Dysfunctional Uterine Bleeding or DUB happens to nearly every female at some point in life. Also termed as Abnormal Uterine Bleeding (AUB), it is a condition that leads to excessive vaginal bleeding beyond the
menstrual cycle. TSome reasons that lead to AUB are hormonal imbalance, menopause, abortion, medicinal side-effects, etc.

Abnormal bleeding may be both hyper and hypo, women may either experience heavy bleeding or spotting. Spotting is lighter bleeding where The vaginal secretions are either light red, brown or pink. Before we dwell into the diagnosis and dysfunctional uterine bleeding treatment,

What Leads To Dysfunctional Uterine Bleeding?

  • Endometriosis: It is a medical condition where the uterine lining grows outside the uterus like on the ovaries. Endometriosis is one of the prime reasons for heavy bleeding during periods.
  • Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS): When a female body releases abnormally large amounts of sex hormones. The result is an imbalance between progesterone and estrogen, leading to irregular menstrual cycles. This endocrine disorder leads to heavy bleeding or spotting.
  • Sexually Transmitted Diseases: STDs, sometimes, may lead to heavy bleeding, chlamydia, inflammation, gonorrhoea, etc. Although, the bleeding due to STDs takes place after sex when the lesions get aggravated.
  • Uterine Polyps: Small extensions that grow inside the uterus lead to abnormal bleeding. These growths have small blood vessels that produce extra blood during periods and lead to heavy bleeding.

Diagnosis of DUB

  1. The diagnosis of AUB varied according to age. Pregnant women need to undergo different tests while young girls who are just entering puberty need further tests. If a patient is facing heavy bleeding during pregnancy, the doctor may need to take harsh measures and opt for surgery or abortion depending on the severity of the situation.  It can be fatal for pregnant women while for normal girls heavy loss of blood every month may lead to weakness or anaemia.
  2. Doctors perform an ultrasound of the pelvic area to understand the cause of bleeding. In some cases, the doctors also go for endometrial biopsy. They send the tissues to the lab for testing to see what kind of hormonal imbalance, medication, or disease leads to such abnormal conditions. The dysfunctional uterine bleeding treatment devised as per the reason.
  3. Another commonly used test for the purpose is hysteroscopy. A skinny tube with a miniature camera placed inside the uterus. It allows the doctor to look inside the uterus, and if the tissues show any abnormality, they are sent for biopsy.

Dysfunctional Uterine Bleeding Treatment in Ayurveda

There are many ways to treat abnormal bleeding. The course of treatment is decided based on age, desire to start a family in the future, and the abnormality. You may go for allopathic or ayurvedic treatment of this condition. In case you are planning to go for ayurvedic treatment, the doctor may ask you to undergo some necessary tests like USG or blood tests.  There are some medicines that the doctor may prescribe to control uterine bleeding. But along with, they would need the patient to follow some dietary and lifestyle changes. The most commonly used medicines for DUB include:

  • Pradantak Churna: It is a herbal formulation that helps in maintaining the overall health of female bodies. Its core area of function is the female reproductive system. The churna includes herbs like Udumbur (Ficus glomerata), Lodhra (Symplocus racemosa), Arjuna (Terminelia arjuna), and Ashok (Saraca Indica). Lodhra relaxes the uterine muscles and controls bleeding to quite an extent. It also helps in balancing the much-aggravated pitta dosha.  Ashok keeps vaginal bleeding in check while Arjun maintains the overall health of female systems.
  • Chandanadi Vati: It made with safe Chandan (santalum albam), Rasaunt (Berberis aristata), Amalaki (Phyllanthus emblica), and Gokshura (Tribulus terrestris). The combination of these herbs helps in the upkeep of the pittathepitta dosha, fulfil the nutritional deficiency,  and help the body cope with weakness due to heavy blood loss.

Apart from this, the Ayurvedic course of treatment also follows the Panchakarma therapy that includes five therapies like Basti, Virechana, etc. As the treatment goes ahead, the patient gets various other external treatments like Pichu (vaginal sterilization), Chakra Basti (administration of Ayurvedic medicines on navel area), Avagaha Sweda (sitz bath) Takradhara (treatment with buttermilk) and several others. Once the patient starts feeling better, they are advised to follow yoga and healthy eating habits to prevent recurrence of problems.

Can Dysfunctional Uterine Bleeding Be Prevented?

Under most cases, the reasons for abnormal bleeding are natural or are disease-related. None of these conditions is under human control. The hormones have their course of production and consumption. Their regulation depends on various factors like diet, weight, age, and overall health of the female. But yes, females must be given special care irrespective of their age.

They are the ones who lose blood every month, so their diet needs special attention. Junk food needs to be kept at bay while the consumption of fruits and vegetables should be encouraged for all. Also, while going for treatment, you should try to go for that course of treatment that focuses on eliminating the root cause of the problem rather than eradicating symptoms like Ayurveda.