Excessive menstrual bleeding occurs most often prior to menopause, with no underlying pathology present just response to erratic hormone production. In younger women menorrhagia can be caused by a range of problems, necessitating skilled diagnosis. Such causes include fibroids, polyps, blood-clotting problems or tumours. Gynaecologic disorders related to menorrhagia include iron deficiency anemia, dysmenorrhea, endometriosis, and premenstrual syndrome.
In Chinese medicine, excessive menstrual bleeding indicates heat in the blood or deficient qi.