The ability to conceive and bear children is exclusive to the females of the human race. When a baby girl is born, she already has all the eggs for her lifetime, up to as many as 450,000. This endowment brings with it the promise of a complex yet fascinating reproductive cycle known as menstruation. As a young girl’s or woman’s body prepares for pregnancy each month, estrogen (the female hormone) thickens the uterine lining. In turn, an egg in the ovary sac will mature due to a change in hormone levels and travel through the Fallopian tube before dropping into the uterus. This stage is called ovulation. If no conception happens at this time, the egg will eventually break up and the thickened uterine lining will simply be shed through menstruation. The...

A woman’s monthly menstrual cycle becomes a pattern through which her body leads her every 28 to 31 days. There may be times however when a part of the routine randomly changes and may seem somehow different. This is a time to listen to the body and wait to see whether it returns to normal or happens again. Some variations are natural developments as the cycle does alter with age, others though may be something that needs to be addressed with a health care provider. Abnormal bleeding or menorrhagia as it is widely known, is not exclusive to excessive bleeding. Skipping periods or missing them altogether also fall into this category. Stress, rapid weight loss, eating disorders and excessive exercise can cause menses to stop. If you think that something is...

Bleeding during periods (menstruation) is fundamental to the reproductive cycle of the female anatomy. However, there are times when a girl or woman may bleed in between periods. Such bleeding is not normal, and may not be related to a period at all. The most common culprits for bleeding in between periods are the two conditions known as metrorrhagia and polymenorrhea. Metrorrhagia is bleeding from the uterus that is not related to menstruation at all, and is usually caused by disease and infection. Polymenorrhea is a kind  of irregular uterine bleeding that happens when the menstrual cycle is less than 21 days long. There are many different causes which  can trigger both metrorrhagia and polymenorrhea, which are listed below. Some of the most common...

Irregular period bleeding is most often defined as spotting or bleeding between periods or having periods that do not follow a normal 21-35 day cycle. However, excessively heavy periods or a cessation of periods in pre-menopausal women are often classified as irregular periods. What causes irregular period bleeding? The most common causes of spotting or bleeding between periods are: IUD’s -Intrauterine devices frequently cause spotting, and bleeding can be amplified if slippage or an infection occurs. Fluctuation in hormones – Changes in hormone levels can occur naturally or as a result of oral contraceptives or hormone replacement drugs. Very young (under 12) women and those who are in menopause are also susceptible. Infections – Chlamydia and...

While many women experience heavy period bleeding their entire lives and are completely healthy, it is often the sign of a more serious condition. What constitutes abnormally heavy period bleeding? Excessive bleeding, or menorrhagia, is usually defined as the loss of blood in a quantity two or more times what the average woman loses during a period. Most often, menorrhagia occurs in women who are ovulating normally and who have regular menstrual cycles. What causes menorrhagia? The causes are varied. For some women, there is no cause; heavy periods are simply normal for them. Sometimes, however, heavy period bleeding is caused by a condition which should be promptly addressed. Endometriosis. This is a thickening of the uterine lining that usually results in...