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What are the causes of this condition and what are the treatments?

Dr. David Elia: Very often uterine bleeding are not attributable to a particular disease or abnormality of the uterus (polyps, fibroids ...). They are said to correspond to a functional and manufacturing progestin hormone deficiency. The treatment involves taking pills or progesterone on IUD insertion issuing of progesterone.

The hormone diffuses continuously against the walls of the uterus, particularly on the endometrium, preventing it to grow and thicken. The abundance of rules is related to the thickness of the endometrium, the bleeding will be less and regular.

Note that the classical IUD can also cause bleeding. This is the most common complication of copper IUD. Treatment is simple, it is to remove the IUD and its replacement with a hormonal IUD, delivering progesterone.

In women who are over 40 years, or those who want no more Baby, you can use a heating system "ultrasound". This non-surgical procedure is done on an outpatient basis. We introduce a probe, which is cauterized by the heat the uterine cavity. The activity of the uterine lining is reduced, which helps to reduce bleeding.

From 38-40 years, many women have bleeding due to a pathology called adenomyosis. This is an endometriosis of the uterine muscle, that is to say that the endometrium is abnormally nest in the uterine muscle wall.

The adenomyosis is a benign disease, but causes bleeding very heavy menstrual periods or bleeding (bleeding outside of menstruation). Treatment depends again on progesterone in the form of pills or IUDs.

A period on the pill or intrauterine progestogen may also be offered to women who want children but who suffer from bleeding and extremely painful rules.

Finally, if not located fibroids in the uterus but in the muscle, it can also relieve uterine bleeding using progesterone as a pill or IUD broadcast locally this hormone.

Finally, the IUD is a contraceptive method, but doctors can also use it as a real treatment in women with functional uterine bleeding, as opposed to bleeding whose origin is attributed to the presence of a polyp or intra-cavitary fibroids for example, and must then be removed by flushing.

Note that the hormonal IUD gives six months after the rules extremely low or nonexistent, which is a relief for women who had bleeding.

Thus, this IUD can even be prescribed to women who did not have sex, but who suffered from bleeding ...

* Dr. David Elia is a gynecologist, editor of the magazine GENESIS, leader of the gynecological Press, publishes regularly in scientific journals and has authored over 35 books public. He also created a website aimed at women (www.docteurdavidelia.com), and an application to the "iPhone eBook: Dr DAVID ELIA, GYNAECOLOGY, where you can download his books free.

And finally, Dr. David Elia is a member of the Scientific Committee of e-health.