Abnormal Periods

Periods or the menstrual cycle varies from woman to woman. On an average, periods occur every twenty eight days and last for about three to seven days. The menstruation cycles can range from twenty four days to thirty four days in women. So it is not possible to generalize whether periods are normal or abnormal. The best way to check whether periods are normal or not is by looking at the menstrual bleeding cycle and the volume of blood discharge of in the last few years. If the cycles have changed considerably or if they have become irregular or if the volume of blood flow has decreased or increased significantly, then periods are said to be abnormal. Here are the symptoms, causes and treatments for abnormal periods.

Symptoms

• Heavy bleeding which requires changing sanitary pads or tampons after every couple of hours.
• Lesser Bleeding or spotting, which lasts for just two days or even lesser.
• Bleeding experienced post sexual intercourse.
• Bleeding experienced in between the menstruation cycle.
• Periods continuing for more than a week.
• Menstrual cycle which is very short, i.e., less than 24 days or too long, i.e. more than 34 days.

Causes

Hormonal Changes
When a woman is about to reach menopause, about one or two years prior to that, her levels of estrogen, a hormone, starts declining. This results in abnormal periods which are either very prolonged, short or irregular.

Birth Control Pills
Women who take birth control pills, often complain about abnormal periods. These pills are designed in such a way that they stop ovulation or bring certain changes in it.

Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome
Polycystic ovarian syndrome plays havoc with a woman's hormones by causing an increase in androgen, which is a male hormone, and depleting estrogen, which is the female hormone. Increased androgen causes male-like excessive hair growth in the body of the woman, while depleted estrogen makes ovulation irregular, thus causing abnormal periods.

Endometriosis
In this condition endometrial cells, which are shed every month during the periods, instead of growing and forming inside the uterus, grow outside it, in the fallopian tube, intestines and the pelvic cavity. These cells too, bleed and shed like the ones inside the uterus, thus causing menstrual bleeding which is more than normal.

Pregnancy
Post pregnancy, many women experience irregular periods for up to one year or so. This is because of a hormone known as prolactin, which produces breast milk in a woman. Estrogen, a hormone which causes periods, decreases in the body of a woman, post pregnancy so that prolactin can continue to be in production. This can put the periods on hold or lead to lesser bleeding or irregular periods ranging from forty five days to one year in women.

Stress
Any kind of physical or mental stress can cause changes in the ovulation process and hence, the woman undergoing stress often experiences this.

Treatment

The treatment is decided only after considering a number of factors such as the age of the woman, does she have children, how much bleeding is occurring, etc.

To control heavy bleeding, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs such as naproxen and ibuprofen are recommended. These drugs also help to relieve menstrual cramps. Keeping stress levels down by doing yoga or breathing exercises also helps in making the periods normal.

The doctor may prescribe birth control pills which cause an increase in the hormone progesterone. An increased progesterone in the body helps to treat endometriosis and hence, cures abnormal bleeding resulting from it.

For treating abnormal periods caused due to polycystic ovarian syndrome, weight reduction by following a low or no carbohydrate diet is suggested by doctors. It is seen that obese woman suffer from this more than healthy, fit women. Doctors may also prescribe oral progesterone to treat this condition.

In severe cases, where the health of the woman is at stake and the drug therapy fails to show any result, surgical treatments such as endometrial ablation and hysterectomy may also be suggested by doctors.

Besides these, exercising regularly and eating a well-balanced, healthy diet, handling stress in a better way, can all contribute to bringing the periods back to normalcy.