Heavy Menstruation or Bleeding Disorder?

Do you experience heavy menstrual bleeding? New research from Duke University and reported on Science Daily says that bleeding disorders are often under diagnosed in menstruating girls and women. As a result, the American College of Obstetritians and Gynecologists has issued new guidelines for doctors to use when diagnosing the cause of heavy menstruation. Many times, women don't worry about heavy menstruation because the women in their families also experienced excessive menstrual bleeding. Unfortunately, this may mean that other women in the family had undiagnosed bleeding disorders. The most common bleeding disorder is called von Willebrand disease which is a blood clotting disorder that frequently causes heavy periods.

While doctors often believe that heavy menstruation is a result of hormonal conditions or uterine fibroid tumors, the fact is that bleeding disorders may be the real culprit. Some signs of bleeding disorders that you and your doctor should consider include:

• Heavy or excessive bleeding during menstruation
• Having family members diagnosed with bleeding disorers
• Bruising that occurs without injury
• Heavy bleeding or hemorraging that occurs more than 24 hours after childbirth
• Heavy or excessive bleeding following dental procedures such as tooth extraction
• Unusual bleeding after surgery
• Excessive bleeding that lasts over five minutes from minor wounds, cuts, or scrapes

What Is Menorrhagia?
Treatments For Excessive Uterine Bleeding
When To See Your Doctor About Period Problems