Which of the following statements is true regarding menorrhagia?
High-Yield Explanation
Menorrhagia is defined as heavy but regular menstrual bleeding. Menorrhagia denotes regularly timed episodes of bleeding that are excessive in amount (>80mL) and/or duration of flow (>7 days) According to the recent update, the term heavy menstrual bleeding has replaced menorrhagia. Hemoglobin concentration below 12 g/dL increase the chance of identifying women with heavy menstrual bleeding. A normal level, however, doesnot exclude heavy menstrual bleeding, as many women with clinically significant bleeding have normal values. All patients should undergo a pelvic examination and, if the menstrual pattern has changed substantially or if anemia is present, a vaginal sonography should be carried out as the most impoant supplemental examination. Vaginal sonography combined with an endometrial biopsy is a reliable method for diagnosing endometrial hyperplasia or carcinoma, but it is insufficient for diagnosing endometrial polyps and fibroids; these can be diagnosed more reliably by sonohysterography or hysteroscopy. Appropriate treatment considerably improves the quality of life of the patients. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and tranexamic acid reduce menstrual blood loss by 20-60% Drug treatment should be used and evaluated before surgical interventions are considered. Ref: Shaw&;s textbook of Gynaecology 17th edition Pgno: 122