About the HELP Group
The HELP (Heavy Menstrual Bleeding: Evidence-based Learning for best Practice) Group is a panel of independent physicians from around the world with expert interest in the area of heavy menstrual bleeding (HMB).
The HELP Group have created this website to provide a comprehensive educational resource to identify HMB, diagnose, and counsel on effective therapeutic options.
The materials aim to support treatment decisions and communication with your patients regarding current treatment options, dispelling myths and misperceptions, as well as ensuring recommendations are relevant to your patient’s individual needs. This may be especially useful in situations where barriers may prevent patients from clearly communicating the impact menstruation has on their lives.
The HELP Group members (from left to right):
- Professor Agnaldo Lopes Da Silva Filho, Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics at the Federal University of Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil
- Professor Joaquim Calaf, Autonomous University of Barcelona, Spain
- Dr Kaori Koga, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at The University of Tokyo Hospital, Japan
- Professor Xin Yang, Peking University People’s Hospital, Beijing, China
- Professor William Catherino, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, MD, USA
- Dr Jean-Philippe Estrade, Clinique Bouchard-Elsan, Marseille, France
- Dr Sony S Singh, University of Ottawa, Canada.
- Dr Silvia Vannuccini, Careggi University Hospital, Florence, Italy
The Society of Endometriosis and Uterine Disorders (SEUD) is committed to raising awareness and sharing knowledge of benign gynecological diseases and related uterine dysfunctions. In line with these objectives, SEUD has endorsed the HELP HMB website with the goal that this resource can maximize outreach and improve lives.
Interview with SEUD President Professor Felice Petraglia
We asked Professor Petraglia, President of the Society of Endometriosis and Uterine Disorders (SEUD), seven questions to find out what he considers the most important topics in heavy menstrual bleeding (HMB), and how we can improve the diagnosis and management of this condition which can have a severe impact on a woman’s quality of life.
What do you think are the most exciting recent advances in the diagnosis and management of HMB?
The most important advances in HMB management are:
- In terms of diagnosis: transvaginal ultrasound, which is widely available in an office setting, is relatively inexpensive and is relatively accurate in expert hands.
- In terms of treatment: new hormonal compounds with reduced side effects.
- In terms of both diagnosis and treatment: office hysteroscopy, which provides a very useful diagnostic and treatment tool for common causes of HMB.
What do you consider the most important topics for future research in HMB?
The most important topics for future research in HMB are:
- Adenomyosis: there is a need to understand its frequency, both alone or in combination with uterine fibroids or endometriosis
- The development of hormonal and non-hormonal drugs
Despite all the advances in this area, what are still the key issues in the diagnosis and management of HMB in your opinion?
The key issues in the diagnosis and management of HMB are:
- On one side, most women do not recognize their period as abnormal.
- On the other side, clinicians do not always concentrate on menstrual periods when taking patient history.
How can clinician encourage their patients to discuss their menstrual health?
Clinicians, starting from primary health care providers, should ask the right questions to their patients including:
- Taking the history of menstruation.
- Giving examples to enable the patient to accurately describe the characteristics of the menstrual cycle.
- Asking about other possible associated symptoms (headache, behavioral changes, asthenia, constipation)
How can women be encouraged to seek advice on their menstrual health in the absence of other health problems?
An effective strategy to encourage women to seek advice on their menstrual health is to raise their awareness by improving their understanding of menstrual cycles and making them aware of how periods may affect their quality of life (social interactions, work capacity, sport ability).
How can awareness be raised about HMB?
Awareness of HMB can be raised by educating women on what is “normal” in relation to menstrual cycle, because otherwise for each woman “normality” would be only her own experience.
SEUD is endorsing heavymenstrualbleeding.com. can you provide a brief sentence to explain why you are happy to support this initiative?
SEUD is the only Scientific Society which has a specific mandate on the promotion of studying the pathogenesis, diagnosis and treatment of abnormal uterine bleeding and HMB. Therefore, by supporting HMB awareness strategies, such as heavymenstrualbleeding.com, we can pursue our goal.
About SEUD
The Society of Endometriosis and Uterine Disorders was created in 2015 with the aim of improving uterine disease management and reducing the impact on women’s lives through focused debate on disease awareness, pathogenesis, risk factors, diagnosis and medical/surgical treatments.
SEUD’s objective is to draw attention to a group of diseases that negatively affect womens’ health and fertility, including endometriosis, adenomyosis, uterine fibroids, polyps, heavy menstrual bleeding and uterine malformations.
SEUD also promotes education and training for the next generation of young experts with new perspectives based on translational research experience.
Past President Professor Charles Chapron and current President Professor Felice Petraglia, lead the society which represents more than 1000 members worldwide with a strong social community.
Endorsed by
