Scanty menses, or gipomenoreya - a rather vague concept, because when it comes to menstruation, and the rate of rejection is very individual and can vary greatly from woman to woman.

The normal duration of menstrual bleeding - from two to eight days, with most women they last for four to five days. Normal menstrual flow volume - from 30 to 80 ml, and the average volume - 40-60 ml. It can be assumed that the meager monthly are those during which the amount of discharge is less than 30 ml - it is logical, but it is not so simple. If you normally menstruating woman discharge volume was approximately 40 mL, then, indeed, reduced the volume to 30 ml or less can be considered meager monthly. However, if the normal amount of discharge - about 70 ml, is already at a volume of less than 50 ml of a woman notices that month became less abundant. For her, it would be an aberration, although it does not necessarily indicate any health problems. However, a woman is unlikely to know exactly how much blood distinguishes her body during menstruation.

Simply focus on factors such as the duration of the month and the number of pads or tampons you use.

Causes

Lean periods may be caused by a variety of reasons:

• Polycystic ovary syndrome. This violation of the ovaries are formed numerous small cysts. This may cause not only poor month, but also acne, excess body hair growth, weight gain, and a number of other problems.
• Eating disorders and sudden weight loss. Scanty menses, or amenorrhea, even for a few cycles may be symptoms of eating disorders such as anorexia Anorexia nervosa - symptoms and effects on the body   and bulimia. Rapid weight loss for any reason, and malnutrition may also lead to a significant reduction in the volume of menstrual fluid.
• An imbalance of hormones - one of the most common causes of the meager monthly. It can occur as a result of a significant decrease or increase in the weight of certain diseases and taking certain medications.
• Emotional stress. High stress can sometimes lead to a poor month, although it may be opposite consequences: sometimes under stress How to beat stress? Create an oasis   Monthly become very abundant.
• Asherman's syndrome - a rare disorder in which adhesions are formed in the uterus; this can lead not only to poor month, but also to issues such as amenorrhea, recurrent miscarriage and infertility. In most cases, Asherman's syndrome occurs in women who have abortions repeatedly by dilatation and curettage, as well as a result of pelvic infections unrelated to surgery.
• Intense physical activity. Women who train very intensively, for example, are preparing to run in the marathon, the menstrual cycle is often disturbed. This can manifest itself in problems such as lean periods, irregular periods, and amenorrhoea.
• Puberty. During puberty menses may occasionally become very scarce, but it is extremely heavy - it can last for a few years until the menstrual cycle is not stabilized.
• Premenopausal. Lean periods may be one of the early symptoms of approaching menopause.
• Thyroid dysfunction. The reason for the meager monthly could be a problem with the functioning of the thyroid gland, usually - hypothyroidism.
• Contraceptives. Combination oral contraceptives in most cases reduces the amount of menstrual fluid.
• Cancer. Any changes in the menstrual cycle may be a sign of cancer or uterine cervix, and other organs of the reproductive system. However, in the majority of cases are caused by scanty menses less dangerous violations.
• Endometriosis causes gipomenorei only in rare cases. Much more often it causes menorrhagia Menorrhagia (menorrhagia) - excessive blood loss As well as severe pain during menstruation.
• Pelvic inflammatory disease - an infection of the female reproductive system, which can be a complication of diseases, sexually transmitted diseases, and other disorders.

Treatment

If scanty menses associated with puberty or premenopause Premenopausal women - one step in a woman's life Treatment is required. Women who actively participate in sports, the menstrual cycle is usually normal after reducing the load. In other cases, treatment will depend on the cause gipomenorei.

For example, eating disorders can be assigned to receive psychotherapy in polycystic ovary syndrome - hormones and thyroid dysfunction - surgical and medical treatment.

Why linger monthly, sometimes it is difficult to say at once, the reasons may be different. In a normal menstrual cycle lasts from 21 to 35 days, on average - 28 days. In some women, periods are irregular, that does not always talking about some kind of pathology. If the delay is more than a week there with regular menses, then you need to figure out the cause.

Why can linger monthly

Small (up to a week) delay menstruation is considered a normal variant, even if a woman has a regular menstrual cycle. Delay of more than 7 days can be caused by a variety of reasons. Certainly, in the first place, most women thought pregnancy.

But the delay may be caused by other reasons: hormonal disorders, infectious and inflammatory diseases, physical and psychological loads, severe general diseases, surgery, trauma, and so on. In order to establish the exact reason for the delay should be examined.

The first reason for the delay menstruation - Pregnancy

If pregnancy occurs endocrine gland corpus luteum, formed at the site of the bursting of the follicle in the ovary starts to allocate a large number of the female sex hormone progesterone Progesterone - norm and pathology . This hormone inhibits the maturation of new follicles in the ovary and helps to prepare the lining of the uterus to the introduction of the embryo.

If you suspect a pregnancy should be available over the counter home pregnancy test and then consult a doctor. However, pregnancy tests will give positive results no earlier than 5 weeks after conception. If a woman wants to know about the pregnancy before, she should visit a gynecologist to donate blood and pregnancy (analysis of hCG - human chorionic gonadotropin).

The second reason for the delay menstruation - a violation of ovarian function

Delayed menstruation can occur due to hormonal disruptions at the level of the ovary. This may be due to stress, common diseases, infectious and inflammatory diseases of the female genital organs, benign or malignant tumors, ovarian cysts, harmful effects, endocrine disorders, including obesity, thyroid diseases, metabolic disorders on a background of strict diets for weight loss and so on.

All these factors may contribute to the inhibition of secretion of female sex hormones estrogen and progesterone, and menstruation delay. If the delay is repeated monthly for 2-3 menstrual cycles, you should consult your doctor.

The third reason for the delay menstruation - disorders of the brain

Hormonal disorders can occur not only on the level of the ovary, but also at the level of the brain that controls the entire female reproductive system. The secretion of female sex hormones occurs under the influence of the cerebral cortex - the hypothalamus - pituitary gland. High emotional and physical stress, traumatic brain injury, endocrine diseases, tumors and cysts of the brain can affect the secretion of hormones of the hypothalamus and pituitary, as well as on the state of the cerebral cortex.

As a result, violated the regulation of ovarian secretion of female hormones, stops the development of follicles and growth of the mucous membrane of the uterus, which leads to a delay in menstruation.

Reason Four - injury of the uterus

Traumatic effects on the uterus abortion, miscarriage and severe birth can be substantial. Thus, when abortion occurs scraping Scraping - heavy and unsafe procedure   mucous membrane of the uterus (endometrium), together with the embryo, then the endometrium is restored immediately, which is often the reason for the delay menstruation Delayed menstruation - when to sound the alarm? .

After delivery, delay menstruation occurs both because of the injury of the endometrium, so by producing a large number of pituitary hormone prolactin - it stimulates the secretion of breast milk and suppresses the secretion of female hormones estrogen and, therefore, oocyte maturation, ovulation and endometrial proliferation Ovulation - How to determine as accurately as possible? .

Why month delayed in adolescents

At the age of 11-13 years, sometimes later in adolescents begins first period - menarche. After that, the installation of the regular menstrual cycle can occur within two years. The fact is that in this period hormonal girls can affect even the smallest factors: small stress, physical stress (such as exercise), diet, any illness and intoxication, and so on.

If, two years after menarche regular monthly not established, should consult a doctor. The reason for seeking medical attention can also be very early (before 10 years) or late (after 15 years) menarche.

To understand why the delayed monthly, you need to see a gynecologist.

Galina Romanenko