Period Problems: The 3 Common Issues Women Should Be Aware Of

 
Women struggle with different things all throughout their lives – house chores, children, pregnancy, men and menstruation. Yes, menstruation because women have to deal with severe menstrual cramps, heavy bleeding and skipped periods.

Here are the 3 common period problems:

1. Amenorrhea (ay-men-uh-REE-uh)

Amenorrhea is the lack of a menstrual period. For most women who are sexually active, not having a menstrual period for a month could mean pregnancy.

However, for some girls who are not sexually active, it’s an alarming story.

This term is used to describe the absence of a period in:

• Young women who haven't started menstruating by age 15
• Women and girls who haven't had a period for 90 days, even if they haven't been menstruating for long

What are the common causes of amenorrhea?

• Pregnancy
• Breastfeeding
• Extreme weight loss
• Eating disorders
• Stress
• Serious medical conditions in need of treatment
• Low body weight
• Constant sports training

What are the risk factors?

• Eating Disorders - Women who have eating disorders such as bulimia and anorexia are at great risk of amenorrhea. 
• Genes - Amenorrhea is genetic. If a family member has experienced amenorrhea then it is safe to assume that you inherited such medical problem.

What are the complications?

• Infertility - You can’t get pregnant because of the fact that you don’t get your menstruation and you do not ovulate 
• Osteoporosis - Your bones tend to weaken because you have low estrogen level caused by amenorrhea. 

As mentioned above, when your menstrual cycles come regularly, this means that important parts of your body are working normally.

In some cases, not having menstrual periods can mean that your ovaries have stopped producing normal amounts of estrogen.

Missing these hormones can have important effects on your overall health. Hormonal problems, such as those caused by polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) or serious problems with the reproductive organs, may be involved.

It’s always best to talk to your doctor just to be sure.

2. Dysmenorrhea

Dysmenorrhea (dis-men-uh-REE-uh) is the medical term for painful periods, including severe cramps. 

Severe menstrual cramps can be disturbing, especially for moms and working women.

Having to experience period cramps is one of the reasons why most women hate having their period. 

It’s basically one of the painful parts of being a woman, next to giving birth and pregnancy.

Menstrual cramps in teens are caused by too much of a chemical called prostaglandin (pros-tuh-GLAN-duhn).

Most teens with dysmenorrhea do not have a serious disease, even though the cramps can be severe. In older women, the pain is sometimes caused by a disease or condition such

In older women, the pain is sometimes caused by a disease or condition such asuterine fibroids or endometriosis.

What are natural ways to ease cramps?

Women of today have full awareness when it comes to taking care of their reproductive health.

And they always choose the natural way of healing and alternative medicine. Taking too much ibuprofen and other pain relievers is not healthy, worst you can be too dependent on such medicines. 

If you’re having cramps, you can:

• Use a heating pad
• Apply hand warmers ( if you want something that’s comfortable and handy, you can try Anigan’s Heart – Shaped Hand Warmer
• Take a warm bath 

You can read more about some natural alternative ways to ease the pain of your menstrual cramps here.

If you choose faster relief, there are some over-the-counter pain medicines can also help with these symptoms. They include:

• Ibuprofen (eye-byu-PROH-) (for instance, Advil, Motrin, Midol Cramp)
• Ketoprofen (key-toh-PROH-fuhn) (for instance, Orudis KT)
• Naproxen (nuh-PROK-suhn) (for instance, Aleve)

If these medicines don’t relieve your pain or the pain interferes with work or school, it’s strongly recommended that you see a doctor.

Your treatment depends on what’s causing the problem and how severe it is.

3. Abnormal Uterine Bleeding

In the medical world, abnormal uterine bleeding means vaginal bleeding. It is a kind of bleeding that is different from normal menstrual periods. 

When should you visit the doctor?

• Bleeding between periods
• Bleeding after sex
• Spotting anytime in the menstrual cycle
• Bleeding heavier or for more days than normal
• Bleeding after menopause

What are the causes of abnormal uterine bleeding?

Vaginal bleeding can be a scary experience for every woman. Abnormal bleeding can happen at certain conditions in a woman’s life.

Young Girls

Young girls sometimes experience bleeding caused by trauma and accidental insertion of toys, sticks and other foreign objects while playing with friends.

Some genital soaps can also cause irritation or infection which can lead to bleeding.

Adolescents

Before getting their period, it is quite normal for most girls to experience irregular bleeding. The menstruation cycle and ovulation of a teenager normalizes throughout time.

When a teenager starts getting her period, she is already capable of getting pregnant. Pregnancy and vaginal infection are just one of the reasons why they experience spotting or bleeding.

However, if irregular bleeding continues, it is recommended to have a medical assessment and visit the doctor.

Premenopausal women

Abnormal bleeding is caused by different medical conditions. The most common cause is sudden changes in a woman’s hormones.

Most women who also use birth control pills are also prone to irregular bleeding. There are cases when women in their 40s and 50s do not ovulate which is the primary reason why they have irregular and heavy periods.

Another cause of bleeding is the thickening of the lining of the uterus.

After Menopause

Women who are already in their menopausal stage are prone to reproductive health issues than younger women.

Uterine cancer is one cause of abnormal bleeding for older women. However, age is still the most important factor to consider.

Treatment

Abnormal vaginal bleeding can be treated depending on its causes and age group. Sudden change in the hormones is its primary cause especially for teenagers and women who are in their 20s and 30s.

However, if you experienced irregular bleeding and you are in your 50s, then it’s a warning of uterine cancer.

Read more about menstruation at Womenshealth.gov.

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