Many women of reproductive age do not attach much importance to the nature of the monthly discharge. They usually pay attention to such aspects as the regularity of bleeding, the presence or absence of delays. However, the properties of menstruation should not be ignored. In terms of the volume of discharge and their duration, an experienced specialist can say a lot about the health status of the fairer sex.
How to distinguish a normal phenomenon from a pathological process?
According to medical studies, in the absence of any pathologies in a woman of reproductive age, from 50 to 150 milliliters of blood are released per day during menstruation. However, this is not an accurate indicator. Its values may vary slightly depending on factors such as the physical characteristics of a person, body weight, and some external influences. If on critical days a girl releases less than 50 milliliters of fluid, then we can say that she has scanty periods. The causes and treatment of such an anomaly are described in detail in the following sections.
This phenomenon is often accompanied by characteristic symptoms. Also, if menstruation becomes scarce, the duration of bleeding may be reduced. Sometimes there is a slight delay. Unfortunately, many women do not pay attention to important aspects. Any representative of the weaker sex should know about the nature of critical days is acceptable. Firstly, in a healthy girl, menstruation is accompanied by a weakly expressed feeling of pain.
Secondly, the period between secretions is from 21 to 35 days. Another important point - the bleeding normally lasts from three to five days.
In most cases, the reason for the meager period is the malfunction of the reproductive organs and the presence of any malfunction.
The role of endocrine glands
The functions of the gastrointestinal tract (pituitary and ovary) largely determine the nature, intensity and duration of secretions. If their activity is impaired, a sufficient amount of fluid does not accumulate in the internal cavity of the uterus. In addition, the glands produce substances that are necessary for the normal course of all processes in the woman’s body. When an egg matures, a hormone is secreted, which further contributes to the birth of a new life.
If conception does not occur, its concentration decreases, and then monthly bleeding occurs. The shell, which is located in the internal cavity of the uterus, is rejected. This process is associated with some physical discomfort, cramping. Various external influences and pathologies (neoplasms of the pituitary gland, hormonal failure, gynecological cleansing, inflammation, termination of pregnancy) are often the causes of scanty periods. Under the influence of these factors, the layer of the uterine cavity may become thinner.
Many women seek medical help about this problem only if they have difficulty conceiving.
Common reasons
The volume of discharge on critical days decreases due to various phenomena. As factors that negatively affect the female reproductive system, the following can be listed:
- Starvation, lack of nutrients and body weight.
- Reduced hemoglobin in the blood.
- Metabolic disorders.
- Lack of vitamins.
- Digestive upsets.
- Emotional and physical overload, fatigue.
- Anomalies in the development of the reproductive system.
- Operations and mechanical damage to internal genital organs.
- Use of inappropriate means to protect against unwanted conception.
- The period of breastfeeding.
- Severe intoxication.
- Inflammatory pathologies of the genital area.
- Thyroid malfunction.
- Various infectious processes in the body (tuberculosis, flu, and so on).
- Diseases of the liver and urinary tract that cause the accumulation of toxins inside the body.
- Mechanical damage to the brain.
- Tumors of the central nervous system.
- Exposure to harmful radiation.
- Excessive deposition of adipose tissue, which disrupts the function of the gonads.
The above factors may be an explanation of why menstruation has become scarce. The causes of a similar anomaly in a particular woman are established only by a specialist according to the results of the examinations.
Characteristic symptoms of pathology
Allocations in this situation have either a red or a dark cherry hue. Sometimes strokes are pinkish. As a rule, they are accompanied by certain violations in the body. Lean brown periods, for various reasons, in most cases are associated with the following phenomena:
- Headache.
- Nausea, vomiting.
- Discomfort in the back and breasts.
- Bleeding from the nose.
- Upset stool.
- Decreased sex drive.
Experts are considering two forms of hypomenorrhea (scanty menstruation). The primary form of the anomaly is a phenomenon in which a representative of the weaker sex has a sudden occurrence of a disorder. A secondary type of pathology is a disease that has been present for a long time. The features of these forms of the disorder are discussed in the following sections of the article.
Primary type
Poor brown periods due to changes in the hormonal nature in the body of the fair sex (adolescence, the extinction of reproductive functions) are considered an acceptable phenomenon. If a woman of reproductive age is faced with a similar situation, this can be explained by the following factors:
- Disorders of the production of certain substances.
- Infectious processes in the internal genital organs.
- Surgery and mechanical damage.
- Depressed or stressful situation.
- Hemoglobin deficiency.
Often, women of reproductive age have a meager brown period due to mechanical damage. Such a liquid contains a large number of red blood cells. If smears of a pinkish color are observed during critical days, most likely, an inflammatory process develops in the body.
Features of secondary hypomenorrhea
This phenomenon means that in the weaker sex, menstruation remains scarce for a long time. As a rule, this anomaly is associated with a violation of the production of necessary substances or with a disease of the reproductive system.
The most common pathologies include the following:
- Strong proliferation of cells of the inner layer of the uterus.
- Vitamin deficiency.
- Thyroid disorders.
- Metabolic disorders.
Whatever the reason for the meager period, this condition cannot be ignored. A woman who has encountered a similar phenomenon should seek medical help. After all, such an anomaly can lead to various complications. As dangerous consequences, doctors call the inability to conceive, neoplasms and inflammatory processes in the internal genital organs.
In what cases is hypomenorrhea not considered a pathology?
As already mentioned, a small amount of discharge during critical days in adolescent girls and women in the menopause is associated with a change in the activity of the reproductive system. In this case, this phenomenon can be said to be the norm. Representatives of the weaker sex face a change in the nature of the discharge after childbirth, as well as during lactation and in the first month after conception. However, sometimes in such situations, such discharge indicates the presence of pathology. For example, in women who are expecting a baby, they may mean spontaneous abortion or an ectopic pregnancy.
After delivery, scanty discharge often indicates the development of inflammation (if fragments of the mucous membrane remain in the uterine cavity or a complication occurs after suturing). During lactation, a decrease in discharge is the result of infection of the reproductive organs. In a similar situation, a young mother needs to see a doctor, because diseases of this kind adversely affect the quality of milk and the health of the baby. As for the menopause, women have scanty periods after 45 years due to not only changes in the hormonal nature, but also tumors of the internal genital organs, including due to cancer.
Experts say that in some cases, a small amount of secretions is due to a genetic predisposition. If the girl’s relatives did not have intense discharge, she can also observe a similar phenomenon. However, under such circumstances there is nothing to worry about. A small amount of discharge during critical days is not associated with diseases and should not cause difficulties with conception.
Pathology of the reproductive system
A decrease in the volume of menstruation is often associated with various disorders. The most common gynecological diseases include:
- Inflammatory processes in the ovaries.
- Neoplasms (cysts) are another reason for scanty and short menstruation.
As you know, during the critical days, the mucous layer of the uterine cavity is rejected. In this case, the secretions may contain small lumps. Sometimes women are faced with phenomena such as an increase in the volume of endometrial tissue or the development of infection in it. Scanty monthly clots due to these diseases are observed quite often. In addition, the presence of large lumps may be a sign of an ectopic pregnancy or a lack of hemoglobin in the blood.
If a woman has encountered this anomaly, she needs to pay attention to the concomitant symptoms.
Nausea, vomiting, dizziness, discomfort in the lower abdomen and lower back, as well as an increase in temperature should be the reason for seeking medical help.
External influences: operations and drug use
A decrease in the volume of bloody discharge is often observed after gynecological cleaning. This procedure is carried out for neoplasms in the inner part of the uterus or after spontaneous abortion. The amount of blood during critical days may decrease for some time due to the fact that the operation is stressful for the female body. However, if the patient has a meager brown period, the cause is often the remnants of tissue in the body cavity that cause inflammation. This anomaly is accompanied by discomfort in the lower abdomen. In such cases, the doctor performs a second surgical intervention.
Many representatives of the weaker sex use funds from the unwanted conception, which contain hormones. Such medications can adversely affect the state of the reproductive system of women. The reason for the meager monthly in this case is the imbalance of some important substances in the body. One of the complications after uncontrolled contraceptive use may be the inability to have a baby.
Therefore, before taking such medications, you need to consult a doctor and choose the right drug.
Diagnostic measures
If a woman notices a problem of her kind and seeks medical help, the specialist sends her for examination. An examination and conversation with the patient is also carried out. Diagnostic measures that allow you to establish why menstruation are scarce and the causes of this phenomenon include:
- Taking smears in order to identify possible pathologies.
- Laboratory blood tests.
- Examination of the uterus and gonads using ultrasound.
- Diagnostics using computed tomography.
- Assessment of the thyroid gland.
- Laboratory blood test to identify possible pregnancy.
Therapies
The choice of drugs to combat pathology is carried out depending on the factors that provoked the meager monthly and causes. Reviews of experts indicate that a significant role in the effectiveness of treatment is played not only by taking medications, but also by normalizing the diet, the correct daily routine, avoiding stressful situations, strict diets and various overloads.
In most cases, women who have faced a similar problem are prescribed hormone-containing drugs, as well as physiotherapy and work with a psychologist - if the patient has a depressive state and signs of emotional instability. Sometimes the cause of the pathology is a tumor that is detected during the examination. Then surgery and special medications are recommended. As an auxiliary method for treating scanty menstruation, experts recommend the following:
- Adding juniper tree oil, marjoram to the water.
- Color therapy - the use of yellow fruits and vegetables, wearing warm shades.
- The use of acupressure - the procedure is carried out several times during the day.
Also, to solve the problem, medicines based on medicinal plants are used. These include a decoction made from carrots, aloe juice, tincture of St. John's wort, ruta, wormwood, oregano, a mixture of palm sugar and sesame seeds, onions, garlic.
However, do not try to solve the problem yourself. In many cases, menstruation is sparse due to serious pathologies. Therefore, remedies based on medicinal plants can be used only after examination and consultation with a specialist.
How to prevent the development of the disorder?
If a woman has already encountered such violations, she naturally would like to know how to prevent their development in the future. To avoid such an unpleasant condition, you should carefully and carefully treat your health. Experts recommend regular walks in the fresh air, to the best of practicing sports, adhering to the correct diet, avoiding stressful situations, starvation, and too intense training.
It must be remembered that very meager periods due to diseases of the internal genital organs and imbalances in hormones are a fairly common occurrence. Therefore, a woman should visit a gynecologist from time to time in order to examine and identify possible ailments. In addition, a deterioration in well-being during critical days and a change in the nature of discharge should be an occasion for urgent treatment by a specialist.
Poor menses is a problem that modern medicine can quite cope with. The main thing is to take care of maintaining health and not to ignore any, at first glance, slight ailments. Indeed, the consequence of a careless attitude to oneself often becomes an inability to conceive and very serious illnesses.