Menorrhagia: women's perceptions of this condition and its treatment

This paper reports a qualitative study of women's perceptions and experienc e of menorrhagia. Having obtained ethics committee approval, and informed w ritten consent, interviews were conducted with 30 women who reported that t hey were suffering from menorrhagia. The sample included 13 women of South Asian descent. Some of those interviewed did not want medical treatment for menorrhagia. Other women were quite satisfied with the treatment they rece ived when they consulted their doctors. However, it appears that some gener al practitioners failed to recognize women's need for treatment and were sl ow to comply with requests for referral to a gynaecologist, Although in the past there has been justifiable concern about women who undergo unnecessar y treatment fur perceived menorrhagia, this study suggests that health care professionals should be aware that some women may experience menorrhagia f or long periods of time without receiving effective Health care, It is poss ible that those who volunteered for the study were those most likely to hav e experienced problems with their treatment. However, the results of this s tudy have implications for nurses, who may be in a position to give help an d advice to women who want information about possible alternative treatment s and sources of help for menorrhagia.