Heavy bleeding weeks after menses indicates health problems — Gynecologist

An Abuja-based Gynecologist, Dr Adaora Ukoh, said heavy bleeding after menstruation could be an indication of underlying health problems.

She disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria on Wednesday in Abuja.

Ukoh explained that spotting or bleeding after menstruation period was a condition where the woman still noticed some amount of blood droppings days or weeks after her menstrual cycle.

She added that every woman’s cycle differ in some ways and should be considered normal as long as the pattern of the cycle remained steady, saying that most spotting after period was normal.

The expert noted that a healthy menstrual cycle last between 28 and 32 days in which the woman experienced bleeding between three and five days, though, it could be up to seven days for some women.

Ukoh identified rough sexual intercourse shortly after menses and remaining uterine tissue as factors that could predispose a woman to spotting or bleeding after menstrual cycle.

According to her, the use of oral contraceptives, polyps, uterine fibroids, ovarian cysts, fluctuating menstrual cycle, ovulation, pregnancy and infections are causative factors of bleeding after menses.

She noted that the prevention and treatment of the condition would start from self hygiene, as well as identifying the underlying cause.

She suggested antibiotics to treat the condition if caused by any form of infection such as Sexually Transmitted Infection (STI), among others.

Ukoh encouraged the use of hormonal therapy such as birth control pills to correct hormonal imbalance which also help to shrink uterine growths as measure of treating the condition.

She advised that birth control pills should be administered and changed according to doctor’s prescription and intake of aspirin be limited in order to help treat the condition.

The gynecologist urged patients susceptible to the condition to keep stress under control, menstrual cycle in record, do regular pap smear test, as well as maintain healthy weight in order to treat the condition.

She, however, advised post-menopausal women that had heavy bleeding weeks after menses accompanied with pain in the pelvis to seek urgent medical help.

source: Punch newspaper