Heavy menstrual flow: current and future trends in management

Menorrhagia accounts for a large number of secondary care referrals in the West. Women of different ages have different expectations from the treatment offered to them. Young women of reproductive age often demand treatment that simultaneously reduces bleeding, preserves fertility, and has very few side effects, whereas older women who ultimately wish to keep their reproductive organs may have reason to avoid hormonal manipulation. This article discusses possible management options and introduces a hierarchical approach to the management of menorrhagia based on the medical therapies and surgical procedures currently available. We explore the medical therapies for menorrhagia, which include hormone-modifying drug therapies and the new combined oral contraceptive pill. We also review novel fibroid surgical therapies and the latest surgical procedures, such as laparoscopic bilateral uterine artery occlusion, transvaginal Doppler-guided vascular clamp, and laparoscopic and intrauterine ultrasound-guided radiofrequency ablation.