Overview of Menstrual Disorders

By JoAnn V. Pinkerton, MD

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NOTE: This is the Consumer Version. DOCTORS: Click here for the Professional Version

Menstrual Disorders and Abnormal Vaginal Bleeding
Overview of Menstrual Disorders
Premenstrual Syndrome
Menstrual Cramps
Absence of Menstrual Periods
Dysfunctional Uterine Bleeding
Polycystic Ovary Syndrome
Pelvic Congestion Syndrome
Premature Menopause

Complex interactions among hormones control the start of menstruation during puberty, the rhythms and duration of menstrual cycles during the reproductive years, and the end of menstruation at menopause (which is usually defined as beginning 12 months after a woman's last period). The interactions occur in the following sequence:

Hormonal control of menstruation begins in the hypothalamus (the part of the brain that coordinates and controls hormonal activity).
The hypothalamus releases gonadotropin-releasing hormone in pulses.
Gonadotropin-releasing hormone stimulates the pituitary gland to produce two hormones called gonadotropins: luteinizing hormone and follicle-stimulating hormone.
Luteinizing hormone and follicle-stimulating hormone stimulate the ovaries.
The ovaries produce the female hormones estrogen and progesterone , which ultimately control menstruation (see Menstrual Cycle).

Hormones produced by other glands, such as the adrenal glands and the thyroid gland, can affect the functioning of the ovaries and menstruation.

Deciphering Medical Terms for Menstrual Disorders*

Term	Description
Amenorrhea	No periods
Dysmenorrhea	Menstrual cramps or painful periods
Hypomenorrhea	Unusually light periods
Menometrorrhagia	Heavy bleeding during menstrual periods and bleeding that occurs frequently and irregularly between periods
Menorrhagia (hypermenorrhea)	Unusually long and/or heavy periods
Metrorrhagia	Bleeding that occurs frequently and irregularly between periods
Oligomenorrhea	Unusually infrequent periods
Polymenorrhea	Unusually frequent periods
Postmenopausal bleeding	Bleeding that occurs after menopause
Premenstrual dysphoric disorder	Severe psychologic symptoms that occur before the start of a period, end when or shortly after the period starts, and interfere with daily activities and/or relationships
Premenstrual syndrome (PMS)	Physical and psychologic symptoms that occur before the start of a period
Primary amenorrhea	No periods ever starting (at puberty)
Secondary amenorrhea	Periods that have stopped
*Breaking the words into their components helps decipher them: a = no; dys = painful (or abnormal); hypo =deficient (or below normal); men = month; metro = uterus; oligo = few or scanty; poly = many or much; post = after; pre =before; rhagia = to burst forth; rhea = flow.

During the reproductive years, vaginal bleeding may be abnormal when menstrual periods are too heavy or too light, last too long, occur too often, or are irregular. Any vaginal bleeding that occurs before puberty or after menopause is considered abnormal until proven otherwise. Most causes of abnormal vaginal bleeding are not serious.

Menstrual disorders include premenstrual syndrome (PMS), menstrual cramps (dysmenorrhea), dysfunctional uterine bleeding, absence of menstrual periods (amenorrhea), and premature menopause. Some disorders that are related to the reproductive organs but not specifically to the menstrual cycle, such as pelvic congestion syndrome and polycystic ovary syndrome, cause some of the same symptoms as menstrual disorders.