Heavy periods could soon be a thing of the past. Here's why

Scientists have uncovered a cause of heavy menstrual bleeding - a finding that offers hope for a new treatment for women living with the painful condition.
Researchers from the University of Edinburgh in the UK identified a key protein called HIF-1 that could explain why heavy bleeding occurs. They studied the womb lining, known as the endometrium. This is shed during menstruation, leaving behind a wound-like surface that must heal to limit blood loss.

Representational picture

The team discovered that lowered levels of oxygen - known as hypoxia - stimulates production of HIF-1, which drives repair of the womb lining. Women with heavy periods had reduced levels of HIF-1 compared with those with normal blood loss, researchers said. Tests on mice using a drug to boost levels of HIF-1 led
to improved tissue repair and reduced blood loss. The results offer hope for therapies, they said.

"Our findings reveal for the first time that HIF-1 and reduced levels of oxygen in the womb are required during a period to optimise repair of the womb lining," said Jackie Maybin from the MRC Centre for Reproductive Health at the University of Edinburgh. "Excitingly, increasing levels of the HIF-1 protein in mice shows real promise as a novel, non-hormonal medical treatment," said Maybin, lead author of the study published in the journal Nature Communications.

Heavy menstrual bleeding is one of the most common reasons for visiting the gynaecologist - about 20 to 30 per cent of pre-menopausal women deal with heavy bleeding, according to the researchers. Diagnosing heavy menstrual bleeding can be subjective, but the medical community defines it as blood loss of more
than 80 millilitres per menstrual cycle. The condition can lead to severe anaemia - where there are not enough red blood cells to carry oxygen around the body.

It can lead to severe abdominal pain and disrupt daily life, as well as giving rise to other symptoms, such as bloating, unscheduled bleeding, and fatigue. Current therapies to ease heavy bleeding are hormone-based and often prevent pregnancy. The researchers say there is a "clear, unmet" need for treatment that does not tamper with hormones and fertility.

"This research lays the much needed groundwork to developing new treatment options for women grappling with this condition," said Neha Issar-Brown, Head of Population and Systems Medicine at the MRC. "The fact that preliminary results suggest no interference with fertility makes it even more promising," she said.

Catch up on all the latest Mumbai, National and International news here

Download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get updates on all the latest and trending stories on the go

The content/reporting displayed on our website www.mid-day.com is provided "AS-IS," "AS AVAILABLE, by us from third party, agencies, sources, without any verification from our side. It may contain error, bugs and other limitations. The reader's can rely on the content at their own will. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability, data, text, images, video, messages, or any other material whatsoever or for any claims/loss/action that the reader may suffer as a result of relying on the content on our site. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever.