Women who have dysfunctional uterine bleeding (DUB) may have a variety of ailments. They need information to help them know when to get help with this womanly condition. Seeing a doctor is imperative for some women. Being armed with knowledge can help a woman get the best care from her doctor’s visit. An example of information that can help in a discussion with a health care provider is knowing that one of the causes of dysfunctional uterine bleeding, can be the beginning of menopause. We are going to discuss menopause and associated problems, dysfunctional uterine bleeding, some possible causes, and some types of dysfunctional uterine bleeding.

Personal Story

When I was in my forties, I experienced irregular, unusually heavy periods. I went to my doctor, who had me do several procedures and tests. I believe the purpose was to rule out anything serious. As a result of the procedures, I was assured that I did not need to worry about anything. I was most likely starting to go through the process of menopause.

Menopause

Menopause generally has three parts:

1. Perimenopause occurs 2-8 years before menstruation ceases where cycles become irregular prior to terminating
2. Menopause is the complete termination of menstrual bleeding for twelve months
3. Postmenopause is the time after menstruations cease

The median age for menopause to happen is 51, but the range is ages 40 to 58.

Common Problems of Menopause

Some common problems of menopause may need to be addressed:

• Anxiety
• Depression
• Fatigue
• Heart palpitations
• Heavy vaginal bleeding
• Hot flashes
• Incontinence
• Insomnia
• Memory problems
• Vaginal dryness 

Heavy bleeding is one problem we are going to explore in this blog.

Dysfunctional Uterine Bleeding

Dysfunctional Uterine Bleeding (DUB) is “excessive, prolonged, unpatterned endometrial bleeding in the absence of organic disease.” This often happens at the beginning and end of a woman’s reproductive years. About 50% of DUB happens in women 40 to 59 years old.

Note: One must get a diagnosis to rule out serious pathology, such as gynecologic cancer, if experiencing DUB.

Menorrhagia

Menorrhagia, heavy menstrual bleeding, can be caused by several issues:

• nutrient deficiencies
• uterine fibroids
• endometriosis
• hormone changes from post birth control pills
• low thyroid function
• cysts/ tumors of the reproductive tract.

Hypermenorrhagia

Hypermenorrhagia is prolonged menstrual flow which lasts more than a week. Sometimes conditions like this are debilitating when anemia occurs or there are episodes of bleeding through one’s clothes.

Functional Menorrhagia

Functional menorrhagia is when a woman has a mostly normal period with some days of heavy bleeding due to no identifiable cause.

Meterorrhagia

Meterorrhagia is bleeding between normal periods, which indicates the need to be seen by a medical provider.

Note: Anytime a woman has a heavy vaginal flow that soaks a maxi-pad in 30 minutes, she must go to the emergency room.

Action

If you are experiencing excessive, prolonged, unpatterned endometrial bleeding, please see your doctor to rule out anything serious, then see your herbalist for ideas on what you can do to support your body so it can maintain a healthy balance.

May God bless your healthful endeavors!

Joni

P.S. What experience do you have with DUB?