Hi, this is a guest blog written by Jagriti Dixit
All the women have to face some kind of problem in their menstrual journey. Those days of periods are not easy. Some of us experience extreme painful periods while other may just have to wait for their periods to come for months, and when they do it feels like a medical emergency. Amenorrhoea and Menorrhoea are two broad classification of menstrual disorders in woman.
Let’s see what they mean,
Amenorrhoea is a condition where there are no periods for about three months in a woman of reproductive age.
Whereas, Menorrhoea is a condition where a woman suffers from heavy bleeding and prolonged menstruation.
These disorders can arise from physiological changes (like pregnancy), pathologic sources (stress, excessive exercise, weight loss, endocrine or structural abnormalities etc.) or Intragenic sources (secondary to contraceptives, etc.).
Do you know that menstrual disorders can be classified on the following basis:
- Cycle Length Disorders
- Amenorrhoea
- Metrorrhagia /irregular menstruation
- Olygomenorrhea
- Polymenorrhea
- Menstrual Flow Disorders
- Abnormal Uterine Bleeding(AUB)
- Hypomenorrhea
- Menorrhagia
- Metrorrhagia
- Ovulation Disorders
- Oligoovulation
- Anovulation
- Painful Menstruation or Dysmenorrhea
About 85% of women who have problems during their menstruation were found to be the victim of at least one PMS symptoms. So, what is PMS?
Pre Menstrual Syndrome or PMS
Pre-menstrual syndrome is a condition in which the woman undergoes changes in the level of progesterone and estrogen before the start of her menstruation. These changes results into following symptoms:
- Headaches
- Depression, irritability and anxiety
- Fluid retention (evidence from swelling of feet and fingers)
- Acne and other skin conditions
- Fainting
- Vertigo
- Muscle spasms
- Allergies
- Heart palpitations
- Vision problems and eye infections
- Reduced sex drive
- Lack of appetite
Usually, no medication is required to treat these symptoms. However, following a disciplined lifestyle like doing exercise for few minutes, practicing yoga/pranayama, mindful eating and taking adequate rest can help in coping up.
Now that we have covered what’s Pre-menstrual Syndrome? Let us move on to discussing some most searched menstrual disorders on the internet.
Without the doubt, the first one is:
1. Amenorrhoea or No Periods:
A menstrual disorder characterized by absent or missed periods for more than three cycles is known as Amenorrhoea.
Types:
Primary Amenorrhoea
When period fails to begin at puberty.
Secondary Amenorrhoea
When a normal menstrual cycle becomes irregular or absent with time.
Cause: Abnormalities of the uterus, ovaries, or genital tract, or endocrine disorders, polycystic ovary syndrome, pregnancy, chronic illness, and certain drugs like cocaine and opioids.
Symptoms: Although missing a period is the main sign, other symptoms can include: excess facial, hair loss, headache, changes to vision, milky discharge from the breasts, or absence of breast development
2. Menorrhoea or Excessive/ heavy menstrual flow
It is condition in which the menstrual flow is heavy and the stays for longer duration. It can last for more than 8 days. Thus, affecting the normal life of the woman severely.
Types:
Polimenorrhoea (frequent menstruation)
Postmenopausal (menstruation after menopause)
Metrorrhagia (bleeding between periods)
Causes: Hormonal imbalance, Uterine fibroids, Miscarriage and other forms of abnormal pregnancy, Pelvic inflammatory disease (PID), Tumours or infections in the pelvic cavity, Platelet or bleeding disorder, High concentration of endothelial cells.
Symptoms: The main symptoms of this condition are the frequent need to change sanitary pads during the day, or when the menstrual period lasts more than seven days. Other prevalent symptoms include bleeding or spotting during pregnancy or between menstrual periods.
3. Dysmenorrhoea or Painful periods
The characteristics of this disorder is extremely painful periods followed with menstrual cramps during menstruation. The pain can last for two to three days, mostly during heavy blood flow days.
Types:
Primary dysmenorrhoea doesn’t have any underlying reason.
Secondary dysmenorrhoea can be because of some abnormalities in physiology.
Cause: include endometriosis, pelvic scarring due to chlamydia or Gonorrhoea, and intrauterine devices or IUDs, etc.
Symptoms of Dysmenorrhoea
- Pain or cramping in the lower abdomen
- Nausea
- Fatigue
- Dizziness
- Pain in the low back and legs
- Vomiting
- Headaches
4. Hypo-menorrhoea or Light Period/short period
It is the condition in which a woman has very light flow during menses for short period of time. Generally, the period lasts for about two to three days or it is less than 80ml.
Cause: Periods around menopause, eating disorders, excessive exercise, thyroid dysfunction, uncontrolled diabetes, Pre-mature ovarian failure, stress, anxiety, hormonal imbalance, Cushing’s syndrome, hormonal birth control, and certain medications to treat epilepsy or mental health conditions.
Diagnosis of Menstrual Disorders
The doctor may perform diagnostic procedures such as blood test, Pap test, biopsy, magnetic resonance imaging, laparoscopic (a thin tube inserted into the abdominal wall), ultrasound and hysteroscopy.
After the diagnosis, the doctor will take into consideration other factors such as age, overall health, and medical history, the severity of the condition and current symptoms to determine the treatment plan.
The treatment plan usually include OTC meds to suppress the prominent symptoms. Other than that, surgeries like hysterectomy (removal of ovary/ uterus) is the last approach.
When to call your Doctor/Gynaecologist?
If you have any of the above mentioned symptoms of menstrual disorder, Or your periods are becoming the cause of your worry book an appointment with your doctor right away!
About the author:
Jagriti is a content writer, researcher and poetess. Jagriti loves to read and write about Women, Tech, and Health & Wellness. She is juggling raising a toddler and her career simultaneously. In her spare time, she indulges in meditation and travelling. Connect with her on LinkedIn by clicking here or her name.
I am very thankful to her for writing this blog for me. She’s super busy, yet she did it for me, so thanks to her. Don’t forget to connect with her.
Until next time, remember to smile.
31 responses to “Amenorrhoea & Menorrhoea: A Strange Condition of No-Periods and Long periods in women!”
I had Secondary Amenorrhoea for a year in my 20’s when I was Anorexic and my body weight and fat went too low. Once I addressed the root causes of my Anorexia, I was able to eat more, put on healthy weight and my period returned. I was glad it was gone for that year because I suffered with Menorrhoea which was exhausting. Ah, the fun of being female!
Thanks for sharing this information!!
I hope things are well for you now.
Oh yes, moved way past that! Thank you for checking!
Wow, I’ve never heard of some of Amenorrhoea or Menorrhoea. Interesting information. I also didn’t know allergies were a symptom of PMS. That explains a few things…
These were new to me as well!!
Women go through a lot.
Yeah for sure! It’s incredible how we see it through too.
Women are amazing!! I’m fortunate to know some incredible women, Including you
Aww thank you! You’re too kind 💞🤗
You are Kirsten !! 🙌🏻
Good morning, Shine 🌟
🌻☀️
Hi Jagriti,
This post will help females to better approach and find solutions of their problems.
You have covered major points, precisely, with an intent of helping the reader.
One point I want to highlight — Blogs written in health niche has lots of details. I think the number of facts should be balanced to providing fundamental understanding.
It depends on individual topics.
I have jud read your bio on LinkedIn. And I wish you good luck for your writing career.
Let’s build a better & peaceful world around ourselves.🌍
Hey, great advice. 🙂
Thanks for commenting 🙌🏻
I have never heard of these terms.
Thank you for the information!
Thanks for commenting
informative and important❣️💞
🙌🏻🌟🙇🏻♂️🌺
Really interesting post. Although I have heard of both before I didn’t know much information about it so I found this very informative.
That’s what makes your phenomenal!! Your knowledge is very vast. Keep smiling Buddy!!
Haha I know a very limited amount of stuff lol but thank you 😬
You know a lot. Your blogs speaks for you 😊
And yet it’s almost nothing compared to so many people.
I care about your work only 😛
This is a very helpful, informative post about what can be, for some of us, a complex topic. Thank you for explaining the different terms. My periods first stopped when I was anorexic decades ago now. After that, they never really recovered, but I was fortunate enough to be able to have children. Some women have a really tough time of it during menstruation. I’ve passed my menopause now, so am no longer troubled by any of these conditions. Very interesting, though. Thanks for sharing your knowledge with us, and thanks to Devang for inviting you to write a post for him. Thanks, Devang.
Women’s go through a lot!!
Thanks for reading 🙂
This is really informative. It’s important that we talk about these topics to educate others and prevent stigmatism or shame. Thanks for sharing,✨❤️
Thank you so much for reading!!!
I really appreciate your time and energy on this blog.
My pleasure 😊
Ooh, this is so new to me! It’s so nice that you guys are spreading awareness. I think more people need to know this, since it’s not that spread.
These are really new to me. Lot more left out to know👏well explained Devang
Thanks!
This is a guest blog written by Jagriti 🙂
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