Menstrual disorders

For some women, their monthly periods are easy to manage and come with few or no concerns. They come like clockwork and usually last the same amount of time. However, for other women, the experience of getting their period can cause a range of disruptive physical and emotional symptoms. These symptoms can happen before and during menstruation, including heavy bleeding, missed periods, severe pain, and unmanageable mood swings.

Most menstruation problems have relatively straightforward explanations, and several treatment options could relieve discomfort. But If your periods feel overwhelming, you should schedule an appointment to discuss your symptoms. Once your symptoms are accurately diagnosed, Dr Marion Ntsako Nkanyane will help you choose the best treatment to make your menstrual cycle more tolerable.

Types of menstrual disorders

Menstrual disorders include:

• Dysmenorrhea refers to painful cramps during menstruation.
• Premenstrual syndrome (PMS) refers to physical and psychological symptoms before menstruation.
• Menorrhagia is heavy bleeding, including prolonged menstrual periods or excessive bleeding during a normal-length period.
• Metrorrhagia is bleeding at irregular intervals, particularly between regular menstrual periods.
• Amenorrhea is the absence of menstruation.
• Oligomenorrhea refers to infrequent menstrual periods. Hypomenorrhea refers to light periods.

What are the symptoms of menstrual disorders?

The symptoms of menstrual disorders may differ according to the type of condition you have, but the most common include:

• Pain or cramps before or during periods
• Excessive bleeding
• Mood swings, irritability, depression, and anxiety
• Bloating or feeling full
• Very light bleeding or spotting
• Longer or shorter period cycle