Menometrorrhagia (abnormal uterine bleeding) is described as any vaginal bleeding that’s heavy, long, or irregular. You bleed from your vagina, but there’s no predictable pattern as you would have with a typical menstrual period.
A typical period lasts about five days and occurs every 21-35 days. Any bleeding that takes place outside of that timeframe, or a period that has very long, heavy, or irregular flow, may be a sign of menometrorrhagia.
Menometrorrhagia shouldn’t be confused with menorrhagia. Menorrhagia is simply heavy menstrual flow, meaning you bleed more than is normal during your period.
Menometrorrhagia, on the other hand, is abnormal, unpredictable, or irregular uterine bleeding that may take place at any time, not just during menstruation.
Because of its unpredictability, menometrorrhagia can negatively impact your quality of life. You never know when it’s going to hit, so you may become reluctant to make plans, leading to relative social isolation.
Our team of experienced physicians at Women's Health Specialists, PLLC in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, uses hysteroscopy, a minimally invasive procedure, to determine the underlying cause of your abnormal bleeding. In this blog, the team shares what hysteroscopy is and what it involves, so you’ll know when to seek medical attention.
Abnormal uterine bleeding can occur for many different reasons.
Hormone imbalances are a common cause and most common among girls first getting their period and women who are entering menopause. Since hormones are intimately responsible for the menstrual cycle, they need to work in perfect harmony for menstruation to occur exactly as it should. Any disruption to the balance can cause abnormal uterine bleeding.
Some common reasons are:
Benign (noncancerous) growths in the uterus can create blockages that lead to bleeding or that bleed themselves, depending on the type of growth. Common growths include polyps, fibroids (masses within the uterus), adenomyosis (when uterine lining grows into the muscle of the uterus rather than being shed during menstruation), and endometriosis (uterine tissue grows outside the uterus).
Cancer, sexually transmitted infections, other underlying medical conditions, and certain medications can also cause abnormal uterine bleeding. That’s why it’s so important to get an accurate diagnosis.
Hysteroscopy is a minimally invasive procedure used to determine the cause of abnormal uterine bleeding. It allows the doctor to examine the inside of your uterus with a hysteroscope, a thin, lighted tube inserted through the vagina to examine the cervix and the inside of the uterus.
Hysteroscopy is both a diagnostic and treatment tool.
Diagnostic hysteroscopy identifies any structural irregularities in the uterus that are causing abnormal bleeding. It may also be used to confirm the results of other tests, like an ultrasound or hysterosalpingography (HSG), an X-ray dye test used to determine if your fallopian tubes are blocked. Blocked tubes can make it difficult to become pregnant.
The doctor uses operative hysteroscopy to treat whatever anomaly they detect during a diagnostic hysteroscopy. In fact, they may perform both procedures at the same time, avoiding the need for you to come back a second time.
Your doctor may perform hysteroscopy to diagnose and treat the following conditions:
Hysteroscopy finds and removes these uterine structural abnormalities. Removal of a polyp (a noncancerous growth inside the uterus) is called a hysteroscopy polypectomy. Removal of a fibroid is called a hysteroscopy myomectomy.
Uterine adhesions, also known as Asherman’s syndrome, are bands of scar tissue that form inside the uterus and can lead to changes in menstrual flow and possibly cause infertility. Hysteroscopy helps the doctor locate and remove them.
Hysteroscopy can detect if you have a uterine septum, a malformation that you were born with.
If the uterine lining is the cause of your heavy or abnormal bleeding, the doctor may use endometrial ablation to destroy the lining.
Your doctor may also use hysteroscopy to diagnose the reason behind repeated miscarriages or fertility problems, locate an intrauterine device (IUD), or diagnose and remove placental tissue after birth.
If your menstrual bleeding is too heavy or otherwise abnormal, it’s time to come into Women’s Health Specialists PLLC to determine and treat the underlying cause. Call our office in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, at 615-907-2040, or book your appointment online with us today.
