By "dysfunctional causes of spotting" we mean all those etiological factors for which it is not always possible to accurately identify the disease or disorder directly related to abnormal uterine loss.
What is spotting?
Spotting outlines a condition that should never be underestimated: it is a widespread phenomenon among adult women, which consists of unexpected brownish uterine losses, between one menstruation and another.
In previous articles, we treated the spotting disorder in general, and analyzed the organic causes that favor the disorder. In this disquisition we will minutely examine the main functional causes (or rather dysfunctional ones), which have the greatest impact on the manifestation of spotting.
Spotting is always an indicator that something in the body is not working properly: the abnormal uterine blood loss, typical of spotting, is not dangerous per se, but the main problem is the disorder behind this phenomenon.
Dysfunctional causes
The identification of the main cause responsible for spotting is essential for the correct diagnostic approach: in this regard, the exclusion of possible factors of organic origin (tumors, cysts, etc.) directs the physician towards the most appropriate therapy for the patient.
Among the causes of dysfunctional nature that cause spotting are:
- Stress (functional cause of hormonal modulations);
- Obesity, bulimia, anorexia and eating disorders in general;
- Drastic diets, vitamin deficiencies;
- Diabetes, hypercholesterolemia;
- Sedentariness, smoking;
- Post-pubertal and premenopausal period;
- Inadequate insertion of the contraceptive spiral (the topic has already been widely discussed in the article "spotting");
Some dysfunctional etiological factors that affect spotting deserve further investigation: in the next few paragraphs, stress, early menopause and eating disorders will be scrupulously treated.
Stress and spotting
Distress (negative stress) is the main dysfunctional cause responsible for spotting; stress, in fact, could give rise to various pathological implications.
In recent years, stress is fueled by the hectic pace of everyday life, to which most people are subjected because of daily commitments and the uncontrollable frantic rush to stop working life in general. Distress should not be minimized, because in women it could cause disorders that are reflected in the (ir) regularity of the menstrual cycle.
Stress is a dysfunctional cause of spotting because it alters hormonal production: it has been shown, in fact, how distress favors the excessive synthesis of adrenaline and cortisol. These hormones, when produced in abnormal quantities, cause a vicious circle in which the hypothalamus is no longer able to manage and control visceral functions and biorhythms in general: it is clear, therefore, that the menstrual cycle also undergoes substantial alterations, and spotting depends precisely on the lack of balance of hypothalamic impulses.
Insufficient - or lacking - control at the level of the hypothalamus could reduce the production of sex hormones - such as progesterone - which are indispensable for the regularization of the menstrual cycle: a possible consequence is given by spotting, which reflects a request for help by of the organism, a spy who should alert the woman from the very first symptoms. In these cases it is necessary the intervention of the doctor who, following a gynecological inspection, can direct the patient to the most suitable treatment (eg progestin therapy, which increases - and thus restores - the insufficient level of endogenous progesterone).
When the doctor frames the woman as " excessively stressed " from the diagnostic point of view, the patient should devote more time to herself, play sports, movement, relaxation practices (eg yoga) and, if necessary, stop smoking: in this way, hypothalamic harmony can be restored; consequently, the menstrual cycle also benefits and the woman can recover from spotting. The spotting "sick" woman must adopt a lifestyle that is appropriate to her body, able to eradicate the stress that underlies the disorder.
Stress »hormonal alteration» hyperproduction of cortisol and adrenaline »failed hypothalamic control» progesterone decrease »missed menstrual regularization» spotting |
Menopause and spotting
Another dysfunctional cause of spotting is the menopause, a very delicate period for women, impregnated with radical physical, structural and psychological changes: the woman is aware that the boundary of fertility is about to be crossed, to reach a dry and sterile phase . This awareness generates considerable stress for many mature women: stress, associated with a period of severe hormonal disturbance, could lead to unpleasant situations, including spotting.
However, it is certainly not possible to generalize by affirming that all women approaching menopause are stressed, nor that all mature women who pass the fertile period suffer from spotting. Stress, such as spotting, are factors that could affect women in this delicate phase, but stress-spotting-menopause does not always manifest itself.
Therefore, regardless of the stress, the woman who approaches menopause, and in particular women who enter premature menopause (before the age of 40) or premature (between 40 and 45 years), may be affected by spotting; in similar situations the cause resides in the anomalous and irregular endogenous production of progestogen and estrogenic hormones: the phases of growth and cleavage of the endometrium are no longer regular, let alone controlled, therefore the menstrual cycle becomes irregular and sometimes generates spotting because the woman's biorhythm goes haywire .
Eating disorders and spotting
Eating disorders are further dysfunctional causes that further burden the appearance of spotting: drastic diets, anorexia, bulimia, overweight and obesity alter the physiological hypothalamic functioning, favoring spotting and other menstrual disorders.
Following the rules dictated by good nutrition education helps to prevent this kind of ailments: therefore, excesses and nutritional deficiencies must be avoided, since they represent a considerable danger for the organism.
Anorexia is a dysfunctional cause in which the voluntary deprivation of food and its refusal can cause spotting, missed ovulation, oligomenorrhea and other menstrual disorders.
Spotting also affects many overweight women and the phenomenon is more marked in obese patients: dark uterine losses between menstruation and the other seem to be induced by excessive and unregulated growth of the endometrium, in turn caused by the abnormal production of estrone, estrogen hormone whose synthesis is stimulated by adipose tissue.
Another dysfunctional cause of spotting is bulimia: the low amount of progesterone produced in bulimic women causes spotting. In fact, the typical glycemic swings of bulimia, caused by the alternation of binge eating (excessive increase of glucose in the blood) and vomiting (which causes a notable decrease in glycemia), weigh on the production of progesterone, which is increasingly reduced in terms of quantity and duration . Spotting therefore represents a typical disorder of bulimic patients, being a consequence of the abnormal and unregulated alternation of endometrial exfoliation / growth induced by associated endocrine alterations.
Conclusions
Although spotting is a disorder that is not serious in itself, it should never be underestimated: in this regard, the patient should contact the gynecologist and undergo diagnostic tests to make sure that spotting does not hide serious diseases. Affected women should never self-diagnose the problem, because it is the doctor's job to ascertain it. It is clear that, when spotting is due to eating disorders, it will be necessary to intervene in the first place by treating the root disease: the healing of bulimia / anorexia / obesity also favors the treatment of secondary symptoms (spotting).
If spotting is caused by more general dysfunctional causes, such as stress, the woman should try to listen to her body, devoting more time to herself and her relaxation. Menstrual disorders in general, and spotting in particular, perfectly reflect a woman's state of health, so stress certainly does not help menstrual balance.
Summary
| Definition of dysfunctional causes of spotting | They are all those etiological factors for which it is not always possible to accurately identify the disease directly linked to abnormal uterine loss |
| Major dysfunctional causes |
|
Distress | Known as negative stress, it is the prevailing dysfunctional cause of spotting. Distress should not be underestimated because it could cause significant menstrual irregularities |
| How stress causes spotting | It alters hormonal production, favoring the excessive synthesis of adrenaline and cortisol: following the overproduction of these hormones, the hypothalamus is no longer able to control the biorhythms of women. Spotting is the first consequence. |
| Menopause and spotting | With menopause, an abnormal and irregular endogenous production of progestogen and estrogenic hormones could occur: when the growth and cleavage phases of the endometrium are no longer regular, the appearance of spotting is favored. |
| Anorexia and spotting | The voluntary deprivation of food and the rejection of the same can cause spotting and other menstrual disorders. |
| Obesity and spotting | Spotting is induced by excessive and unregulated growth of the endometrium, in turn caused by the abnormal production of estrone, an estrogen hormone whose production is stimulated by adipose tissue. |
| Bulimia and spotting | Bulimia is a further dysfunctional cause of spotting, since the low amount of progesterone produced in bulimic women causes small abnormal and unexpected uterine losses. |
