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Menstrual Disorders: Fast Facts


Reviewed By: Joanne Poje Tomasulo, M.D., ACOG

  • Hormone imbalances are a common cause of many types of menstrual disorders.

  • Eating a healthy diet, exercising regularly, getting adequate rest and reducing and/or eliminating alcohol and cigarette smoking may help alleviate many menstrual disorders.

  • About one in five women have periods so heavy that they have to put their lives on hold to deal with it,  according to the National Women's Health Resource Center (NWHRC).

  • Typical blood loss during menstruation is about 2.5 ounces (74 milliliters) according to the NWHRC. Some women may bleed as much as 10 to 25 times that amount each month.

  • Heavy menstruation is more common at certain times in a woman's life cycle, including during the teen years and as menopause approaches. About half of patients with abnormal uterine bleeding (AUB) are over the age of 45, according to the NWHRC.

  • About 20 percent of all hysterectomies are performed to treat AUB, according to the NWHRC. But there are many other treatments available, some of which preserve fertility.

  • Abnormal bleeding does not always mean heavy periods. Absence of periods (amenorrhea), bleeding between periods and spotting are also considered types of AUB. The exception is amenorrhea prior to puberty, which is normal.

  • Dysmenorrhea is the medical term for pelvic pain that occurs during menstruation. But doctors mainly use the term to refer to severe menstrual cramps that interfere with daily activities and are caused by an underlying condition or disease.

  • Menstrual cramps are caused by prolonged, intense uterine contractions that occur during menstruation.

  • There are more than 150 symptoms attributed to premenstrual syndrome (PMS), a group of physical, emotional and behavioral symptoms that commonly occur in the two weeks before menstruation. It is common in women of childbearing age and symptoms usually recur in a predictable pattern.

  • About 30 to 40 percent of women experience PMS symptoms that disrupt their daily activities, according to the NWHRC. For between 3 and 8 percent of women, symptoms are significantly more severe, a condition known as premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD).

 

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