstrual period.
It is the most common reproductive problem in women,
resulting in numerous days absent from school, work, and
other activities. There are two types: primary and
secondary.
About
three fourths of women with dysmenorrhea have primary
dysmenorrhea, for which no cause can be identified. The
rest have secondary dysmenorrhea, for which a cause is
identified.
Primary
dysmenorrhea may affect more than 50% of women, usually
starting during adolescence. In about 5 to 15%, primary
dysmenorrhea is sometimes severe and may become less
severe with age and after pregnancy.
In
primary dysmenorrhea, the pain occurs only during
menstrual cycles in which an egg is released. The pain
is thought to result from prostaglandins released during
menstruation. Prostaglandins are hormone like substances
that cause the uterus to contract, reduce the blood
supply to the uterus, and increase the sensitivity of
nerve endings in the uterus to pain. Women who have
primary dysmenorrhea have higher levels of
prostaglandins.
Polycystic Ovary Syndrome:
Polycystic ovary syndrome (Stein-Leventhal syndrome)
involves enlarged ovaries, which contain many
fluid-filled sacs (cysts), and a tendency to have high
levels of male hormones (androgens).
Polycystic ovary syndrome affects about 7 to 10% of
women. A common cause is excess production of
luteinizing hormone by the pituitary gland. The excess
luteinizing hormone increases the production of male
hormones (androgens). If the disorder is not treated,
some of the male hormones may be converted to estrogen.
Not enough progesterone is produced to balance the
estrogen's effects. If this situation continues a long
time, the lining of the uterus (endometrium) may become
extremely thickened (a condition called endometrial
hyperplasia). Also, the risk of cancer of the lining of
the uterus (endometrial cancer) may be increased.
Premenstrual Syndrome:
Premenstrual syndrome (PMS) is a group of physical and
psychological symptoms that occur before a menstrual
period begins.
Because
so many monthly symptoms, such as bad mood,
irritability, bloating, and breast tenderness, have been
ascribed to PMS, defining and identifying PMS can be
difficult. PMS affects 20 to 50% of women. About 5% of
women of reproductive age have a severe form of PMS
called premenstrual dysphoric disorder.
PMS may
occur partly because estrogen and progesterone levels
fluctuate during the menstrual cycle. Also, in some
women with PMS, progesterone may be broken down
differently. Progesterone is usually broken down into
two components that have opposite effects on mood. Women
with PMS may produce less of the component that tends to
reduce anxiety and more of the component that tends to
increase anxiety.
Menorrhagia
Heavy
bleeding during menstruation is usually related to a
hormonal imbalance, although other causes include
fibroids, cervical or endometrial polyps, the autoimmune
disease lupus, pelvic inflammatory disease (PID), blood
platelet disorder, a hereditary blood factor deficiency,
or, possibly, some reproductive cancers. Thus,
menorrhagia is actually a symptom of an underlying
condition rather than a disease itself. It may also be
related to the use of an IUD.
Women
with menorrhagia experience not only significant
inconvenience, but may feel very tired due to the loss
of iron-rich blood. It is usually diagnosed when a woman
soaks through a tampon or pad every hour for several
hours or has a period lasting more than 7 days. Clots
are not related to menorrhagia, although women with
heavy cycles may pass clots. They are typically a normal
part of menstruation, more common when a woman has been
sitting or in a stationary position for a while
Other
Abnormalities of Menstrual Bleeding:
During
the reproductive years, bleeding from the vagina may be
abnormal when menstrual periods are too heavy or too
light, last too long, occur too frequently, or are
irregular. Any vaginal bleeding that occurs before
puberty or after menopause is abnormal. Bleeding from
the vagina may originate in the vagina or other
reproductive organs, particularly the uterus.
A
heavy flow during periods and/or lengthy menstrual
periods could be diagnosed as Menorrhagia.
Bleeding or spotting between periods is known as
Metrorrhagia. The two, alone or together, can be
called Dysfunctional uterine bleeding. Scanty
menstruation or light periods is called Oligomenorhea.
Bliss
Ayurveda Products for Menstrual Disorders:
MenstruCare
Tablet
is the supplement that helps to bring back and
restore the normal female hormonal balance. The
menstrual cycle will be there but MenstruCare takes away
all the troubles related to it. It is specially
formulated to exert regulatory effect of ayurvedic herbs
so that your periods are brought back to normal whether
there is irregular bleeding or heavy bleeding or scanty
periods or painful menses. MenstruCare simply supports
the healthy menstrual cycle along with better general
and reproductive health.
Other
Supportive Products:
1.
Peaceful Mind is
advised for those ladies who feel emotional disturbance
along with or previous to bleeding.
2.
OsteoBliss and
MenstruCare are advised in
females with heavy periods so that they could recuperate
their energy and blood loss.
3.
Ojas Yoga and
Guggul Max are advised
for ladies with scanty bleeding. Ojas Yoga provides
nutritive value and Guggul Max cleanses the body and
reproductive system.
4.
Vital Sleep is good
for sleep trouble associated with menses or PMS.
5.
CardioCare is good for
those women who feel palpitation and cold sweats during
or after menses.
BACK TO
ARTICLES HOME
