A new ARU study is showing the need for improved support for women with heavy menstrual bleeding
Researchers say earlier intervention and better community care could cut costs and improve women’s health
A landmark study has revealed the NHS is spending about thirteen million pounds every year on hospital admissions and follow-up care for women suffering acute heavy menstrual bleeding.
Researchers say earlier intervention and better community care could cut costs and improve women’s health.
The research, led by Dr Bassel Wattar from Anglia Ruskin University and published in The Lancet Obstetrics, Gynaecology, & Women’s Health, is the first UK-wide investigation into how often women are admitted for acute heavy menstrual bleeding (HMB) and how many need blood transfusions.
The team looked at data from ninety-eight NHS gynaecology units over six months this year, finding over thirteen hundred women were admitted and received more than three thousand units of blood.
Dr Wattar said:
“This is a silent crisis in women’s health. We are seeing thousands of women admitted to hospital for a condition that could often be managed earlier and more effectively in the community.”
The study found nearly half of those admitted had uterine fibroids and one in five were discharged still anaemic.
It estimates the cost per admission at almost three thousand pounds, and ongoing care adds another one thousand seven hundred pounds per case.
Dr Wattar added:
“Current guidelines and services offered in the NHS do not offer a clear pathway for managing acute heavy menstrual bleeding efficiently. This mismanagement leads to women being discharged with temporary fixes, often still anaemic, and left to navigate long waiting lists for definitive care. We need to shift from reactive to proactive care.”
Researchers are now calling for urgent investment in community gynaecology services with better access to diagnostics and minor surgery, and clearer national guidelines for treating acute heavy menstrual bleeding.
NHS England says new women’s health hubs are being set up in most areas to make support easier to access.
The Department of Health says women’s health is a priority.