Heavy Menstrual Bleeding and Blood Disorders

Many young women and adolescents experience heavy or abnormal menstrual cycles. Typically, if a cycle lasts longer than 8 days, it is considered abnormal. Other abnormalities include bleeding that occurs more than every three weeks and cycles that require changing menstrual products every hour or less. Heavy bleeding can also be associated with fatigue, dizziness, and other signs of anemia.

Listen to pediatric experts discuss how to manage heavy periods in adolescents

In this episode we are joined by Tricia Huguelet, MD, and Genevieve Moyer, MD to discuss how to best support young women with abnormal menstrual cycles.

Dr. Huguelet is the Section Chief for the Division of Pediatric and Adolescent Gynecology and the Fellowship Program Director at Children’s Hospital Colorado and Associate Professor at the University of Colorado School of Medicine.

Dr. Moyer is part of the Hematology/Oncology internal Medicine team at Children’s Colorado and Assistant Professor at the University of Colorado School of Medicine.

Dr. Huguelet and Dr. Moyer run the Spots and Dots Clinic at Children’s Colorado.

In this episode, our experts discuss:

• Old and new definitions of heavy menstrual bleeding
• Anemia as a symptom of heavy menstrual bleeding
• Assessment of heavy bleeding and screening for blood disorders
• Evaluation for Von Willebrand disease
• Considering blood ferritin levels in diagnosing blood disorders
• Hormonal therapy and other treatments for heavy menstrual bleeding and menstrual cramps
• Considerations for surgical treatment of heavy menstrual bleeding
• How heavy menstrual bleeding affects participation in education and the workforce
• Role of iron replacement therapy

Resources for providers:

• Diagnosis and Management of Heavy Menstrual Bleeding and Bleeding Disorders in Adolescents, JAMA Pediatrics, 2020
• Screening and Management of Bleeding Disorders in Adolescents With Heavy Menstrual Bleeding, American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists