Oligomenorrhea

Menstrual delay

Among the various disorders related to menstruation, oligomenorrhea indicates an alteration in the duration of the ovarian cycle, which occurs with a delay of more than four days: in other words, we speak of oligomenorrhea when the interval between one menstruation and the other exceeds 32-35 days.

Duration of the cycle

In women of childbearing age, with the exception of pregnant women and the puerperal period (after childbirth), the cycle normally lasts 23-32 days, and menstruation should last up to a maximum of eight days: if these rhythms are not respected, some problems may arise.

A delay in the menstrual cycle of 2-3 days does not indicate a real oligomenorrhea, since a certain physiological variability must be taken into account.

When the time lapse between two menstrual cycles exceeds 3 months, the meaning oligomenorrhea it is refined to “amenorrhea”, which indicates precisely a long interruption of the cycle.

Biological clock

Oligomenorrhea, in general, does not create and does not reflect real pathologies: in fact, if the woman is healthy from a gynecological point of view, therefore not suffering from fibroids, malignant tumors, polyps, abdominal pain and consistent menstrual disorders, the " oligomenorrhea does not cause significant consequences, if not the discomfort that can derive from "waiting" for the menstrual cycle.
To better understand the concept, let's make a metaphor with the "biological clock. Every woman has her own biological clock, which is important for monitoring the timing of menstrual regulation: sometimes, for various reasons, it can happen that the gears of the" biological clock "jam , and the body responds inappropriately by presenting oligomenorrhea, menorrhagia, metrorrhagia, polymenorrhea etc.
The biological clock can ideally be divided into two periods: the pre-ovulation phase and the post-ovulation phase. Generally, the post-ovulatory stage, which coincides with the period following ovulation, is constant; what changes, and which could cause oligomenorrhea, therefore delayed menstrual flow, is the pre-ovulatory stage, which is variable. Exactly this last phase, lasting too long, could generate that expectation which translates into oligomenorrhea.

Incidence

Oligomenorrhea represents the most frequent menstrual irregularity among women; in particular, during the first year after the first menstruation (menarche), it is estimated that 25% of new women often complain of oligomenorrhea, since the organism has yet to "settle down" and the "biological clock - to reconsider the same metaphor - must still be effectively scheduled.

Causes

The causes that can cause oligomenorrhea are many and can change from woman to woman: in fact, as we have said, among young women it is a fairly widespread phenomenon - not so much for the presence of problems at the level of the "genital system - but for the fact that the organism has yet to adapt to the new body. In adult women, the phenomenon of oligomenorrhea is, however, frequent: statistics show that 35% of women suffer from periodic delays; probably, in these cases, oligomenorrhea is related to hyperandrogenism, that is to say a high rate of male hormones in women. The multi-follicular ovary also represents a possible factor affecting oligomenorrhea: multiple follicles are scattered inside the ovary and can generate unpleasant delays. Furthermore, psycho-physical stress, fatigue, anxieties, worries and overwork can influence the regularity of the menstrual cycle; however, these factors just described have no meaning in pathological terms.

Premature menopause

A link has been recorded between frequent oligomenorrhea in adulthood and early menopause: there are still no studies that actually show a direct connection, but it seems that frequent delay in menstruation may somehow anticipate the period of menopause.
The occasional delay in the menstrual cycle should not cause concern; vice versa, when oligomenorrhea occurs frequently, it is advisable to consult a doctor for a gynecological check-up; eventually, the specialist will be able to advise the patient on a progestin hormone treatment for the reconciliation of menstruation and regularization of the cycle.

Summary

To fix the concepts ...

Menstrual disorder

Oligomenorrhea

Description

Alteration of the ovarian cycle that manifests itself with a delay of more than four days: if the interval between one menstruation and the other exceeds 32-35 days, we speak of oligomenorrhea

Incidence

Women of childbearing age, excluding pregnant women and women in the postpartum period. Oligomenorrhea affects 35% of new women during the first year after menarche

Amenorrhea

When oligomenorrhea exceeds 3 months, it is called amenorrhea

At what stage does oligomenorrhea occur

The post-ovulation phase is constant
The pre-ovulation stage may be longer than normal: oligomenorrhea may occur at this stage

Influencing factors

• Malignant tumors, fibroids, polyps: more serious conditions that can predispose oligomenorrhea
• Multi-follicular ovary and hyperandrogenism: they very often cause oligomenorrhea
• Stress, fatigue, worry, work: factors that can affect the regularity of the cycle

Aftermath

Abdominal pain, stress
Possible (but certainly not) advance of menopause

Therapy

A progestin hormone therapy regulates the menstrual cycle and prevents oligomenorrhea