"Menstruation is the process in which the uterus sheds blood and tissue through the vagina" - UNFPA. It occurs naturally in females of the reproductive age. The duration of flow varies amongst individuals, from 2-7 days.
It occurs monthly, however, consistency with the menstrual cycle might be distorted by certain physical, health or mental state, age, use of drugs like contraceptives, dietary pattern, smoking, ethnicity etc. all of which can cause an interference with the hormones. This could result in irregular menstruation, painful menstruation (dysmenorrhea), heavy menstrual flow, light menstrual flow etc.
These resulting changes in menstrual flow are known as Menstrual Disorders.
Examples are:
Dysmenorrhea (painful menstruation)
Menorrhagia (abnormal heavy flow during menstruation),
Polymenorrhea (menstrual cycle shorter than 21 days)
Amenorrhea (abnormal absence of menstruation)
Oligomenorrhea, (irregular and inconsistent menstrual blood flow in a woman)
and irregular menstruation.
According to studies, a large proportion of the female within reproductive age experience menstruation-related health issues at some point or the other.
Of these disorders, Dysmenorrhea is one of the most prevalent during adolescence , with a statistics of about 20-90%. Premenstrual syndrome is a collection of different symptoms that precedes one's menstrual flow such as, abdominal pain, headache, tender breast, pimples etc. It can also affect women’s daily activities, with a prevalence of 40.7%.
Menstrual disorders could be due to some of our actions or inactions which can have a negative effect on the balance of the hormones such as :
• Poor dieting
• Smoking
• Lack of physical activity
• Poor Personal hygiene
• Misuse or Abuse of medications
Doing things right such as, quitting smoking, use medications as prescribed and only use prescribed medications, good personal hygiene, eating right and exercise would greatly contribute to prevention or management of menstrual disorders.
ALWAYS SEEK PROPER MEDICAL COUNSEL BEFORE TAKING ANY STEP!
REFERENCES
Menstruation and Human rights. https://www.unfpa.org/menstruationfaq
Malhotra N, Kumar P, Malhotra J, Bora NM, Mittal P, editors. Jeffcoate's Principles of Gynaecology. New Delhi (IN): Jaypee Brothers Medical Publishers (P) Ltd; 2014.
Amu EO, Bamidele JO. Prevalence of menstrual disorders among adolescent girls in Osogbo, South Western Nigeria. Int J Adolesc Med Health. 2014;26:101–106.
Prof. Basil N. Okeahialam. Prevalence of premenstrual syndrome and its relationship with blood pressure in young adult females. African Journal of Medicine and Medical Sciences. Published 2020; VOL. 37 NO. 4 (2008).
Hajaratu U. Sulayman, Nana H. Madugu, Abimbola O. D. Kolawole, Polite Onwuhafua, Premenstrual Symptoms among Students in Health Institutions in Zaria, Northern Nigeria, Journal of Gynecology and Obstetrics. Volume 3, Issue 1, January 2015 , pp. 1-5. doi: 10.11648/j.jgo.20150301.11
Effective health care. The management of menorrhagia. Effective Health Care Bulletin. 1995;9:1–14.