Is menorrhagia dangerous?

The article was professionally consulted by Specialist Doctor I Pham Thi Yen - Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology - Vinmec Hai Phong International General Hospital.

Menorrhagia is a common phenomenon in women during puberty or perimenopause. Menorrhagia may occur a few times or continue for many months, even years. So what is menorrhagia and is menorrhagia dangerous?

A woman's normal cycle lasts from 28 to 32 days, and menstruation lasts from 3 to 5 days. Menstrual blood is usually dark red and does not clot. Menorrhagia is the phenomenon of menstrual period lasting more than 1 week, heavy menstrual bleeding, menstrual blood volume exceeds 80ml, menstrual blood clots. Menorrhagia can last longer than 15 days or the genitals are bleeding (not during menstruation), this prolonged phenomenon is collectively known as menorrhagia - heavy bleeding.
Manifestations of menorrhagia include:
Normal cycle but menstrual period lasts more than 7 days Heavy menstrual bleeding, constant dressing change, especially at night Menstrual blood clots in lumps Lower abdomen pain Person fatigue, pale skin, shortness of breath, anemia, prolonged menorrhagia can affect health and fertility. Therefore, women who have menorrhagia or suspect menorrhagia need to see a doctor so that the doctor can conduct an examination, find the cause and provide timely treatment.

There are two causes of menorrhagia: organic menorrhagia and functional menorrhagia.
Functional menorrhagia: Functional menorrhagia is common in women during early puberty, premenopausal women or women after childbirth. These are the 3 times when the menstrual cycle is unstable, the menstrual cycle is irregularly long and short, easily leading to menorrhagia. Women who use abortion pills or take a lot of birth control pills are also the cause of menorrhagia.
Women who are obese, smoke or have diabetes, chronic hepatitis, blood clotting disorders, heart and kidney diseases... have a higher risk of menorrhagia than normal people.
Menorrhagia due to organic causes: Menorrhagia is caused by damage to the ovaries and uterus. In other words, organic menorrhagia is a symptom of a number of conditions such as uterine fibroids, uterine polyps, endometritis, ovarian cysts, polycystic ovaries, and cervical cancer. uterus, endometrial cancer...

Many women with menorrhagia think that it is a normal phenomenon, not dangerous, so they are often subjective. However, prolonged menorrhagia can affect health and lead to complications that adversely affect fertility.

Dangerous complications of menorrhagia include:
Menorrhagia causes prolonged blood loss in the body, easily leading to anemia Menorrhagia causes fatigue, pale body, shortness of breath, dizziness Menorrhagia affects fertility daily activities and women's psychology. Bleeding a lot and having to change bandages constantly makes people lose confidence and feel uncomfortable. Continuous bleeding inadvertently creates conditions for bacteria to enter the vagina, leading to infection. Even bacteria can attack the vulva and uterus. This is the cause of infertility problems. In addition, menstrual bleeding due to organic causes is also a sign of diseases related to the uterus and ovaries. If menorrhagia lasts for a long time, it is necessary to see a doctor as soon as possible so as not to cause dangerous complications.
Many people with menorrhagia often buy medicine to treat at home on their own. This does not bring high efficiency, but can also adversely affect health. Menstrual bleeding is different for every woman, due to different reasons. The treatment of the disease and the use of drugs should be based on the examination and identification of the cause. Patients need to go to specialized medical facilities for timely examination and treatment.
Basic gynecological examination and screening package of Vinmec International General Hospital helps to detect inflammatory diseases early for easy and inexpensive treatment. Screening detects gynecological cancer (cervical cancer) early even when there are no symptoms. Women with abnormal symptoms such as menorrhagia, vaginal bleeding, etc. or risk factors should be examined early so that the disease can be detected accurately and promptly.