Patient's question:
Doctor: Hello! My mother is already 50 years old this year. In September, her menstrual cycle was unstable, coming for a week, stopping for a week, and fluctuating until November. Later, she went to the Municipal People's Hospital for a check-up and had some kind of surgical procedure with a knife. All tests have been done, and the doctor said there wasn't much of a problem. The key issue now is: her menstruation has come again in the past few days (she had the surgery on the 2nd of this month and it returned on the 8th), and it has been going on for three or four days without stopping. I want to ask, what is going on with this? Is this a serious problem? Is it polyps? The examining doctor said: erosion. The medication has already been...Doctor's answer:
Hello:First, your mother's irregular menstruation is a common normal manifestation of women in the perimenopausal (menopausal) stage in medicine. Menopause is an inevitable physiological process in every woman's life. It indicates the decline of ovarian function and the cessation of reproductive ability. The perimenopausal stage refers to the period from when signs of menopause-related endocrine, biological, and clinical characteristics begin to appear near menopause to one year after menopause. The average age of menopause for urban women in China is 49.5 years.
More than half of women experience menstrual disorders before menopause, mostly characterized by irregular cycles, prolonged duration, and increased menstrual flow, which are caused by anovulatory cycles. Women in the perimenopausal stage and after menopause who experience abnormal uterine bleeding should be vigilant about the possibility of endometrial cancer. An endometrial biopsy should be performed, and it is also necessary to consider the possibility of cervical cancer, uterine polyps, or fibroids.
Additionally, cervical erosion is classified into grades I, II, and III based on depth and area, as well as mild, moderate, and severe degrees. Treatment methods include physical therapy, medication, and surgery. For cervical hypertrophy, deep and extensive erosion involving the cervical canal, a cervical conization may be considered. However, due to the high risk of bleeding with this procedure and the fact that most chronic cervical inflammation can be cured with non-surgical methods, it is rarely used now.
Based on your description, your mother's menstrual irregularities are likely manifestations of the perimenopausal stage. If you are concerned, it is recommended to undergo an endometrial biopsy to rule out the possibility of malignant diseases. Regarding cervical erosion, it is difficult to determine whether surgical treatment is necessary. If you are dissatisfied with the previous hospital, you may consider switching to a tertiary hospital or