EK RİSK FAKTÖRÜ OLMAYAN GENÇ KADIN DEMİR EKSİKLİĞİ OLGULARINDA MENSTRÜEL KANAMA ÖZELLİKLERİNİN İNCELENMESİ

Abstract

Girit, A. Examination of Menstrual Bleeding Characteristics in Young Female Iron Deficiency Cases Without Additional Risk Factors. Hacettepe University Department of Internal Medicine, Thesis in Internal Medicine Specialty, Ankara – Türkiye, 2025. Objective: Examination of menstrual bleeding characteristics in women with iron deficiency or iron deficiency anemia, whose etiology was associated with menstrual bleeding since there were no other identifiable risk factors. Materials and Methods: 315 patients with iron deficiency anemia and 77 patients with iron deficiency, who were admitted to the Hacettepe University Faculty of Medicine Hospital Hematology Department between 2011 and 2025, and whose menstrual bleeding characteristics were questioned in a standard way, were included in the study. The clinical characteristics, laboratory values, and medical history of the patients were evaluated retrospectively. Results: Women with iron deficiency anemia and those with isolated iron deficiency showed similar characteristics in terms of age, duration of menstrual bleeding, number of heavy bleeding days, cycle length, number of sanitary pads used, and the presence of large clots or jelly-like bleeding. When both groups were analyzed together, the median duration of menstruation was 7 days. Bleeding lasting longer than 6 days was observed in 69.9% of the patients. The presence of large clots or jelly-like bleeding was reported in 88.5% of cases. Nearly all patients (96.1%) had a history of menstrual bleeding longer than 6 days and/or bleeding with large clots and/or jelly-like consistency. Conclusion: Menstrual bleeding characteristics represent an important component that may contribute to the clinical evaluation of iron deficiency. This study highlights the importance of systematically assessing menstrual bleeding characteristics during the diagnostic process.