Menstruation is a very important part of a woman’s life because it helps them dispose of the unused eggs their body produces every month. However, this process sometimes gets hindered and becomes uneven. These irregularities are known as menstrual cycle disorders. There are many types of menstruation cycle disorders, and they all differ based on what changes they make in the regular periods.
For instance, the periods may get delayed, arrive early or even stop without pregnancy. Dealing with these problems is important for a healthy lifestyle, and more importantly, sometimes, these irregularities can be a symptom of a bigger problem. That’s why we have listed all the types of menstruation cycle disorders below and the causes, treatment, and prevention.
What is Menstrual Cycle?
You may be aware that the menstrual cycle is a natural and recurring process in the female body. It is very important for your pregnancy and typically spans about 28 days. However, this cycle can vary from 21 to 35 days from one female to another. Moreover, the menstrual cycle can be divided into 4 phases. These phases include- the menstrual phase, the follicular phase, ovulation and the luteal phase.
Now, let’s understand a little more about each phase so that you can better understand menstrual disorders and their causes.
1) Menstrual phase
Your menstrual cycle begins with this phase. In the menstrual phase, your uterus sheds away its innermost lining. Hence, this results in bleeding, which we know as menstrual bleeding. Menstrual flow occurs due to lack of progesterone.
2) Follicular Phase
It is the second phase of your menstrual cycle and continues till the day you ovulate. In this period, your eggs, which we also call ovarian follicles, grow and mature inside your ovary.
3) Ovulation
The third phase of your menstrual cycle is ovulation, and it usually occurs in the middle of your cycle. During this period, certain hormones, such as LH, attain a peak. Due to this, your follicle ruptures, and the egg is released out of the ovary.
4) Luteal Phase
It is the last phase of your cycle, which prepares your body for pregnancy. Now, if your eggs are not fertilized by a sperm during this time, then your hormone levels drop. As a result, it leads to the shedding of your uterine lining, and a new cycle begins with the menstrual phase again.
Types of Menstrual Disorders
1) Menorrhagia
If you often suffer from abnormally heavy or prolonged menstrual bleeding, then it may be Menorrhagia. This heavy bleeding can last for more than seven days. Moreover, its symptoms include large clots, quick tiredness, and shortness of breath. More importantly, you can notice a significant impact on your daily activities due to this disease.
2) Oligomenorrhea
Oligomenorrhea is referred to as a menstrual disorder in which you suffer from infrequent menstrual periods. So, in this condition, your periods may occur at large intervals of time greater than 35 days. Besides, if you have this condition, then you may be having only six to eight or even fewer periods per year. Some symptoms of oligomenorrhea are irregular cycles, light menstrual flow and more. Also, this condition can be an underlying health issue and can affect your fertility.
3) Polymenorrhea
Polymenorrhea is the complete opposite of oligomenorrhea. In this condition, you can have a menstrual cycle at intervals of less than 21 days. So, if you’re suffering from polymenorrhea, you have more frequent periods than the typical cycle of 28 days. Hence, you will notice frequent bleeding and shorter cycles. Also, it can lead to anemia due to loss of excess blood and fatigue.
4) Amenorrhea
The absence of menstrual periods or bleeding in a woman who is of reproductive age is called Amenorrhea. It is of two types- primary and secondary. Primary Amenorrhea is when your period still has not begun by the age of 15. On the other hand, in secondary Amenorrhea, your periods can stop for three months or more, even if you had regular cycles before it. A symptom of this menstrual cycle includes potential infertility as well.
5) Dysmenorrhea
In this menstrual disorder, you suffer from painful menstruation. Moreover, this pain can be severe and cause frequent cramps. Some symptoms include sharp, throbbing pain in the lower abdomen, nausea and vomiting. Also, this order can be due to an underlying condition (primary) or without any underlying condition (secondary).
6) Hypomenorrhea
Unusually light menstrual bleeding is known as Hypomenorrhea. You may experience a shorter period with minimal blood flow in this condition. The symptoms of Hypomenorrhea include light spotting and shorter duration of menstruation. However, it may not cause significant physical discomfort, but it can indicate hormonal imbalances or other health concerns.
7) Metrorrhagia
If you experience bleeding that occurs at irregular intervals outside the normal menstrual cycle, it is called metrorrhagia. In this menstrual disorder, you can experience unpredictable bleeding between periods. It can be distressing for you, and you may need a medical evaluation to rule out any serious causes.
8) Premenstrual Syndrome (PMS) & Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder (PMDD)
PMS includes a wide range of physical and emotional symptoms. These symptoms occur mainly during the luteal phase of the menstrual cycle, which is a week or two before menstruation. PMDD is also a severe form of PMS in which you can suffer from intense emotional and physical symptoms. These symptoms are so severe that they may disrupt your daily life. The main symptoms of PMDD include severe mood swings, depression and physical issues like joint pain and breast tenderness. However, these symptoms are over with the onset of menstruation.
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Common Causes of Menstraul Disorders
The cause of a menstrual disorder depends on what type of disorder you are facing. However, there are many common causes that affect the period cycle of a woman. Problems like PCOS, thyroid, and hormonal imbalance can cause such abnormalities in periods. Moreover, being overweight or obese also attracts problems to your period cycle. If you have a lot of fat in your body, it can adversely affect your menstrual health.
Not only this but sometimes, very common habits of a female can become causes of menstrual disorders. For example, taking too much stress can lead to polymenorrhea. Now, there are many diseases linked to the female reproductive system, which can also be a reason for such period abnormalities. Some such diseases are fibroid, which is a cancerous growth in the uterus, endometriosis and PID.
Treatment Options for Menstraul Disorders
When it comes to the treatment of these disorders, it depends on which disorder you are facing and what the intensity of it is. Sometimes, the disorder can be fixed with the help of a few lifestyle changes. For example, if you are overweight and it’s the cause of the problem, then starting to exercise and lose weight will lead to the solution to the problem.
Moreover, if the problem occurs due to any other disease, then the treatment of that particular disease will help your periods get back to normal. For instance, if you are facing thyroid hormonal disbalance, then regulating your thyroid will make your periods become normal. Similarly, problems like fibroids may require surgical procedures, but once the surgery is done, the menstrual abnormality will vanish as well.
Preventing Menstraul Disorders
Now, let’s talk about the prevention of these disorders so that you don’t have to go through any of these. See, the prevention of these disorders is not very difficult. It majorly includes lifestyle changes like eating healthy, doing exercise daily and practicing safe sex. However, sometimes excessive exercise can also lead to delays in periods, so you should make sure that you are doing exercise in the right amount.
These interventions are very important because many causes of menstrual disorders are found to be linked with other problems like thyroid disbalance and hormonal disbalance. Moreover, you should also keep yourself stress-free to prevent such disorders.
Conclusion
This is the list of menstrual problems that a woman may get. You should see a gynecologist if you are facing any of the above-listed problems. However, after a certain age, the periods of women eventually stop, and this stoppage of menstruation is termed as menopause. In this case, you can go to the doctor to know if it’s your menopause or any other disorder. In case it is menopause, then it is just to mark that your reproductive phase has not ended.
