Research Projects

Heavy menstrual bleeding (HMB) affects women's physical, emotional, social, and material quality of life, with 30-50% of reproductive age women experiencing it annually. Over 50% of women with HMB have moderate anemia, which limits social, physical, and leisure activities and increases healthcare resource use and costs. HMB can result from uterus abnormalities, ovulation disorders, or underlying hemostatic defects. A significant proportion of women with menorrhagia may have an undiagnosed bleeding disorder. The reported frequency of bleeding disorders in adolescents with HMB ranges from 8% to 62%, but the true frequency remains unknown due to the lack of prospective studies and standardized hemostatic testing. A systemic diagnostic approach is needed to identify the cause of HMB in these patients. This study will use a multimodality approach to delineate different hemostatic defects contributing to menorrhagia and develop a cost-effective and rationale-based algorithm for diagnosis. A total of 200 adolescent and young female patients with HMB and 20 age-matched controls will be recruited.