Disorders of ovulation

Infrequent or irregular ovulation (usually defined as cycles of ≥36 days or <8 cycles a year) is called oligoovulation.

Anovulation is absence of ovulation

Ovulation

Ovulation is the process in a female's menstrual cycle by which a mature ovarian follicle ruptures and discharges an ovum . Ovulation also occurs in the estrous cycle of other female mammals, which differs in many fundamental ways from the menstrual cycle...

 when it would be normally expected (in a post-menarchal

Menarche

Menarche is the first menstrual cycle, or first menstrual bleeding, in female human beings. From both social and medical perspectives it is often considered the central event of female puberty, as it signals the possibility of fertility....

, premenopausal woman). Anovulation usually manifests itself as irregularity of menstrual periods, that is, unpredictable variability of intervals, duration, or bleeding. Anovulation can also cause cessation of periods (secondary amenorrhea) or excessive bleeding (dysfunctional uterine bleeding

Dysfunctional uterine bleeding

Dysfunctional Uterine Bleeding is abnormal genital tract bleeding based in the uterus and found in the absence of demonstrable structural or organic pathology.usually due to hormonal disturbances....

).

Disorders of cycle length

Polymenorrhea is the medical term for cycles with intervals of 21 days or fewer.

Irregular menstruation is where there is variation in menstrual cycle length of more than approximately eight days for a woman. The term metrorrhagia is often used for irregular menstruation that occurs between the expected menstrual periods.

Oligomenorrhea is the medical term for infrequent, often light menstrual periods (intervals exceeding 35 days).

Amenorrhea is the absence of a menstrual period in a woman of reproductive age. Physiologic states of amenorrhoea are seen during pregnancy

Pregnancy

Pregnancy refers to the fertilization and development of one or more offspring, known as a fetus or embryo, in a woman's uterus. In a pregnancy, there can be multiple gestations, as in the case of twins or triplets...

 and lactation

Breastfeeding

Breastfeeding is the feeding of an infant or young child with breast milk directly from female human breasts rather than from a baby bottle or other container. Babies have a sucking reflex that enables them to suck and swallow milk. It is recommended that mothers breastfeed for six months or...

 (breastfeeding). Outside of the reproductive years there is absence of menses during childhood and after menopause

Menopause

Menopause is a term used to describe the permanent cessation of the primary functions of the human ovaries: the ripening and release of ova and the release of hormones that cause both the creation of the uterine lining and the subsequent shedding of the uterine lining...

.

Disorders of flow

poly = many


meno = less fast; longer duration; prolonged


metro = short


rrhagia = excessive flow/discharge
Hypomenorrhea is abnormally light menstrual periods.

Menorrhagia (meno = prolonged, rrhagia = excessive flow/discharge) is an abnormally heavy and prolonged menstrual period. If these heavy periods occur at short intervals, menometrorrhagia (meno = prolonged, metro = short, rrhagia = excessive flow/discharge) may be diagnosed. Causes may be due to abnormal blood clotting, disruption of normal hormonal regulation of periods or disorders of the endometrial

Endometrium

-Function:The endometrium is the innermost glandular layer and functions as a lining for the uterus, preventing adhesions between the opposed walls of the myometrium, thereby maintaining the patency of the uterine cavity. During the menstrual cycle or estrous cycle, the endometrium grows to a...

 lining of the uterus

Uterus

The uterus or womb is a major female hormone-responsive reproductive sex organ of most mammals including humans. One end, the cervix, opens into the vagina, while the other is connected to one or both fallopian tubes, depending on the species...

. Depending upon the cause, it may be associated with abnormally painful periods (dysmenorrhoea).

Dysmenorrhea

Dysmenorrhea (or dysmenorrhoea), cramps or painful menstruation

Menstruation

Menstruation is the shedding of the uterine lining . It occurs on a regular basis in sexually reproductive-age females of certain mammal species. This article focuses on human menstruation.-Overview:...

, involves menstrual periods that are accompanied by either sharp, intermittent pain or dull, aching pain, usually in the pelvis

Pelvis

In human anatomy, the pelvis is the lower part of the trunk, between the abdomen and the lower limbs .The pelvis includes several structures:...

 or lower abdomen

Abdomen

In vertebrates such as mammals the abdomen constitutes the part of the body between the thorax and pelvis. The region enclosed by the abdomen is termed the abdominal cavity...

.

See also

• Premenstrual syndrome (PMS)
• Pelvic inflammatory disease
  Pelvic inflammatory disease
  Pelvic inflammatory disease is a generic term for inflammation of the uterus, fallopian tubes, and/or ovaries as it progresses to scar formation with adhesions to nearby tissues and organs. This may lead to infections. PID is a vague term and can refer to viral, fungal, parasitic, though most...
  
  
• Adenomyosis
  Adenomyosis
  Adenomyosis is a medical condition characterized by the presence of ectopic glandular tissue found in muscle. The term adenomyosis is derived from the terms adeno- , myo- , and -osis...
  
  
• History of sexual
  Sexual abuse
  Sexual abuse, also referred to as molestation, is the forcing of undesired sexual behavior by one person upon another. When that force is immediate, of short duration, or infrequent, it is called sexual assault. The offender is referred to as a sexual abuser or molester...
  
   or physical abuse
• Fibroids
• Ovarian cyst
  Ovarian cyst
  An ovarian cyst is any collection of fluid, surrounded by a very thin wall, within an ovary. Any ovarian follicle that is larger than about two centimeters is termed an ovarian cyst. An ovarian cyst can be as small as a pea, or larger than an orange....
  
  s
• Endometriosis
  Endometriosis
  Endometriosis is a gynecological medical condition in which cells from the lining of the uterus appear and flourish outside the uterine cavity, most commonly on the ovaries. The uterine cavity is lined by endometrial cells, which are under the influence of female hormones...
  
  

External links

• NIH