Abnormal vaginal bleeding happens when periods are heavy or bleeding occurs between periods.
Heavy period is defined when a lady loses more than 80 ml of blood loss. It is not practical to measure the blood loss, therefore if you have following symptoms, it is likely that you have heavy periods
- You pass large blood clots (larger than an inch)
- You experience flooding when bleeding goes through your clothes
- You use two types sanitary products; pads and tampons
There are so many reasons to cause heavy periods. Your doctor will take a detailed history, check your blood to assess for anaemia then a trans-vaginal ultrasound scan will be performed. Most common causes for heavy periods are
- Fibroids
- Adenomyosis
- Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS)
- Cancer of the lining of the womb
- Blood clotting disorder
Bleeding between periods can be due to cervical abnormalities, polyps or pathology of the lining of the wombs. These can be assessed by speculum examination and transvaginal ultrasound scan. A hysteroscopy may be needed to have a better assessment of the cavity and the lining of the uterus.