To define how to treat menorrhagia, the first thing health professionals do is try to discover the root cause of the problem. This disorder causes heavy and prolonged menstrual bleeding.
Usually, it’s associated with abnormal uterine bleeding or metrorrhagia. In this case, its exact name is menometrorrhagia. Overall, treatment depends on the cause and symptoms.
In this article, we’ll take a closer look at this condition and some of its possible treatments.
Causes of Metrorrhagia
Strictly speaking, a woman suffers from metrorrhagia when she menstruates more than 80 milliliters of blood. That’s the technical limit to establish the pathology.
However, there’s a scientific debate on the days that this has to occur for it to be considered prolonged. As a general rule, almost all global diagnostic protocols consider that more than a week is abnormal.
Here are the possible causes of the disorder:
- Hormonal imbalance. Many hormones play a role in the menstrual cycle. Thus, an imbalance in any of them is enough to cause more or less bleeding. Overall, this can be a thyroid, estrogen, progesterone, or prolactin problem.
- Uterine fibroids. The presence of fibroids in the uterus is the cause of metrorrhagia. Fibroids are benign smooth muscle tumors of the uterus. They deform the surface of the endometrium and make it bleed more.
- Anticoagulation. Women with coagulation disorders or who take anticoagulants to treat another condition may suffer from very heavy bleeding. Thus, they run the risk of iron-deficiency anemia.
- Perimenopause. When a woman enters the menopause transition years before her final period, it’s normal for her cycle to be altered. Then, this leads to changes in the amount of monthly bleeding, ranging from stages of amenorrhea to heavy periods that don’t clot properly. For many, this is the sign of the onset of menopause.
How to Treat Menorrhagia Naturally
Before addressing the medicinal ways to treat menorrhagia, we should mention that there are natural alternatives for mild cases. The patient should always consult a health professional to see if they can resort to these methods. In most cases, they’re prescribed along with other medical therapies.
Hydration
Menorrhagia leads to dehydration, as the heavy bleeding causes loss of fluids. Women who suffer from this disorder should drink more water, especially the days before their period.
It’s best if they also drink isotonic drinks. An isotonic drink is one that contains an equal concentration of electrolytes as the blood. This way, the patient can avoid silent dehydration due to poor replenishment.
Diet for anemia
Next, another complication associated with menorrhagia is anemia. Iron loss due to the bleeding leads to iron deficiency forms of decreased red blood cells, leading to chronic fatigue syndrome, hair loss, rapid heart rate or tachycardia, and pale skin.
Therefore, many doctors recommend treating menorrhagia with a diet rich in iron and vitamin C. Both components help to replace the losses the bleeding causes. For this, citrus fruits, broccoli, red meat, and spinach are great options.
It’s important for you to undergo strict medical supervision if you were diagnosed with anemia. This condition must be corrected, either with food or with the use of supplements to reach normal hemoglobin levels.
Drug treatments for menorrhagia
Once your doctor evaluates the causes of your menorrhagia, they’ll consider different treatment options. Then, they may prescribe contraceptive methods, as they can regulate the menstrual cycle. Also, they may prescribe certain painkillers and anti-inflammatory drugs with a special action on the female reproductive system.
Overall, here are a few ways to treat menorrhagia:
- Contraceptives. The hormones contraceptives contain have the ability to regulate the menstrual cycle. This helps women with menorrhagia, as it decreases the amount of blood they shed each period. It doesn’t matter which type the patient chooses. Nevertheless, experts have seen results with birth control pills, injectable contraceptives, and patches.
- Hormonal IUD. Hormone-releasing intrauterine devices have been a paradigm shift in this contraceptive method. They’re simply typical IUDs that contain hormones that intervene in the menstrual cycle. In specific terms, experts designed it to help women with irregular periods.
- Mefenamic acid. This non-steroidal anti-inflammatory doesn’t have a major analgesic effect. However, it turned out to be an excellent menstrual cramp reliever. Also, it’s may reduce bleeding in women with painful menstrual disorders.
When to see your doctor
Overall, the symptoms of menorrhagia are always recognizable because it causes heavy periods. If you suffer from it, you should see your doctor right away, since the diagnostic process can take some time.
If it isn’t treated, it’ll eventually lead to anemia and affect the patient’s quality of life due to the pain or lack of energy the disorder causes. After resorting to supplementary methods, the doctor will prescribe the best option to regulate the woman’s menstrual cycle and correct the associated complications, such as anemia.
