Since the birth of my third child 13
months ago, I have experienced very
abnormal menstruation. Sometimes my
periods last up to 21 days and I
frequently "spot" between cycles. My
gynocologist and endocrinologist have
checked hormone levels and anatomy, all of
which checked out normal. My thyroid is
under control, and I have no history of
STDs or any kind of cervical or uterine
cancer, etc. All pap smears have come
back normal. At this point, I would just
like to know what could be causing these
problems, and how, if possible, to correct
them. Could the Lupus be to blame? Thank
you for your time...
|
DoctorAnswer
Doctor Answer
Joined: 19 Dec 2005 Posts: 16777211
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Lupus Answer A100 Posted: 01-10-06 11:32am
The only normal bleeding from the uterus
is menstruation. That is a regular
bleeding that comes normally once every 21
to 35 days (a menstrualcycle) and lasts
normally from 3 to 7 days (a period). The
normal amount of lost blood during
menstruation is 50-60 ml. If a cycle last
less than 21 days, menstruation is often
called "polymenorrhoea"; if a cycle last
more than 35 days, menstruation is termed
rare, or "oligomenorrhea". If
menstruation lasts more than 7 days, it is
called "menorrhagia". If the lost amount
of blood is more then 60 ml, it is called
"hypermenorrhea"; if it is less than 50ml
it is called "hypomenorrhea". Any bleeding
that is not menstruation is called
"metrorrhagia", or bleedings between
menstruation. Sometimes, both types of
bleedings are so mixed that we can’t
distinguish which is what, so it is called
"menometrorrhagia". Reasons for abnormal
uterine bleeding may be organic or
functional. Organic reasons may be caused
by tumors (ovary, uterine, cervical or
vaginal of any kind), endometrial
hyperplasia, endometriosis, IUD, etc.
Functional reasons are different hormonal
disorders caused by inside or outside
factors. In your case, you can perform a
FRACTIONATED EXPLORATIVE CURETTAGE.
PAP-smears are not enough to detect
uterine diseases (polyps, cancers,
endometrial hyperplasia, endometriosis).
Additionally, uterine myomas, ovarian
tumors, and cysts are detected with
ULTRASOUND. In some cases, curettage is
not only diagnostic but also a therapy
procedure.
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