Menstrual Cycle Terminology

Terminology:

• Amenorrhea

• Bleeding that is absent for 6 months or more

• Oligomenorrhea

• Bleeding that occurs at intervals of > 35 days. 

• “Oligo” in latin translates to few. So think of it in terms of the cycle-If you have cycles that are more than 35 days long, you're going to have a less number of actual cycles each year.

• Polymenorrhea

• Bleeding that occurs at intervals of < 21 days.

• “Poly” in latin translates to many. If you have cycles that occur less than 21 days, you're going to have an increased number of cycles throughout the year

• Menorrhagia

• Bleeding occurs at normal intervals (21 to 35 days) but with heavy flow (80 mL) or duration (>7 days)

• Hypomenorrhea:

• Regular bleeding with an unusually light flow

• Postmenopausal bleeding

• Bleeding recurs in a menopausal patient at least 1 year after cessation of cycles.

• Dysfunctional uterine bleeding = DUB

• Ovulatory or anovulatory bleeding  is a diagnosis of exclusion after excluding: pregnancy or pregnancy-related disorders, medications, obvious genital tract pathology, and systemic conditions

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