Oligomenorrhea

OLIGOMENORRHEA, the occurrence of menstrual periods through longer intervals compared to the norm. Seitz considers it more correct to designate the term O. for weak menstrual bleeding (hypomenorrhea). He proposes to call rare, resp. frequent menstrual bleeding oligomenorrhea, resp. polymenorrhea. Often with O. there are not only rare but also scanty menstruations (hypomenorrhea). O. is a transitional stage between the normal menstrual cycle and amenorrhea (it can be a precursor of both physiol. and pathol. amenorrhea).-In O. we are dealing with infrequent ovulation. Schroder believes that in such cases, due to the insufficiency of the ovarian parenchyma, the maturation of Graafian follicles occurs slowly, and mature eggs quickly die; the latter assumption remains unproven. In connection with these changes in the ovarian cycle in the endometrium in O., according to Schroder, there is an elongated proliferative phase and a short secretory phase.-The etiology of O. is the same as in amenorrhea (see); in more severe forms of any disease we have amenorrhea, in moderate cases-O. The most common cause of O.-hypoplasia of the sexual organs or generally a delay in the development of the entire organism. In some patients, O. occurs from the very beginning of the menstrual function, in others it appears secondarily. Thus, sometimes O. occurs after artificial abortion. O. is encountered in a number of endocrine diseases. In Basedow's disease in cases of moderate severity, O. is often present. Dystrophia adiposa-genitalis is also accompanied by either O. or amenorrhea. Addison's disease, myxedema, acromegaly often lead to O. In other cases, O. occurs after typhus, cholera, in anemia, on the basis of tbc, etc.-O. is quite often accompanied by obesity, which depends on the decrease in combustion processes in the body, caused by hypofunction of the ovaries. O. is often an early symptom of pulmonary tbc. Of course, one should not treat O., which is only an expression of some disease, but the primary suffering. In hypoplasia of the sexual organs, ovarianin treatment is indicated. Recently, treatment with ovarianin in combination with prolan is carried out.