Menstrual Disorders Problems and Its Solutions

Menstrual disorders problems affect female reproductive health, therefore, leaving many females unhappy and seeking solutions. In this article, we’ll discuss the causes of menstrual disorders and the solution to fix them.

What is menstruation?

Menstruation is when the lining of the uterus breaks down and leaves the body through the vagina.

Females between 9 years and above experience a monthly cycle called menstruation or period. In the early stages of menstruation for young girls, their menstrual cycle may be irregular. While for adult females, a regular menstrual cycle is between 21-35 days. Once a menstrual cycle lasts longer than 35 days, then that is an irregular menstrual cycle.

While for menstrual periods, the regular number of days for it is between 3-7 days. Sometimes it all depends on individual hormones. But if a period lasts more than 7 days, it is considered irregular.

Causes of menstrual disorders

There are various causes of irregular menstruation, they include;

1. Birth Control 

Birth control such as pills, patches, and IUDs(intrauterine devices) suppresses ovulation. Some persons who take birth control are likely to have irregular bleeding, lighter bleeding, heavy bleeding, and spotting. It can also lead to abnormal or no bleeding.

2. Pregnancy 

Pregnancy can make someone have missed periods or spotting.

Other pregnancy signs include nausea, fatigue, breast tingling, smell sensitivity, and morning sickness.

3. Breastfeeding

Women doing exclusive breastfeeding have irregular periods because of the prolactin in the hormones. Prolactin which doctors call lactational hormones suppresses ovulation. Some person’s period comes after they must have stopped breastfeeding, while for some is immediately after they began breastfeeding.

4. Stress

Stress can contribute to irregular periods. After a retrospective study conducted by some scientists in 2021, they find out something new about the female body. When the female body is overly stressed the body releases stress hormones such as adrenaline and cortisol. This can affect the hormones that regulate menstruation. Stress is harmful to both your physical and mental health. Try to avoid it.

5. Perimenopause

It is the first stage of menopause. It begins 4-8 years before menopause. During this stage, the menstrual cycle gets longer or shorter at some points. Menopause begins when a period hardly occurs in a month or does not occur.

Signs of perimenopause include:

• vaginal dryness
• mood swings
• hot flashes
• difficulty sleeping
• nights sweats

Menopause isn’t a disease, you can still live happily even though you’ve reached the stage of menopause. If you can’t detect premenopause in your body, visit a doctor and run a blood test. You can try vaginal moisturizer if you have vaginal dryness. And for hot flashes, estrogen therapy can help.

6. Thyroid Disease

The thyroid produces hormones that affect heart rate, metabolism, and basic functions. The thyroid is in two forms, overactive and under-active.

When a thyroid is underactive, the gland does not produce enough hormones. This can cause heavy bleeding and longer periods.

If a thyroid is overactive, it can cause shorter and lighter periods.

Most doctors recommend radiotherapy as a treatment for the thyroid.

7. Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (POS) 

It occurs when a cyst grows in the ovaries which is caused by a high level of androgens. It can stop ovulation which leads to irregular periods.

8. Uterine Fibroids

Fibroids are tumors that can develop in or around the uterus. A person with a fibroid has painful and heavy periods. It also results in pain during sex, pain in the pelvic, and abdominal pain.

Another problem associated with the menstrual cycle is menstrual cramps.

Causes of menstrual cramps

Painful menstruation is also known as dysmenorrhea. There are two types of dysmenorrhea:

Primary Dysmenorrhea: this happens in women who experience pain before and during menstruation.

Secondary Dysmenorrhea: Secondary dysmenorrhea occurs later in one’s life which could be a result of a reproductive disorder.

Causes of dysmenorrhea include:

• Estrogen and Progesterone 

According to a medical study, when an estrogen level is lowered in the body, it affects the chemicals in the brain. As a result, it triggers headaches during your period.

Estrogen enlarges the breast ducts and progesterone makes the mile glands swell. This result in breast pain and tenderness during your menstrual cycle.

• Prostaglandins

Lipids also called prostaglandins make the female uterus contract to help get rid of the linings. When this takes place, it increases the force of the contractions during the first few days of your period.

The higher the level of prostaglandins, the more severe the cramping becomes. It can also result in diarrhea and nausea. The more the lining is shed, the lesser the levels of prostaglandins in your body. This causes the cramps to subside after the first few days of your period.

Other causes include:

• Pelvic inflammatory disease
• Endometriosis
• Cervical stenosis
• Uterine fibroids

Speak with a doctor if you:

• have a cycle that varies often in length
• suddenly develop irregular periods
• encounter bleeding between periods or after sex
•  have a cycle that is shorter than the regular menstrual days which is 24 days or it is longer than 38 days.
• bleeds after menopause
• stop seeing your periods for numerous months without being pregnant
• occurrence of vaginal discharge

Menstrual Disorders Treatments

It doesn’t matter if your painful periods have to do with your hormones or if it’s a genetic problem, what matters is you don’t need to let the pain continue, you need treatment. You need treatment to ease your pains.

Below are listed remedies you can try:

1. Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs like ibuprofen, felvin, naproxen, and other pain relief drug.
2. Natural herbal teas like GOTEA Happy Period Menstrual Cramps Relief, Nozie Detox Bitter Tea, GREATEA Anti-Pelvic Inflammation & Infection for FEMALE Herbal Tea, Yogi DeTox Healthy Cleansing Formula can ease your pains and remove infections.
3. Yoga – 10-15 minutes of yoga can help relieve your menstrual pains. It works for some people, you can give it a try.
4. Exercise – try two or three workouts session, it helps to relieve pains.

If pain persists, please visit a doctor for a proper test to get a better recommendation to help ease your menstrual pain.

 

Summary

Menstrual pains are normal, but if it becomes too severe, do not hesitate to seek help from a doctor.

Start tracking your period so that you can know when it becomes irregular or when your pain changes from normal to severe.

You can track your period using a tracking app, diary, and calendar. Mark the first and last day of your bleeding and jot down any symptoms you find unusual. This will you explain better to your doctor if the situation gets worst.

 

Written by Mary E. Linus