Diagnosing menstrual disorders: a qualitative study of the approach of primary care professionals

Menstrual disorders are a common presentation in primary care. Wide variations in management as well as discordance between patient and practitioners in relation to presenting problems have been described.

To explore the model of menstrual disorders used by practitioners in practice.

Semi-structured interviews with primary care practitioners.

One inner London health authority area.

Constant comparative analysis.

Medical practitioners were critical of the guidance provided by gynaecological definitions and texts. Practitioners put more emphasis on defining normality than on defining disorder. Practitioners used a wide range of criteria to judge their patients' complaints and decide on a course of action. Female practitioners had access to personal and professional experience and used this to develop an understanding of women's complaints. Male practitioners in particular were limited by problems in discussing menstruation in detail. Because of the difficulties in assessing patient history, other non-gynaecological factors such as patient age and consulting behaviour informed practitioners' judgements.

This study draws attention to practitioners' problems in using current definitions of menstrual disorders. The combination of unhelpful medical definitions, lack of standards of normality and difficulties in discussing menstruation resulted in individual practitioners making judgements in idiosyncratic ways. In the absence of a useful gynaecological model, practitioners develop individual, often subjective and gendered models to use in practice.