3 blood transfusions for a period

[bloodysado]

After bleeding consistently for about a year I needed 3 blood transfusions and have been on many different medicines and I've had the mirena coil etc. (nothing has been too effective yet). I've had this problem since March 2017 at least and I don't think I am any closer to finding out what is wrong with me and how I could even stop bleeding. I want help.

[wobblybee Administrator Pioneer]

😯 I’m so sorry you have to contend with Heavy Menstrual Bleeding. I can’t offer any specific advice, but the following information shows that the condition is far from rare.

About 30 to 40 per cent of women will experience heavy menstrual bleeding (HMB), a form of abnormal uterine bleeding, at some point in their lives, said Associate Professor Fong Yoke Fai, head of the benign gynaecology division in the National University Hospital’s (NUH) department of obstetrics and gynaecology.

The figure may be higher as HMB is often underreported. Many women suffer for years before seeking help, he said.

Some women experience such severe menstrual bleeding that they end up in the emergency department and require multiple blood transfusions.

Studies show that almost one in five hospital admissions for HMB occur after the women are brought into the emergency department after fainting from anaemia, said Assoc Prof Fong.

A study last year by NUH found that 33 of the 177 cases of patients hospitalised for HMB were admitted through the accident and emergency (A&E) department. Almost nine in 10 of the emergency admissions required blood transfusions.

Every week, about two to three patients are admitted to the Singapore General Hospital’s (SGH) emergency department for abnormal heavy period or anaemia due to heavy menstrual blood loss.

A woman’s blood count can become so low as a result of the heavy menstrual bleeding that it can cause heart failure, said Associate Professor Yong Tze Tein, senior consultant at SGH’s department of obstetrics and gynaecology, which sees about 10 to 20 women with complaints about heavy periods per week.

People with anaemia can become breathless or tired, suffer from hair loss and brittle nails, or even become depressed, said Assoc Prof Yong.

Assoc Prof Fong once encountered a patient who was so traumatised by her heavy menstrual bleeding that she took medication to halt her periods.

“At one point, the patient’s bleeding occurred right in front of us while in the hospital and she felt faint and breathless. We had to give her at least two units of blood to stabilise her blood level,” he said.

Fewer babies, greater risk of getting abnormal menstrual bleeding

Cases of abnormal uterine bleeding are likely to become more common in Singapore, with women in their child-bearing years having fewer children than the previous generations, said Assoc Prof Fong.

According to him, many underlying causes of HMB and abnormal uterine bleeding are related to the menstruation hormone cycle. The most common causes seen in older women are fibroids and endometriosis (a condition in which the layer of tissue that normally lines the inside of the uterus grows outside of it), he said.

“Today, many women have far more years of cycles than their mothers and grandmothers, who were protected by more pregnancies and more years of breastfeeding,” he said.

Other causes include adenomyosis (where the lining of the womb infiltrates into the womb muscle, causing the womb to enlarge), cervical and, occasionally, ovarian cancer. But sometimes, no cause is found, said SGH’s Assoc Prof Yong.

From malaymail.com