OSF CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL: Heavy menstrual bleeding clinic now open

OSF HealthCare Children’s Hospital of Illinois has opened a pediatric heavy menstrual bleeding clinic, providing comprehensive care for pediatric and adolescent girls experiencing heavy menstrual bleeding (HMB) by offering timely diagnosis, personalized treatment plans and improved quality of life.

HMB, also known as menorrhagia, is a menstrual condition characterized by heavy or prolonged menstrual periods. Often undiagnosed, it can interfere with an adolescent’s normal activities and cause anemia. While the cause of HMB is not always known, several factors have been linked to it including hormonal imbalances, bleeding disorders and infections.

Signs and symptoms can include soaking through one or more sanitary pads or tampons every hour for several consecutive hours, menstrual bleeding that lasts more than a week and symptoms of anemia, like fatigue, light-headedness and shortness of breath.

There are currently fewer than 50 specialized clinics in the United States dedicated to addressing bleeding disorders in women and girls. As one of the few of its kind, this clinic will provide an integrated, multidisciplinary approach to patient care by housing both a pediatric hematologist and a pediatric/adolescent gynecologist in one location. This collaboration and multidisciplinary approach will allow for highly individualized and streamlined care.

The clinic will also welcome adolescent girls who may not yet have formal diagnosis, providing initial evaluations and, if necessary, ongoing management of bleeding disorders, distinguishing itself as an essential offering for an often-overlooked population.

The clinic will be housed in the multidisciplinary clinic space at OSF HealthCare Children’s Hospital of Illinois at 530 NE Glen Oak Ave. in Peoria.