Concept of trend markers for menstrual diseases

BackgroundFor female patients with menstrual cycle related diseases, getting a proper diagnosis and treatment is one of the most difficult challenges they face. Many get incorrectly diagnosed with a variety of conditions due to unavailability of specific test or marker to confirm a diagnosis that can fit their symptoms.MethodsCurrent article introduces concept of trend markers for menstrual diseases. It also suggests methods for application of this concept in routine practice.ResultsImplementation of the trend marker protocol results in a unique graphical presentation when a hormone and a symptom are plotted as per the day of menstrual cycle. This presentation will indicate behavior of the hormone in relation to the disease independent of whether the hormone levels are normal or abnormal as per the set laboratory limits.ConclusionMenstrual diseases are ideal examples where despite of the established hormonal graphics for the three phases of menstrual cycle, there is a need for studying trend in hormone levels for individual patients with respect to the disease conditions as demanded by the complexity and variety of symptoms.