As a woman, you’re used to the normal bleeding that you experience every month at the time of your menstrual cycle. Although it can be inconvenient, it’s necessary for your body to go through this on a regular basis. But sometimes bleeding happens outside of that normal window, and that can cause you concern.
Dr. John Paul Roberts is an experienced OB/GYN who can help you decipher the reason for your irregular bleeding. He can answer your questions, diagnose what’s causing your bleeding, and provide a treatment plan.
Many women experience some kind of abnormal bleeding in their lives. However, when that bleeding is frequent or occurs with other symptoms, you may need to get it checked out.
Here are 6 reasons that you may have irregular bleeding.
If you’re pregnant and notice abnormal bleeding, there’s a chance that you could be having a miscarriage. This occurs when the fetus is lost before the 20th week of pregnancy.
The main symptom of a miscarriage is bleeding that starts out light but progresses to heavy bleeding with severe cramping. You may also have weakness and fever.
Endometriosis is a painful condition where tissue like the lining of your uterus grows outside of its normal location, such as your ovaries or fallopian tubes. It may even spread to other parts of your abdominal cavity. Endometriosis causes painful cramping, heavy bleeding during your cycle, and sometimes bleeding between periods.
STDs such as gonorrhea and chlamydia can cause irregular bleeding. Chlamydia may cause bleeding between cycles and bleeding after sex. These STDs can cause inflammation in your uterus, which may also lead to pelvic inflammatory disease.
This type of cancer is caused by cells within the endometrium that grow out of control, causing cancerous lesions. This can cause irregular bleeding, especially after menopause. It can also cause a change in your normal bleeding during your cycle or bleeding between periods.
Fibroids are noncancerous growths in your uterus that are made up of muscle. These can cause you to have heavier-than-normal bleeding. This occurs because the fibroids put more pressure than normal on the uterine wall, causing excess blood loss.
Menopause usually occurs between the ages of 45-55, and it’s diagnosed after twelve consecutive months of no periods. You’ll go through perimenopause for several years before you actually hit menopause, and during this time you may experience irregular bleeding. This is caused by your hormones estrogen and progesterone fluctuating continually, which may cause you to have heavy periods, bleeding between periods, or spotting before or after your cycle.
Your treatment options for irregular bleeding depend on many factors, including your age and what’s causing the problem. One of the treatments is a type of endometrial ablation called NovaSure®.
Endometrial ablation is a procedure that removes the lining of your uterus, which can help alleviate most types of irregular bleeding. With NovaSure, radiofrequency energy is used to treat the endometrium, and it only takes about 10 minutes in our office.
There are no incisions or stitches, making this procedure ideal for your busy life. After your procedure, you can go home to rest, and we’ll give you aftercare instructions.
Women with severe cases of abnormal bleeding may need to undergo a partial or full hysterectomy and possibly hormone replacement therapy afterward. Dr. Roberts discusses all of your options with you and helps you decide what treatment is most appropriate for you.
If you’re dealing with abnormal bleeding and are ready to find relief, contact our office at 972-591-8826 to set up an appointment, or book your visit online.
