The difficult journey to treatment for women suffering from heavy menstrual bleeding: a multi-national survey

Figures & data

Table 1. Diagnosis and treatment of HMB in 1000 women with subjective complaints according to life stage.

When HMB occurred
Characteristic	Young age	End or switch of birth control	Post-partum	Perimenopausal	Other	Total
N	273	219	238	223	47	1000
Diagnosed with HMB:
n (%)	100 (37)	69 (32)	78 (33)	73 (33)	7 (15)	327 (33)
Age at diagnosis, mean (SD), years	19.8 (6.1)	26.8 (7.9)	31 (7)	40.2 (4.4)	27.1 (8)	28.7 (9.9)
Age at diagnosis, median [range], years	18 [11, 45]	26 [15, 46]	31 [16, 44]	41 [30, 47]	27 [19, 38]	28 [11, 47]
Treated for HMB:
n (%)	104 (38)	72 (33)	78 (33)	64 (29)	17 (36)	335 (34)

HMB: heavy menstrual bleeding; SD: standard deviation.

Table 2. Diagnosis and treatment of HMB in 1000 women with subjective complaints according to survey country.

By country
Characteristic	Canada	USA	Brazil	France	Russia	Total
N	200	200	200	200	200	1000
Diagnosed with HMB:
n (%)	45 (23)	63 (32)	79 (40)	77 (39)	63 (32)	327 (33)
Age at diagnosis, mean (SD), years	28.3 (10.2)	30.5 (10.6)	26.7 (9.5)	28.9 (9.7)	29.1 (9.4)	28.7 (9.9)
Age at diagnosis, median [range], years	26 [15, 47]	35 [11, 45]	25 [14, 46]	30 [14, 47]	29 [13, 45]	28 [11, 47]
Treated for HMB:
n (%)	54 (27)	55 (28)	108 (54)	70 (35)	48 (24)	335 (34)

HMB: heavy menstrual bleeding; SD: standard deviation.

Figure 1. Frequency of difficulties caused by heavy periods for women with heavy menstrual bleeding. Data are frequency of responses to the HELP Group seven-item screening questionnaire in the survey sample of women experiencing at least three of these seven signs or symptoms (n = 1000).

Figure 2. Triggers and information sources that prompted women with heavy menstrual bleeding to understand their condition better. Data are frequency of responses in the complete survey sample of women experiencing at least three signs or symptoms of heavy menstrual bleeding (n = 1000). Respondents were asked to agree with statements describing triggers and/or information sources and were not restricted in the number of statements they could agree with.

Figure 3. Action taken by healthcare providers in response to patients consulting for heavy periods.

Figure 4. Treatment options ever or currently used by women with heavy menstrual bleeding (HMB). IUS: intrauterine system; HRT: hormone replacement treatment; unsure: unsure of type of contraceptive pill.

Figure 5. An overview of the journey of women with heavy menstrual bleeding from onset to treatment. BC: birth control; Hb: haemoglobin; HCP: healthcare professional; HMB: heavy menstrual bleeding; IUS: intrauterine system; ObGyn: obstetrics and gynaecology professional; OC: oral contraceptives.

Data availability statement

The data on which this article is based will be shared on reasonable request to the corresponding author.