Women keep their health secondary which is why they experience lifestyle diseases. Stress, anxiety add to this and cause menstrual irregularities. Menstrual abnormalities can be either heavy menstrual bleeding, painful menstruation, delayed menses or scanty menses.
But if you have painful menstruation, you are likely to approach a doctor because that disturbs your quality of life. If you have very heavy bleeding, then also women come forward for a treatment because it becomes difficult to endure it. Delayed menses also disturb you and you try to look for a reason but what is often ignored and sidelined is scanty menses.
It is not believed that it needs treatment because it is not directly affecting you physically or mentally. I have many women patients whom when I ask about their menstrual cycles, they say for years they just have spotting.
Normal menstrual cycle is of the duration 3 to 5 days and the amount of blood loss is estimated to be 20-80 ml average 35 ml. So, if the menstrual bleeding is scanty or lasts less than 2 days, it is called hypomenorrhoea in medical terms. We generally tell if you have 2-3 completely soaked pads on first 2 days, then the bleeding is normal.
Today we see acne in mid 20s, 30s and even 40s. The amount of pollution and stress around us definitely is one factor behind it but most importantly it is the menstrual irregularities in the body. It is very common to see pimples erupting just before the periods and once the cycle is over, they subside on their own. You keep using expensive medicated soaps, creams for your face but if menstrual flow is not good, you will keep getting pimples on your face.
Hair thinning and hair fall is another issue that is bothering us today. Women experience a lot of hair thinning problems during breast feeding as there is lot of hormonal imbalances going on. So, your health of the hair also depends on your menstrual health.
Do you know that menstrual cycle and bone health are deeply connected. Yes, they are. Research shows that density of the bones declines as the number of missed menstrual cycles accumulate. You must have heard doctors says that after menopause that is after menstruation in a woman ceases, she needs calcium because her bones get weak. Once the estrogenic levels start to decline after menopause, calcium starts getting reabsorbed from the blood thus leading to rapid degeneration of bone health.
Today, I see lot of patients in 30s of the age walking in my clinic with knee joint pain, early degeneration of the cartilage. When I seek history, I get to know that they have ignored menstrual health for years. So, you please do not do this mistake.
Low hemoglobin- When women approach us for disturbed menstruation, the first thing we notice it if she is pale or not. And majority of them are found to be iron deficient. Their hemoglobin revolves around 8-9.
When should you get it checked: If you get tired easily, if you don’t have energy to do your work, if your breathing becomes heavy on climbing few stairs, if your nails are pale, whitish, if your appetite is low, if you have irritability in your nature, then probably you are iron deficient. You should get in touch with a doctor if your hemoglobin is than 11. You should include more green leafy vegetable, beetroot, nuts, legumes, dry fruits, oats. One simple ancient remedy is jaggery and chickpeas (chana). It is a good source of iron and protein.
There are times in everyone’s lives when your menstrual flow gets altered than what it usually was. It is certainly not of great concern if 2-3 cycles are different from your usual one. But if you have started experiencing scanty or less menstruation for more than 6 months now, than it is time to think and know why
Weight gain –Some women have the tendency of putting on weight or losing weight too fast. Sudden weight gain can mess with the menstrual cycle because the more fat in the body alters the hormones in the body. So, adopt a balanced diet to ensure your weight remains constant.
Thin endometrium –During menstruation, what you see in the form of blood is the shedding of endometrium which is the inner most lining of the uterus. So, if you have a thin endometrium you are bound to have less menstrual flow. You can get an ultrasound done to check the size of your endometrium.
Ideally, in these cases you should get ultrasound done after 3 weeks of your cycle because if you get it done before your mid cycle, then endometrium is naturally thin during this time. After 3 weeks of cycle, it should be between 10-12 mm in size. If it is less than 7 mm in this phase, you probably are having a thin endometrium.
A simple medicine I can share with you here is you can use Shatavari ghrita with milk. It is mentioned by Acharya Vangsen that it has Artava dosha nashak properties. It is said to have phytoestrogen properties which will act as a source of estrogen and will enhance the endometrium growth.
More Vata Pradhan Acharya Charaka has written that a woman of vata prakriti, when consumes Vatapradhan diet and indulges in other activities capable of aggravating vayu, then provoked vayu reaches reproductive system and can give rise to light menstrual flow. During periods, such women will experience more of abdominal heaviness, bloating, gas, constipation and mood swings. They experience low back pain, leg pain and cramps in the stomach too. Hot water bags should be used to avoid this, and castor oil can be taken at bedtime.
If you have scanty menstruation, then before going for hormonal treatment, you should consult an Ayurvedic doctor near you. Ayurveda has many medicines like Shatavari, Ashawagandha, Kumari, Rasonadi vati, Punarnava to improve menstruation. Today, many women are facing an early menopause. In such cases, you should seek treatment from an Ayurvedic doctor. Menstrual bleeding is the monthly cleanse of woman’s body. Make sure that it happens properly.
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