Menstruation is short but prolonged, is it worrisome?

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Menstrual disorders are the concerns and worries of many women. In particular, the menstrual period is less but prolonged, causing trouble in the daily life of women. Although the severity of the symptoms is not serious, it can affect fertility as well as be a sign of one or more different diseases.

1. What is prolonged menstruation?

Menstruation is the physiological bleeding of the uterus. Menstrual blood is dark red, does not clot, includes uterine blood and the sloughed lining of the vagina - uterus and many bacteria available in the female genitalia. A normal menstrual cycle in a healthy adult woman should last between 28 and 32 days. In which, the menstrual period occurs from the first day to the third or fifth day of the cycle.
Prolonged menstruation, also known as menorrhagia, is when menstruation lasts for more than seven days, has a recurring cycle according to the menstrual cycle. This concept needs to be distinguished from hemophilia. This is also bleeding that lasts more than seven days but is not cyclical. The amount of blood can be small, medium or high. In case the menstrual period lasts more than 15 days, it will become heavy bleeding and is called menorrhagia.

2. Prolonged menstruation is a manifestation of what disease?

Prolonged menstruation is a manifestation of many diseases not only in the field of obstetrics and gynecology but also in other specialties. To approach the diagnosis of the cause of prolonged menstruation, this symptom is classified into two group: due to mechanical causes and due to physical causes.
2.1. Menstrual prolongation Functional menstrual prolongation (functional menorrhagia) is the result of disorders in the regulation of the activity of female sex hormones. Accordingly, at different ages, the explanation for the cause of menorrhagia is completely different.
Menorrhagia is most common in the early and late stages of puberty and perimenopause. Immediately after the first menstrual cycle, the milestone of puberty is marked. For the next two years, girls often have irregular periods because they don't ovulate. It is caused by hormonal activity of the hypothalamus or immature ovaries. Estrogen is elevated for a long time, there is no corpus luteum, and there is no endometrial detachment. The endothelium keeps thickening while the blood vessels do not grow in time, so there is not enough blood supply, leading to necrosis and shedding in patches, causing profuse and prolonged bleeding.

At the age of menopause, the phenomenon of menstrual cycles without ovulation repeats, due to the degeneration of the ovaries leading to a decrease in hormone levels. Menstrual cycles begin to become less frequent before disappearing altogether. On the other hand, the cycle can also be erratic, irregular and the menstrual period is prolonged, the amount of menstrual blood is more or less the same.
2.2. Inherent menstrual bleeding (organic menorrhagia) is a manifestation when there are actual lesions or pathologies in the uterus or ovaries such as uterine fibroids, endometritis, polyps. endometrial cancer, endometrial hyperplasia, endometrial cancer, cervical cancer, vaginal cancer, polycystic ovary syndrome, trophoblastic cancer,...
Besides Menorrhagia is also caused by post-partum infection, abortion, miscarriage, stillbirth, ectopic pregnancy, etc. The trauma on the genital tract, foreign body also causes menorrhagia.
In addition, menorrhagia is also a physical symptom of other systemic diseases such as hypothalamic dysfunction, pituitary disease, thyroid disease, thrombocytopenia bleeding or hemostasis disorders. autoimmune disease, leukemia, liver disease, kidney disease... and due to the use of drugs such as estrogen, aspirin, heparin, tamoxifen,... In these cases, menorrhagia is often accompanied by heavy bleeding.

3. Is prolonged menstruation dangerous?

Menstruation is scanty but prolonged, causing oozing blood loss, in a long time leading to chronic anemia worsening with symptoms of fatigue, shortness of breath, reduced ability to work hard, poor concentration, easy to get sick. infections...
Prolonged bleeding will create a favorable environment for bacteria to invade, leading to genital infections. Bacteria reside in the external genitalia, move from the vulva upstream to the inside, causing inflammation, pus production, fibrosis, and adhesions. This increases the risk of infertility later in life.
Prolonged menstruation is sometimes accompanied by discharge, pain in the lower abdomen, tightness in the chest, ... which greatly affects daily activities. Psychologically, a woman will always have feelings of discomfort, even fear, when it comes to menstruation and the relationship between husband and wife.
In addition, maybe due to lack of knowledge and subjectivity, fear of thought, many women think that these abnormalities are caused by changes in weather, diet, rest... Therefore, they have lost their lives. When treatment is delayed, the disease develops in the body and causes serious complications. At this point, treatment is sometimes too late.

4. What to do when the menstrual period is less but prolonged?

Irregular menstruation or prolonged menstruation is always one of the types of menstrual disorders. If it only occurs in a few cycles, in a child who is just going through puberty or around perimenopause, this is a normal physiological phenomenon, not a cause for concern.
However, the menstrual period is less but lasts and progresses through many cycles, and there are other symptoms such as fatigue, shortness of breath, reduced ability to work hard, poor concentration or bad breath. , lower abdominal pain, breast tenderness or even delayed pregnancy are all abnormalities. At this time, women need to see a doctor as soon as possible to find the cause and treat it promptly. You should choose reputable and professional clinics for effective treatment and ensure your health.
Currently, Vinmec International General Hospital has a basic gynecological examination and screening package, which helps customers detect early diseases of inflammatory diseases for easy and inexpensive treatment. Screening for early detection of gynecological cancer (cervical cancer).
When registering for the Basic Gynecological Examination and Screening Package, customers will receive:
Specialized gynecological examination Transvaginal Uterine Ovarian Ultrasound Transvaginal Breast Ultrasound Tests such as: Treponema pallidum rapid test, Chlamydia rapid test, taking samples for cervical-vaginal cytology, endoscopically stained bacteria (female vaginal fluid), HPV genotype PCR automated system. Total urinalysis by automatic machine. Vinmec's medical team are leading experts, highly qualified, dedicated and devoted to the benefit of patients. Comprehensive and professional medical examination, consultation and treatment services.

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