Age and the prevalence of bleeding disorders in women with menorrhagia.
OBJECTIVE
A study was conducted to evaluate the frequency and types of hemostatic defects occurring in adolescent and perimenopausal-age women diagnosed with menorrhagia.


METHODS
A total of 115 women with a physician diagnosis of menorrhagia, including 25 adolescent women, 25 perimenopausal-age women, and 65 women between the ages of 20 and 44, underwent comprehensive hemostatic testing for possible bleeding disorders. Frequencies of bleeding disorders were calculated and compared.


RESULTS
Forty-seven percent of women were found to have hemostatic abnormalities, including platelet dysfunction, von Willebrand's disease, and coagulation factor deficiencies. Adolescents and perimenopausal-age women with menorrhagia were just as likely to have hemostatic abnormalities as were women aged 20 to 44.


CONCLUSIONS
These results demonstrate that underlying bleeding disorders are frequently found in adolescent, postadolescent reproductive age, and perimenopausal-age women presenting with menorrhagia and suggest that women with menorrhagia should be considered for further hemostatic evaluation.
Philipp
Claire S
CS
Department of Medicine, UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, New Brunswick, New Jersey, USA. philipp@umdnj.edu
Faiz
Ambarina
A
Dowling
Nicole
N
Dilley
Anne
A
Michaels
Lisa A
LA
Ayers
Charletta
C
Miller
Connie H
CH
Bachmann
Gloria
G
Evatt
Bruce
B
Saidi
Parvin
P
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D001792:Blood Platelets / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D006474:Hemorrhagic Disorders / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis; D006801:Humans; D008595:Menorrhagia / Q000097:blood / Q000150:complications*; D008875:Middle Aged; D010974:Platelet Aggregation; D014841:von Willebrand Factor / Q000032:analysis
D014841:von Willebrand Factor