Dysfunctional Uterine Bleeding

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Dysfunctional Uterine Bleeding
Nurse practitioners in primary care will often be presented by a woman having dysfunctional uterine bleeding (DUB). This difficult to diagnose condition can be complex. According to Schuiling & Likis it accounts for one third of all annual gynecologic visits (2013, p. 610). The terms abnormal uterine bleeding and dysfunctional uterine bleeding has fallen out of favor and anovulatory uterine bleeding has become the standardized terminology. Because many clinicians still use it, this paper shall use the terminology of dysfunctional uterine bleeding (DUB).
DUB affects 50% of women worldwide (Schuiling & Likis, 2013, p. 610). This has a significant impact on the women’s life, family and career. When a woman has an episode of bleeding that differs from normal in amount, frequency, duration and timing, the term DUB can be applied when all other medical reasons have been ruled out. The menstrual cycle depends on a functional hypothalamic-pituitary-ovarian cycle that regulates the hormonal events leading to a woman’s ability to bear children. Once a woman has established ovulation, they tend to have a regular pattern. Any deviation from this pattern can be a cause of concern for the woman.
There are two types of DUB. There is anovulatory bleeding or ovulatory dysfunctional bleeding. If the corpeus luteum fails to sustain the developing endometrium, it is considered anovulatory DUB. Ovulatory dysfunctional bleeding is related to the woman’s ovulation status which is directed by the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal-ovarian-axis.
Symptoms of DUB are varied and are different from woman to woman. Frequents complaints are heavy vaginal bleeding that may be prolonged and dysmenorrhea if the bleeding is accompanied by...

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...ner was. They will remember how they were treated and how well the practitioner listened to them.

Works Cited

Behera, M., & Lucidi, R. (2013, July 15). Dysfunctional uterine bleeding. Retrieved from http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/257007-overview
Bradley, L. (2005). Abnormal uterine bleeding. The Nurse Practitioner, 30(10), 38-51.
Hamilton, R. (2013). Tarascon pharmacopoeia: 2013 Professional desk reference edition (p. 328). Burlington, MA: Jones and Bartlett Learning.
Hawkins, J., Roberto-Nichols, D., & Stanley-Haney, J. (2012). Abnormal vaginal bleeding. In Guidelines for nurse practitioners in gynecologic settings (10th ed., pp. 168-169). New York: Springer publishing company.
Schuiling, K., & Likis, F. (2013). Normal and abnormal uterine bleeding. In Women's Gynecologic Health (2nd ed., p. 610). Burlington, MA: Jones & Bartlett Learning.

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