Abnormal Uterine Bleeding - Causes and Treatments!

Are you experiencing abnormal uterine bleeding? The term Abnormal uterine bleeding is used when the menstrual period doesn't conform to normal pattern. Any menstrual cycle, which has interval of less than 21 days or longer than 35 days, the duration is less than 2 days or more than 7 days, the flow is more or less than normal and there is bleeding apart from the menstrual period is an abnormal form of uterine bleeding. 

Causes of Abnormal Uterine Bleeding: 
The various causes of abnormal uterine bleeding are as follows: 

1. One of the main causes is hormonal imbalance, as the balance between female hormones, estrogen and progesterone gets disrupted. This balance is required for the regulation and development of endometrium (lining of uterus). Proper development of endometrium is disrupted because of the hormonal imbalance resulting in abnormal bleeding. 
2. Uterine fibroids, which are non cancerous tumours, may lead to prolonged and excessive uterine bleeding. 
3. Polyps are small benign developments on the uterus lining which cause abnormal bleeding. They mostly occur because of hormonal imbalance. 
4. Adenomyosis is a condition which develops when the endometrial glands get embedded in the uterine muscle, leading to excessive uterine bleeding and pain during menstruation. 
5. Using intrauterine devices or IUDs also may cause abnormal uterine bleeding. Uterine cancers, ovarian cancers and cervical conditions may be responsible as well. 
6. Inherited bleeding disorder is another likely cause. 
7. Several drugs e.g. some painkillers, drugs used to curb inflammation and drugs used in coagulation disorders can cause abnormal uterine bleeding. 
8. Medical conditions such as pelvic inflammatory disease, endometriosis, liver and kidney disease or thyroid problems can also cause abnormal uterine bleeding. 
9. One should exclude Ectopic pregnancy during management of Abnormal uterine bleeding. 

Treatment: 
Treatment of abnormal uterine bleeding, depends upon the cause of bleeding and the patient’s age. 

1. Medications: Several medicines are used for the treatment of abnormal uterine bleeding. Hormonal medicines and birth control pills are used to improve the regularity of periods. There are some haemostatic drugs which can be used to manage excessive uterine bleeding. 
2. Surgery: In many cases, a woman has to undergo a surgery for the removal of polyps and fibroids, which cause excessive bleeding. Certain fibroids are removed via hysteroscopy. Other methods are by laparoscopy and by laparotomy ( by opening of abdomen). 
3. Endometrial ablation: Endometrial ablation can be carried out to manage the bleeding. This treatment aims at permanent reduction of the excess bleeding. Hysterectomy has to be carried out when other treatments are unsuccessful. This is a major surgery and after it, a woman will no longer have periods. 

In case of abnormal uterine bleeding, you must consult a doctor as soon as possible. This will enable early treatment and prevent the development of further complications.

In case you have a concern or query you can always consult an expert & get answers to your questions!