Many women do not pay attention to the peculiarities of their menstrual cycle, if it comes on time and passes regularly. It is important to know that not only the nature of the secretions and their frequency, but also their duration plays a special role in the menstrual process. Short menstruation is a violation of menstrual function, in which only 50 ml of blood is released during the entire cycle. Most often, such discharges are distinguished by a smearing or dripping character, and are also colored in a brown or light shade.
Causes of malaise
Why do periods get shorter? The reason for the appearance of meager periods may be a malfunction of the internal organs and systems that are responsible for regulating the hormonal background - the pituitary gland and ovaries. Problems with the natural process of hormone production lead to impaired circulation in the uterus and changes in the endometrium (the lining of the uterus) during the menstrual cycle. As a result of the described process, meager periods appear.
Main causes of short periods:
- drastic change in woman's weight - herecan be attributed to both a sharp weight loss due to a strict diet, strong physical activity, general exhaustion of the body, and a quick set of extra pounds, as well as obesity;
- metabolic problems;
- lack of useful trace elements and vitamins in food, anemia;
- severe fatigue, emotional depression, depression, problems with the nervous system;
- difficulties with the endocrine system;
- genital injury, genital surgery;
- problems in the development of the genital organs, removal of the uterus;
- tuberculosis of the genital organs;
- sexually transmitted infections;
- intoxication of the body (prolonged accumulation of toxins, toxins, hazardous chemicals in the body);
- feeding a newborn with breast milk;
- taking oral contraceptives.
Main symptoms
With hypomenorrhea, menstrual flow during menstruation takes the form of drops or small traces of light or dark blood. The time of menstruation in this case may remain the same, or be shortened to two phases.
Weak, short periods and delayed periods can be accompanied by severe headache, vomiting and nausea, lower back pain, diarrhea or constipation, and problems digesting food.
The menstruation itself can pass without pain and a feeling of heaviness in the abdomen. In some cases, a woman begins to experience nosebleeds that accompany eachmenstruation.
Menstruation has become shorter: reasons
Poor discharge during menstruation often appears due to a decrease in the level of estrogen in the body in violation of the reproductive system. Sometimes short periods pass without much pain and go unnoticed, as they do not provoke any symptoms.
Bad periods during puberty (the formation of the menstrual cycle) or during perimenopause (fading of the menstrual function) speak of natural functional changes in the woman's body, so they cannot be attributed to pathological ones, and they do not require treatment. But in the reproductive phase, meager periods and other negative symptoms may indicate the presence of serious problems in the reproductive system. To accurately determine the cause of bad periods, it is important to conduct a comprehensive diagnosis.
Worse periods
This condition can manifest itself only in two cases: the period of formation of the menstrual system and bearing a child. In the first case, bad periods are a physiological condition, they do not provoke any complications and eventually normalize on their own. But we must remember that hypomenorrhea can provoke the appearance of various symptoms: pain in the abdomen, sacral chest.
During childbearing, problems with the menstrual cycle can occur due to disturbances in the endocrine system (poor hormone production). This condition of a woman should be corrected by the attending physician by taking hormonal drugs. With such a processa pregnant woman may experience pain, regular nausea, weakness.
First scanty period
Why are meager and short periods? The first meager periods can appear not only in the process of normalization of menstrual function, but also in the reproductive period, as well as in the first stage of menopause. In this case, a special role is played by factors that can lead to such a condition (hormonal problems, inflammatory diseases, injuries, severe stress, fatigue, excessive emotional stress).
If there is inflammation in the body, a woman will be diagnosed with short periods with light-colored discharge and a large number of leukocytes in the composition, when injured, the discharge will be colored in a dark brown hue. When identifying the cause of the appearance of meager periods, it is important to pay special attention to the nature of the outgoing masses, as this will help establish an accurate diagnosis.
Prolonged period problems
Why are periods getting shorter? If a woman’s meager periods do not pass for a long time, then this may indicate the presence in her body of serious diseases of the genital organs (especially the uterus).
Most often in these cases, doctors diagnose endometriosis (an inflammatory process in the inner layer of the uterus), beriberi, endocrine pathologies, problems with metabolic function. It is very important to contact the treating specialist in time, since the sooner the cause of the abundantshorter periods, the higher the chance to prevent the development of the disease and serious complications (for example, infertility).
Postpartum problems
Often short menstrual days occur after the birth of a child. Such a process is referred to as a physiological one, since during this period of time the female body did not have time to fully normalize and adapt to changes in the menstrual cycle, and the hormonal background continues to work both on the woman's body and on the child's body.
But if bad periods continue for a long time, then this may indicate the presence of any postpartum complications: infectious lesions, inflammation, problems with the secretion of the pituitary gland.
In some cases, scanty periods can be the result of a recent stressful situation during childbearing or breastfeeding. When treating such a problem, it is important to first get rid of the main cause, and then act on the symptoms.
Problems after scraping
Also, scanty periods often appear after curettage. If the periods have become scanty and short, and an unpleasant odor emanates from them, then this is a serious reason to see a doctor. At the same time, during menstruation, there is severe pain in the lower abdomen and a significant increase in body temperature.
Most often, poor-quality curettage leads to this condition, during which a certain amount of the fetal membrane remains in the uterine cavity. Also, an unpleasant smell of discharge may indicate the presenceinfections. With such symptoms, it is important to consult a doctor again for a second curettage.
Brown highlights
Brown discharge during short periods is quite common. Such formations indicate the presence of problems with the functioning of the reproductive system. In most cases, inflammatory processes in the endometrium, intrauterine diseases, postpartum or post-abortion complications, diseases of an infectious breed lead to this condition. In this case, the discharge acquires an unpleasant odor and leads to pain in the abdomen.
Hyperplasia of the endometrium can also provoke violations of this nature. This disease is caused by metabolic disorders, disruptions in hormonal regulation, as well as lesions of the genital organs.
Often taking hormonal contraceptives affects the appearance of brown discharge. In the first few months, such discharge is acceptable, but if it lasts, it is important to stop taking contraceptives and find new ones.
When carrying a child
Many believe that during pregnancy, a woman should have no periods at all. But this cannot be called the norm, since in the first trimester a woman may experience a small amount of blood discharge. This can be explained by the fact that after fertilization, the egg does not have time to reach the uterus in the allotted period of time and gain a foothold in it.
This leads to the fact that the hormonal background of a woman does not have time to rebuild. It is important to remember that periods that come out of the vagina intothe first month of bearing a child are not menstruation. Spotting in this case comes out in a small amount.
From the second month, a complete restructuring of the hormonal system occurs, the development of pregnancy begins, and menstruation, as well as any discharge, ends.
If bleeding continues to come out in the second month of pregnancy, this may indicate detachment of the ovum. In this case, you should consult a doctor.
In some cases, bleeding may indicate a spontaneous abortion. A miscarriage can be identified by heavy bleeding, which is accompanied by severe pain in the lower abdomen.
Diagnostic measures
Any diagnostic procedures will begin with a visit to the attending specialist (gynecologist). To identify the exact cause of short periods and determine the degree of danger of the condition, after consultation, the doctor prescribes a comprehensive medical study.
The examination scheme in this case will include a complete gynecological examination, a smear from the genital tract for cytology (cell examination), bacterial culture, PCR diagnostics of the genital tract, assessment of basal temperature, detection of the amount of hormones in urine and blood patients, ultrasound of the uterus and ovaries, as well as biopsy.
Treatment of bad periods will directly depend on the results of diagnostic measures. If menstruation has become scanty and short, and this is provokedmalnutrition, problems with the nervous system, poor mobility, then all treatment will be reduced to eliminating unpleasant symptoms and improving the patient's condition. In this case, the doctor prescribes the patient a course of vitamin complexes, special antimicrobials and hormonal agents.
Treatment of disease
In case of menstrual irregularities, the main goal of treatment is a general strengthening effect and elimination of the main disease. In the treatment of hypomenorrhea, a good effect can be achieved if you start taking homeopathic medicines, the effect of which is almost the same as the hormones themselves.
Most often, with meager periods, a woman has the following additional symptoms: emotional depression, depression, fatigue, frigidity, headaches. This condition requires physiotherapy and psychotherapy. During premenopause and breastfeeding, no treatment is necessary.
To avoid the appearance of scanty periods, it is important to follow some preventive measures. You should spend more time outdoors, lead an active lifestyle, do not overstrain your body. It is important to try to avoid strong stresses that provoke problems with the hormonal system and negatively affect the menstrual cycle.
