{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,16]],"date-time":"2026-10-16T00:46:25Z","timestamp":1792111585822,"version":"4.4.0"},"reference-count":27,"publisher":"Royal College of General Practitioners","issue":"729","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2019,2,12]],"date-time":"2019-02-12T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1549929600000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"http:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Br J Gen Pract"],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2023,4]]},"abstract":"<jats:sec><jats:title>Background<\/jats:title><jats:p>Heavy menstrual bleeding (HMB) is common and can affect women\u2019s lives. Evidence on women\u2019s experiences and their treatment of this problem after seeking primary care is lacking.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Aim<\/jats:title><jats:p>To explore women\u2019s experiences of HMB and their medical treatment up to 10 years after initial management in general practice.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Design and setting<\/jats:title><jats:p>This was a qualitative study in UK primary care.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Method<\/jats:title><jats:p>Semistructured interviews with a purposeful sample of 36 women who had participated in the ECLIPSE trial of medical treatments for HMB in primary care (levonorgestrel-releasing intrauterine system or other usual medical treatments \u2014 oral tranexamic acid, mefenamic acid, combined oestrogen\u2013progestogen; or progesterone alone). Data were analysed thematically and a process of respondent validation was undertaken.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Results<\/jats:title><jats:p>Women reported the wide-ranging and debilitating impact of HMB on their lives. They had often normalised their experience underlining persisting societal taboos about menstruation and reflecting low general awareness of HMB as treatable. Women commonly delayed seeking help for several years. They could then be frustrated by lack of a medical explanation for HMB. Women who had pathology identified felt able to make better sense of their HMB. Experiences of medical treatments varied considerably but were strongly influenced by the perceived quality of healthcare interactions with clinicians. Other influences on women\u2019s treatment included considerations for their fertility, health concerns, family and peers, and views when approaching menopause.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Conclusion<\/jats:title><jats:p>Clinicians should be aware of the considerable challenges faced by women with HMB; widely differing experiences of, and influences on, their treatment; and the value of patient-centred communication in this context.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.3399\/bjgp.2022.0460","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2022,12,20]],"date-time":"2022-12-20T13:40:17Z","timestamp":1671543617000},"page":"e294-e301","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":36,"title":["Women\u2019s experiences of heavy menstrual bleeding and medical treatment: a qualitative study in primary care"],"prefix":"10.3399","volume":"73","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-5146-4911","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Brittany","family":"Dutton","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-9040-9384","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Joe","family":"Kai","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1987","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2022,12,20]]},"reference":[{"key":"2023042108101120000_73.729.e294.1","first-page":"21","article-title":"Women\u2019s attitudes towards heavy menstrual bleeding and their impact on quality of life","volume":"4","author":"Bitzer","year":"2013","journal-title":"J Contracept"},{"key":"2023042108101120000_73.729.e294.2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.ijgo.2014.09.027"},{"key":"2023042108101120000_73.729.e294.3","unstructured":"National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (2020) Heavy menstrual bleeding: assessment and management NICE guideline [NG88], https:\/\/www.nice.org.uk\/guidance\/ng88 (accessed 4 Jan 2023)."},{"key":"2023042108101120000_73.729.e294.4","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/S0002-9378(10)00933-6"},{"key":"2023042108101120000_73.729.e294.5","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.whi.2008.07.002"},{"key":"2023042108101120000_73.729.e294.6","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1136\/bmj.327.7426.1243"},{"key":"2023042108101120000_73.729.e294.7","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1056\/NEJMoa1204724"},{"key":"2023042108101120000_73.729.e294.8","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Kai J Middleton L Daniels J (2016) Usual medical treatments or levonorgestrel-IUS for women with heavy menstrual bleeding: Long-term randomised pragmatic trial in primary care. 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