The important thing about heavy abnormal menstrual bleeding is to get it investigated, for the majority of women no “cause” will be found this fact is backed up by more than 20 medical studies. It has been shown in medical literature that sometimes the treatment women seek will depend on how they feel about their periods (their psychological well being related to their periods).
Common causes of abnormal menstrual bleeding include:
Fibroids: found in 30% of women with heavy menstrual bleeding. Fibroids are benign growths that originate from the lining of the womb; they are commoner in Afro-Caribbean women.
Polyps: these are found in about 10% of women with abnormal heavy menstrual bleeding. They are benign fleshy growths of the tissue that lines the womb.
Adenomyosis: this is a benign condition where the lining of the womb grows into the muscle. It is commoner in the older woman, and can be responsible for heavy painful periods.
Other reasons for heavy periods include:
Bleeding disorders: found in women with blood clotting disorders. As a cause of abnormal bleeding this is very rare.
Blood thinning medication:
Polycystic ovaries: this is more likely to cause irregular than heavy bleeding.
For the majority of women no cause will be found. It is very rare indeed that abnormal menstrual bleeding will be due to cancer. NICE advise having looked through 100,000 consultations of women with heavy menstrual bleeding in primary care that the age related risk of developing cancer of the womb is less than 1 in 10,000 aged between 30-39, 3:10,000 aged between 40-44 and 8:10,000 aged between 45-49.
The most important thing is if symptoms persist for more than 3 months visit your doctor or arrange a consultation with your gynaecologist for investigation