Menorrhagia II: is the 80-mL blood loss criterion useful in management of complaint of menorrhagia?
OBJECTIVE
Menorrhagia is defined in terms of statistical"abnormality"as blood loss of >80 mL. We examined the usefulness of this definition in women who were referred to gynecology clinics with heavy periods.


METHODS
A questionnaire survey of 952 menstrual complaint referrals at 3 hospital gynaecology clinics in Glasgow and Edinburgh included 226 women with heavy periods who had also consented to the measurement of their blood loss.


RESULTS
Women reported a range of problems with their periods, but absolute volume (31.2%) was less prevalent than period pain (37.5%), mood change (35.7%), and change in the amount (volume) of the period (33.8%). Although there were associations with volume, these associations were due to the heaviest and lightest of the loss groups, whereas the 2 groups with loss either side of 80 mL were virtually indistinguishable.


CONCLUSIONS
The 80-mL criterion for menorrhagia is of limited clinical usefulness because it is prognostic neither for problems nor iron status and apparently does not guide management.
Warner
Pamela E
PE
Division of Community Health Sciences, University of Edinburgh Medical School, Edinburgh, Scotland, UK.
Critchley
Hilary O D
HO
Lumsden
Mary Ann
MA
Campbell-Brown
Mary
M
Douglas
Anne
A
Murray
Gordon D
GD
D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D001810:Blood Volume / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D020896:Hypovolemia / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology; D008595:Menorrhagia / Q000145:classification* / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology; D008598:Menstruation / Q000502:physiology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D010147:Pain Measurement; D015995:Prevalence; D011336:Probability; D011379:Prognosis; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D006113:United Kingdom / Q000453:epidemiology