Why does functional uterine bleeding occur during menopause?

When women reach menopause, some have irregular menstrual intervals and increased menstrual flow. Sometimes they do not have menstruation for two or three months, and then suddenly they come with great force and heavy bleeding, accompanied by blood clots of varying sizes. Some people may experience palpitations, shortness of breath, dizziness, tinnitus, pale complexion, and cold hands and feet. This phenomenon is abnormal uterine bleeding in menopausal women, called functional uterine bleeding.

Functional uterine bleeding is one of the common gynecological diseases, accounting for about 10% to 15% of gynecological patients. For any irregular vaginal bleeding, if no obvious organic lesions of the reproductive system and other systems of the body are found after examination by a doctor, it can be considered that the uterine bleeding is caused by endocrine dysfunction. This kind of functional uterine bleeding will generally stop naturally when the secretory function is adjusted and stabilized, followed by menopause.

Why do menopausal women experience functional uterine bleeding?

In a normal menstrual cycle, the endometrium grows under the action of estrogen and progesterone, then sheds and bleeds. As the endometrium repairs, menstrual bleeding gradually decreases and generally stops within a week. However, in menopausal women, due to ovarian dysfunction, the follicles cannot ovulate, and there is a lack of progesterone. The endometrium is only affected by a single estrogen. When the estrogen level in the body drops to a certain level, the endometrium loses support and begins to shrink, and regional necrosis occurs, resulting in shedding and bleeding. This bleeding is irregular, and the amount of bleeding varies with the degree of endometrial hyperplasia.