Question: What is Irregular Menstrual Bleeding?
Irregular bleeding is one of four general categories of abnormal uterine bleeding, according to an article in the Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine (JABFM). Because these types of abnormal bleeding patterns have similar treatments, the article's authors choose to group them together and categorize them as irregular bleeding.
Answer: Irregular bleeding includes metrorrhagia, menometrorrhagia, oligomenorrhea, and bleeding that lasts for weeks or months, as well as other non-cyclic bleeding patterns.
Source: John W. Ely, MD, MSPH, Colleen M Kennedy, MD, MS, Elizabeth C. Clark, MD, MPH, and Noelle C. Bowdler, MD; “Abnormal Uterine Bleeding: A Management Algorithm;” JABFM November – December 2006, Vol. 19 No. 6; http://www.jabfm.org/cgi/content/full/19/6/590; accessed 12/09/07.
