Assessing the Adequacy of Standard Clinical Definitions of Important Vaginal Bleeding Disorders

Abstract

Vaginal bleeding disturbances are a common feature of most modern contraceptive methods. The five most important types of bleeding disturbances have been assigned standard clinical definitions. For three of these, alternative definitions are proposed on the basis of observed menstrual experiences of noncontracepting women. It is shown that these alternatives are more sensitive than their corresponding clinical definitions and have better discriminatory ability. The results provide a rationale for reviewing the universally acclaimed standard clinical definitions of important vaginal bleeding disorders.