MENSTRUAL DISORDERS IN WOMEN

For a lot of women, menstruation occurs with little or no problem. They may experience pain in the back and stomach - for a minimal period of time and then get on with their life. Their periods occur at a fixed time gap of say 22-28 days. But for other set of women, menstruation could be a real pain. Apart from emotional as well as physical symptoms, these women could experience uncontrollable mood swings, terrible back, stomach and abdominal pain. A normal menstrual cycle is the one that occurs once in 28 days indicating various changes in different parts of your body like uterus, breasts, ovaries and vagina. A normal menstrual cycle runs for about 5-7 days. However, you must understand that a set of factors like heredity plays a key role in your menstruation. Here are 4 common abnormalities that are experienced by women: 1) Abnormal uterine bleeding: This includes one of the 3 conditions- Irregular periods (bleeding between periods), no bleeding (amenorrhea) or heavy bleeding. Of the 3 conditions stated above, heavy bleeding is the most common one. It is believed that 1 in 5 women experience this. Bleeding is considered to be heavy when it interferes with your life in a way that you may have to take leave from work or school and so on. A normal menstrual bleeding is about 5 tablespoons a day. In case of heavy bleeding, you may have to change your pad or tampons every hour (rather than 4 pads a day). 2) Amenorrhea is the condition where you do not experience any menstrual bleeding. This could be due to menopause, pregnancy, stress and hormonal imbalance. 3) Dysmenorrhea (severe menstrual cramps): Most women will experience some sort of painful menstrual cramps as a part of monthly routine. However, if this is unbearable and interferes with your walking or sleeping cycles, you may have to immediately call for help. 4) Pre-menstrual syndrome (PMS) is a set of emotional, psychological as well as physical symptoms that occur right before a period. These severely rupture your lifestyle. The symptoms include:

a) Swollen, painful breasts
b) Bloating
c) Terrible mood swings
d) Irritability
e) Anxiety

Treatment While we know that these disorders are caused due to hormonal imbalances, stress and heredity, there is very little that we can do in terms of treatment. However, there are multiple over-the-counter drugs that may solve your woes and give relief from painful symptoms. In extreme cases, you may be advised to undergo a surgery. Going beyond in the holistic approach Louise Hay, motivational leader and empowerment coach who has done path breaking work in supporting HIV/AIDS patients and their families, has said that, “Illness however mild or severe is an indicator of your emotional state, caused by your thoughts and focus.” According to her, the main cause of menstrual problems/ amenorrhea is: Not wanting to be a woman. Dislike of the self. One way of healing this is through saying or writing affirmations. Doing this regularly can help to reduce the debilitating effects of this illness. Her affirmation for treating amenorrhea is: I am balanced and peaceful in all changes of cycles and know that I am loved. Read less