Estradiol-Progesterone Balance Paradigm: Heavy Menstrual Flow

In: Encyclopedia of Sexual Psychology and Behavior · 2023 · pp. 1–7 · doi:10.1007/978-3-031-08956-5_867-1 · W4321504598
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Menorrhagia, or heavy menstrual bleeding, is common and can stem from uterine abnormalities, hormonal imbalances like those between estradiol and progesterone, or other disorders.

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This encyclopedia entry reviews heavy menstrual flow (menorrhagia), describing it as abnormal uterine bleeding that can arise from uterine abnormalities, hormonal issues, or other disorders, and summarizing the estradiol–progesterone balance paradigm as one conceptual contributor. It broadly outlines mechanisms of menstrual breakdown and leakage when fertilization does not occur, and lists example causes such as polyps, fibroids, adenomyosis, and malignancy, alongside hormonal imbalances. A stated limitation is that it is a high-level review without presenting new original data or detailed, condition-specific methods. Relevance to endometriosis: the paper itself does not focus on endometriosis, but it cites hormone–endometrium interactions and includes adenomyosis among causes of heavy menstrual bleeding, within the broader corpus of gynecologic conditions that can overlap in symptoms.

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Abstract

Menorrhagia is the medical word for extremely heavy or protracted menstrual flow. This sort of abnormal uterine bleeding affects a large number of women. It can be caused by many different types of disorders, such as uterine abnormalities, hormonal issues, or other issues. If an egg is not fertilised during the menstrual cycle, the uterine lining breaks down and leaks. During this period, the egg and uterine lining are lost. Heavy bleeding can be caused by hormonal imbalances (e.g. oestrogen and progesterone, or other hormones) or uterine disorders (e.g. polyps, fibroids, adenomyosis, malignancy, etc.). Similar content being viewed by others

References

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Estradiol-Progesterone Balance Paradigm: Heavy Menstrual Flow. In: Shackelford, T.K. (eds) Encyclopedia of Sexual Psychology and Behavior. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-08956-5_867-1 Download citation DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-08956-5_867-1 Received: Accepted: Published: Publisher Name: Springer, Cham Print ISBN: 978-3-031-08956-5 Online ISBN: 978-3-031-08956-5 eBook Packages: Living Reference Behavioral Science and PsychologyReference Module Humanities and Social SciencesReference Module Business, Economics and Social Sciences

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