-rrhagia, -rrhage, -rrhagic

Difficult or painful menstration.

1. In medicine, an abnormal, severe internal or external discharge of blood. It my be venous, arterial, or capillary from blood vessels into tissues, into or from the body. Venous blood is dark red and its flow is continuous. Arterial blood is bright red and flows in spurts. Capillary blood is reddish and exudes from the tissue.
2. The diagnosis is obvious when the hemmorrhage is visible. When it is internal, diagnosis is made from the patient\'s general condition: shock, weak, rapid, and irregular pulse; pallor; cold, moist skin.
3. Non-medical: a large uncontrolled loss of something valuable.

Excessive uterine bleeding occurring at the expected intervals of the menstrual periods.

The bleeding from the uterus starts on schedule but is heavier than usual and may last longer than usual.

Menorrhagia may be a sign of an underlying disorder; such as, hormone imbalance, endometriosis, uterine fibroids or, rarely, cancer of the uterus. Menorrhagia may cause significant anemia.