Menstrual Cycle Terminology — Soma Naturopathic

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