What are some of the causes of irregular, more frequent menses (metrorrhagia)?
Causes of the metrorrhagia irregular menses pattern are unknown or are more likely related to stresses and ingested medications or substances that disrupt corpus luteum function or even act as anticoagulant blood thinners. Caffeine may act this way and disrupt corpus luteum function. Heavy caffeine consumers tend to have twice the risk of short cycle length (less than 24 days) (1). Their cycles are not heavier but they are often more frequent. Cigarette smoking is another agent that can shorten menstrual cycles (2). Cigarettes seem to shorten the follicular phase but heavier smoking also may shorten the luteal phase. Both heavy smoking and even smoking just 10 cigarettes or more a day may cause menstrual cycles to be shorter in length, as well as more variable in their lengths than nonsmokers. Acute or excessive alcohol ingestion, getting drunk on occasion, is also known to alter menstrual patterns (3). Sometimes it shortens cycles while at other times it can cause a delay of menses. T
