Nonpregnant vaginal bleeding

Background

  • Normal menstruation:
    • 28 +/- 7d cycles; 4d of bleeding

Definitions

  1. Menorrhagia
    1. Prolonged (>7d) or excessive (>60mL daily) vaginal bleeding at regular intervals
  2. Metrorrhagia
    1. Irregular vaginal bleeding outside the normal cycle
  3. Menometrorrhagia
    1. Excessive irregular vaginal bleeding
  4. Polymenorrhea
    1. Frequent and light bleeding
  5. Postcoital bleeding
    1. Vaginal bleeding after intercourse, suggesting cervical pathology
  6. Postmenopausal bleeding
    1. Any bleeding that occurs >6 mo after cessation of menstruation
  7. Dysfunctional uterine bleeding
    1. Bleeding not due to an organic cause

Diagnosis

  • Hemodynamically stable pt in ED must rule-out:
    • Pregnancy
    • Trauma
    • Bleeding dyscrasia
    • Infection
    • Retained foreign body
    • If ruled these out the refer for outpt w/u


  • Obtain coags only if suspect bleeding dyscrasia
  • Obtain TSH, prolactin levels if suspect endocrine d/o

DDX

Systemic Causes

  1. Secondary anovulation
  2. Coagulopathy
    1. Von Willebrand, ITP
  3. Hypothyroidism
  4. Hormone replacement therapy
  5. Cirrhosis

Reproductive Tract Causes

  1. Fibroids
  2. Adenomyosis
  3. Endometriosis
  4. Neoplasia
  5. Infection (vaginitis, PID)
  6. Vaginal trauma
  7. Foreign Body
  8. IUD
  9. Atrophic endometrium
  10. Dysfunctional uterine bleeding
    1. Diagnosis of exclusion
    2. Ovulatory: Excessive wt change, stress, exercise
    3. Anovulatory: postmenopause, premenopause, PCOS

Work-Up

  1. Urine pregnancy
  2. Hb
  3. Coags (only if h/o or suspect coaulopathy)
  4. ?TSH
  5. ?Pelvic u/s

Treatment

  1. Gyn consult
  2. Estrogen IV/PO (similar efficacy)
  3. Temporize bleeding w/ foley balloon or kerlix soaked in saline and thrombin
  4. Suture or silver nitrate if bleeding from trauma

Disposition

  • D/c home w/ OB/GYN f/u

Source

Tintinalli


See Also

Vaginal Bleeding (Main)