What should I do if my menstrual flow is light?

Many women experience scanty menstruation. The definition in textbooks is that when our menstrual volume is less than 20 ml, which is about the amount of blood in a night sanitary napkin, it is about 20 ml to 30 ml. If this standard is not met, then it is considered to be scanty menstrual blood. An occasional occurrence is not pathological, as menstruation is mainly blood that is shed from the endometrium in the body.

According to the above standard evaluation, if the menstrual volume is indeed less than 20ml each time, or even if menstruation does not come (medically known as amenorrhea), you need to go to the hospital for further examination of the cause. The possible causes are as follows:

(1) Intrauterine adhesions: This is the most common cause of oligomenorrhea or even secondary amenorrhea. It is mainly seen in women with a history of multiple abortions or curettage. It requires a hysteroscopy to confirm the diagnosis and cannot usually be detected by ultrasound.

(2) Endocrine disorders are mainly caused by certain factors (such as hypothyroidism, use of sex hormone drugs, elevated prolactin, hyperinsulinemia or hyperandrogenism, etc.), which lead to endocrine disorders in the hypothalamus-pituitary-ovarian axis, reduced estrogen secretion in the body, and inability to make the endometrium proliferate to a certain thickness, thus causing scanty menstruation or even amenorrhea. A sex hormone test is needed to confirm the diagnosis.

(3) Endometrial lesions, such as endometrial tuberculosis, endometritis, and endometrial atrophy. Since menstrual blood comes from the shedding of the endometrium, any disease that may inhibit the proliferation of the endometrium can cause oligomenorrhea or even amenorrhea.

(4) Excessive exercise or inappropriate weight loss can lead to a rapid decrease in body fat content, which can also cause a decrease in menstrual flow or even amenorrhea.

If the amount of menstrual blood is small, the most important thing for us is to find the cause of the small amount of menstrual blood and then carry out symptomatic treatment. At ordinary times, we must maintain a relaxed mood, because an overly tense mental state may very likely inhibit the secretion of some hormones, which may lead to a decrease in ovarian estrogen secretion.