Menstruation is a normal physiological phenomenon for women, and under normal circumstances, menstruation occurs every month. The duration of menstruation is generally 3-7 days, with bleeding amounting to less than 100 ml, and the heaviest flow occurring on the 2nd or 3rd day. However, absent or prolonged menstruation may be caused by gynecological conditions. Below, we look at six diseases that are easily caused by excessively long menstrual periods:
blood diseases
Conditions such as thrombocytopenic purpura and aplastic anemia are often accompanied by menstruation; if severe uterine bleeding occurs, the menstrual period may be prolonged. Other conditions such as chronic anemia, chronic hepatitis, cirrhosis, and nephritis can weaken blood vessel walls, increasing permeability and causing bleeding.
Dysfunctional uterine bleeding
Anovulatory dysfunctional uterine bleeding and irregular shedding of the endometrium are both caused by endocrine dysfunction, leading to prolonged menstrual periods.
Endometriosis
It often leads to excessive menstrual bleeding or prolonged menstrual periods due to the influence of uterine muscle contraction or the strengthening of the endometrium.
pelvic inflammatory disease
Pelvic inflammatory disease, endometrial polyps, endometritis, etc., can all cause excessive menstrual bleeding and prolonged menstrual periods due to poor blood circulation in the endometrium, degeneration and necrosis, or pelvic congestion.
Chronic uterine hypertrophy (uterine myositis)
Due to pelvic congestion, the ovarian estrogen levels remain high, causing thickening of the uterine muscle layer, resulting in excessive menstrual bleeding and prolonged menstrual periods.
Uterine fibroids
In particular, submucosal fibroids of the uterus, due to the enlarged uterine cavity area and abnormal contraction, can lead to excessive menstrual bleeding and prolonged menstrual periods.
In addition, the insertion of an intrauterine device (IUD) can also easily cause prolonged menstrual periods. Therefore, prolonged menstrual periods can be caused by systemic diseases as well as many gynecological diseases, which should be distinguished and identified before treatment.
