Infusion therapy is a method of administering drugs into the bloodstream, underneath the skin or into surrounding areas of the spinal cord. Infusion therapy is a preferred method of giving drugs to patients who are unable to tolerate oral...
Dopamine is a chemical found naturally in the brain and blood. It acts on nerves and as a hormone. When given intravenously, it is in a class of drugs known as vasopressors. These drugs increase the blood pressure dramatically. Dopamine is a...
The American Congress of Obstetrics and Gynecologists (ACOG) states that large uterine fibroids, also called leiomyomas or myomas, refer to abnormal growths within the muscles of your uterus (womb). These can be present inside or on the outer wall...
Red blood cells carry oxygen from the lungs to the rest of the body. A high number of red blood cells--more than 5.72 million red blood cells per mcL for men and 5.03 million per mcL for women--requires further evaluation, according to...
Blood clots in the calf generally occur in one of the deep veins, and are known as deep vein thrombosis, or DVT. They are more likely to occur with damage to the inner lining of the veins, as during injury, surgery or inflammation. They also tend...
Clots in appearing in a woman's period blood in most cases is no reason for alarm. A woman's body is constantly going through changes, and these changes may cause the menstrual cycle to change along with it. However abnormally large blood clots or...
A deep vein thrombosis (DVT) is a blood clot that has formed in one of the large veins of your body, usually in your legs. According to the Mayo Clinic, a DVT can develop during times of inactivity, such as sitting for prolonged periods of time....
According to the National Institutes of Health, "blood clots are the clumps that occur when the blood hardens from a liquid to a solid (coagulates)". However, some women experience blood clots during their menstrual cycle, and worry that something...
Exercise is no longer blamed for causing longer periods, increasing blood clots or increasing the risk of cramping. In fact, exercise is now understood to be the perfect antidote to each of these common complaints during menstruation. If you...
A sonogram is an image of the organs inside of the human body. It is also called an ultrasound, and the image is created by a machine that uses high frequency or ultrasonic waves. It does not use radiation. When the machine sends the sound waves,...
A late miscarriage is any spontaneous loss of pregnancy that occurs from the 14th week through the 24th week of pregnancy, according to BabyCenter.com. If a late miscarriage is treated before dilation occurs, it is classified as a threatened...
Hormone replacement therapy uses synthetic hormones fashioned after the naturally occurring ones in the human body. They are sometimes self-prescribed by those who want to build muscle, strength and endurance. Doctors commonly prescribe them for...
When an aneurysm--a bulging weakness in the walls of a blood vessel--bursts in the brain, it presents a life-threatening situation known as a hemorrhagic stroke. Brain cells can die from lack of blood supply, and from pressure as the brain swells...
Blot clots occur when the blood flow through veins changes, either because of an obstruction in the vein or a thickening of the blood. Clots that form in deep veins, called deep vein thrombosis, are a serious condition, because the clots may break...
According to the National Kidney and Urologic Diseases Information Clearinghouse, more than 5 percent of the population will have kidney stones. Men are more likely than women to acquire stones, particularly between the ages of 40 and 70. For...
A routine Pap smear may reveal abnormal cells, usually caused by HPV, on a woman's cervix. This condition, called cervical dysplasia, may lead to cancer. A loop electrosurgical excision procedure (LEEP) removes abnormal cells from the cervix. The...
Hemorrhoids are painful, swollen blood vessels surrounded by skin that form in the anus or rectum. They can occur inside the anus or rectum as internal hemorrhoids, or protrude out of the anus to form external hemorrhoids. Prolonged sitting,...
It is not uncommon for a woman to see blood clots in her menstrual blood at some point in her reproductive years. According to Mayo Clinic Internist Dr. Sandhya Pruthi, passing blood clots during menstruation can be perfectly normal, and the...
A miscarriage is a pregnancy that ends spontaneously prior to 20 weeks gestation. Most miscarriages, however, occur in the first trimester prior to week 13. Between 50 and 70 percent of first-trimester miscarriages are thought to be random events...
It is common for females who are first starting puberty or approaching menopause to have abnormal bleeding or spotting. In addition, women who have relatively normal cycles may experience an abnormal period from time to time, due to stress or...
Menstrual periods are different for every woman, in both the duration and amount of bleeding, but excessively heavy or prolonged menstrual bleeding can be a serious problem. Menstrual cycles that are heavy enough to interfere with a woman's daily...
The term "menorrhagia" refers to very heavy menstrual bleeding, considered passing more than 80 ml of blood (or 16 saturated sanitary products) per menstrual period. Menorrhagia also includes flooding or passing large blood clots. Causes do not...
After giving birth, it is normal to experience bleeding for a short time. Often, this bleeding will be accompanied by blood clots. For many women, this is harmless. For others, it signals a medical emergency.
Heavy bleeding during menstruation is called menorrhagia. Most women at some point in their reproductive years have experienced heavy bleeding during their period, according to the Mayo Clinic. This can occur due to hormonal imbalances, uterine...
Uterine fibroids are growths of muscular and fibrous tissue that commonly occur in premenopausal women. These benign tumors can range in size from as little as 1 inch in diameter to those more than 8 inches across. In general, the larger the...
Abnormal menstrual cycles can occur at any point in a woman's reproductive years. These periods of abnormality can occur for any reason, from stress to influenza. However, some events that happen in a woman's life, such as childbirth, can cause...
Giving birth to your baby is an exciting time in your life. Regardless of the method you deliver your baby, you will experience bleeding, called lochia, for an extended period of time. However, if your lochia suddenly changes to bright red or...
At some point in life, women will experience a heavy or prolonged menstrual cycle. This is usually short-lived and is caused by stress or changes in hormone levels. Women who bleed heavily, regularly or on more than one occasion back to back may...
On average, women have their periods every 28 days. Some women can have lighter periods, while other women may have heavier periods. The New York University Langone Medical Center notes that about 30 percent of women have heavy periods, though 10...
