Violation of the menstrual cycle is one of the most common reasons for women of different ages to see a doctor. According to statistics, approximately 35% of patients suffer from this.
In 70% of women, certain symptoms are revealed during their lifetime, usually characteristic of this disease. What does this violation constitute, what are its causes, what is it manifested in, how to treat? This and much more will now be discussed.
The characteristic of the disease
So, in simple terms, a violation of the menstrual cycle is a distortion of the nature and rhythm of menstruation. Can it be fixed? Yes, but only after finding out the reason. Violation in most cases indicates the presence of a woman's disease. For example, if her appendages or uterus are inflamed, then she will have to start treatment aimed at eliminating the infection.
Not everyone pays attention to the violation, believing that everything is normalizing itself. This is strictly not recommended. Because the menstrual cycle is a combination of anatomical and physiological processes that are hormonally dependent on each other. Failure almost always indicates pathology or illness.
It is considered normal if the menstruation goes once every 28 days and lasts from 3 days to a week. But all individually. In any case, the minimum cycle should not be less than 21 days, and the maximum - more than 35.
Reason # 1: stress
Yes, most of the menstrual irregularities occur precisely because of it. Indeed, the cerebral cortex, the endocrine glands, and the ovaries located in it are involved in the regulation of the cycle. And this system is prone to failures.
Stress is the reason why the mechanisms of the influence of the cerebral cortex on the components of the genital area are disrupted. As a result, hormones that stimulate the work of the ovaries cease to be secreted. There is a delay. And she, as you know, refers to violations of menstrual function.
It should be noted that stress can even cause a lack of cycle. In some cases, menstruation disappears even for several years. But it all depends on the power of stress. Shocks are usually divided into two categories:
- Short but significant stress.
- A long series of unpleasant events.
Whether stress will cause menstrual irregularities depends on the individual sensitivity of the woman to certain emotional stresses.
Reason number 2: acclimatization
Menstrual irregularities often occur due to changes in the external environment. After all, everyone knows how the human body reacts to the conditions surrounding it. And for women, things are a little more complicated.
Acclimatization is the process of the organism getting used to the changed parameters of the surrounding world. The reproductive system is the most sensitive, so changes are reflected in the cycle. Moreover, a change in conditions provokes an exacerbation of diseases, because of which it can also be disturbed.
Acclimatization is stress that inhibits the functioning of organs that produce hormones. Usually everything goes away in a week. But if the periods did not come, and you still can’t get rid of feeling sick, then there is a high probability of exacerbation of chronic diseases or a decrease in immunity. And this is an additional blow to the hormonal background.
By the way, menstrual irregularities in women can occur not only in the absence of a monthly phenomenon, but also in a change in their appearance. As a rule, the discharge becomes scarce, and ends faster than usual.
Reason # 3: power outages
Because of this, most often there is a violation of the menstrual cycle in adolescents. Many young girls do not like their body. And they are ready to rush to extremes, if only to achieve the desired weight. Excessive weight loss and intense weight gain can lead to a violation. But most often the first case occurs.
If a girl goes beyond the line of losing 15% of her weight, then menstruation can stop altogether. Another side effect is a decrease in the size of the uterus and ovaries. If violence against the body is not stopped, then infertility may develop.
Therefore, it is necessary to avoid sudden weight loss, to lose weight correctly and gradually, to avoid heavy physical exertion with a disturbed diet.
Hypomenorrhea
This is the name of a rather common type of menstrual irregularity. It is characterized by a sharp decrease in blood loss. Patients with hypomenorrhea say that the discharge becomes scarce, smearing. And since the blood leaves the uterus slowly, it has time to coagulate, as a result of which it acquires a dark or brown hue.
Hypomenorrhea can occur for various reasons, but all of them are associated either with pathological processes in the appendages and uterus, or with a defect in hormonal regulation.
And isolated cases did occur in the life of almost every woman. Some due to climate change. In others - after severe stress or under the influence of physical stress. For some, hypomenorrhea occurs due to hypothermia, and for some it appears with the first menstruation. Also, this phenomenon may indicate the extinction of the hormonal function of the ovaries. But this is for women older than 45 years.
But there are more serious reasons, and they should be considered separately.
Causes of Hypomenorrhea
This ailment can occur if a woman has any of the following:
- Mechanical damage to the uterine mucosa. May occur due to hysteroscopy, biopsy, diagnostic curettage, or abortion. Other instrumental intrauterine manipulations can also cause.
- Infectious and inflammatory processes. These include endometritis (affects the internal mucous membrane of the uterus) and salpingoophoritis (affects the fallopian tubes and ovaries).
- Uterine fibroids. This is the name of a benign tumor that occurs in the myometrium - the muscle layer.
- Uterine polyps. These are outgrowths, which are benign, but can turn into a malignant tumor.
It is important to make a reservation that the presence of one of the listed diseases is indicated not only by the absence or change of menstruation. Usually a few more symptoms are observed. Most often, this is a fever, pelvic pain, weakness, a sharp deterioration in well-being.
If it is possible to identify the pathological nature of menstrual irregularities, treatment will be prescribed immediately. The doctor will direct him to eliminate the underlying disease, and upon completion of therapy, all symptoms will go away. The cycle, of course, will also improve.
All reasons
Above, we briefly talked about why girls most often experience failures. But the causes of menstrual irregularities, of course, are much greater. And here is their list:
- Ovarian inflammation.
- Lack of progesterone (sex hormone, endogenous steroid).
- Untimely released follicle.
- An excess of estrogen (steroid hormone).
- Hypoplasia and polycystic ovary.
- Bad sleep (hormones that regulate the cycle are actively produced at night).
- Lack of sleep.
- Pituitary adenoma.
- Nephroinfection of viral origin.
- Diabetes.
- Thyroid disease.
- Hypertension.
- Adrenal gland problems.
Menstrual irregularities may also occur after taking certain medications. This is a side effect. That is why it is so important not to self-medicate and go to a doctor for prescribing medication. Especially when it comes to hormonal drugs (such as birth control).
Violations in adolescents
It is necessary to tell about them separately. Menstrual irregularities in girls are usually normal. When menstruation is just beginning, they can be irregular, with failures. It takes about 12 months to normalize. But there are other reasons.
The fact is that adolescents have a very unstable hormonal background. This is due to the imperfection of many systems in the body. In addition, often provoking factors also influence:
- Hereditary predisposition.
- Eating problems.
- Lack of good rest.
- Anorexia or obesity.
- Bad ecology.
- Stress, mental overload.
Also, a complete absence of menstruation is considered a violation. If the girl is already 15 years old, and she still did not have them, then she must consult a doctor. The same should be done with severe pain, too long a process (more than 7 days), excessively heavy discharge and large intervals between menstruation (from three months).
Oligomenorrhea
This is called a violation in which the interval between menstruation exceeds 40 days. An unstable duration of this process is also observed. There are girls in whom they last only from a few hours to two days.
As a rule, this indicates a violation of ovarian function. The female body simply does not produce the necessary amount of hormones for the functioning of the system. Oligomenorrhea, as a rule, is hereditary. However, its development can be contributed by severe illnesses transferred in childhood.
Typically, girls with oligomenorrhea also experience disorders of fat metabolism (overweight), male-type hair growth, and acne (acne).
Amenorrhea
This disease is characterized by the absence of menstruation for several cycles. Amenorrhea almost always indicates the presence of a physiological, biochemical, mental, genetic or anatomical disorder.
The cause may be anorexia, polycystic ovarian lesions, early menopause, hyperprolactinemia. If amenorrhea is detected, it is urgent to consult a doctor.
The result can be autonomic dysfunction, obesity, disruption in the thyroid gland and adrenal glands, altered hormonal levels and infertility.
Diagnostics
In accordance with the ICD, the menstrual cycle is assigned the code N92. This phenomenon is documented as a disease, so there is a certain diagnosis.
First, the doctor listens to the patient’s complaints and ascertains the anamnesis. After a series of questions, the following diagnostic measures are prescribed:
- General blood analysis.
- Coagulogram. Coagulability indicators, the volume of red blood cells, fibrinogen, etc.
- Ultrasound of the uterus.
- HCG. Determines the presence / absence of pregnancy.
- Analysis of testosterone, follicle-stimulating and luteinizing hormones.
This is the traditional diagnosis of menstrual irregularities. But in certain cases, additional events may be prescribed. Send a consultation with a hematologist, for example, or examine smears for yeast, trichomoniasis, gonorrhea.
Treatment
Once again, you need to make a reservation that only a doctor can prescribe it. Having started drinking drugs on your own, you can only harm your body.
Treatment of menstrual irregularities is prescribed taking into account the etiology, age factor, the presence or absence of complications.
First, the doctor rules out organic genesis, and then studies the hormonal status of a woman. This is necessary in order to determine the level of damage. Symptomatic therapy is also performed. Usually prescribed:
- Hemostatic agent Etamsilat. Twice a day for 3-5 days.
- Menadione sodium bisulfite, which increases blood coagulation. Three times a day for 3-5 days at 0.0015 mg.
- Peptide hormone oxytocin. 2-3 times a day for 3-5 days. Norm - 5 units / m.
- A stimulator of peripheral and central dopamine receptors "Bromocriptine".
- The synthetic glucocorticosteroid "Dexamethasone" aimed at relieving inflammation and enhancing immunity.
- Synthetic progestogen "Dydrogesterone" affecting the uterine mucosa.
In the process of undergoing therapy, it is also important to visit the diagnosis of NMC at the time prescribed by the doctor. This will help to verify the effectiveness of the treatment or adjust it.