each week we comb through science journals to explore a baffling medical issue.from mood fluctuations to cramps and back aches, there’s a lot about a woman’s cycle that’s, well, not a lot of fun. but for one woman whose tears turned bloody during her period, menstruation meant a trip to the hospital.the rare occurrence,
documented this month in a bmj case study, prompted an alarmed young woman to rush to the hospital after blood began seeping out of both her eyes. the 25-year-old indian patient was not injured, ill or experiencing any other symptoms. she said it was only the second time it had happened, and that both episodes occurred during her period, with the first encounter also including a nose bleed.“drops of blood were seen to be coming out from both the eyes (but) there was no injury to the eye,”
the researchers wrote. “it was not accompanied by headache or giddiness … there was no family history of such a condition. she lived happily with her family, according to her husband.”haemolacria, more morbidly known as blood tears, is a rare condition that causes a person to produce tears mixed with their blood,
according to healthline. while there is often no clear explanation for the relatively benign phenomenon, it is believed haemolacria may be caused by a variety of factors, including hormonal changes, inflammation, conjunctival injuries, high blood pressure and certain blood disorders.doctors providing treatment in this case suspected the condition may have been caused by vicarious menstruation, “a rare and unusual” occurrence where a patient’s menstrual cycle results in bleeding outside the uterus. women in their 30s and 40s are most likely to experience the uncommon occurrence, which can also feature bleeding from the eyelids, retinas, ears, lungs and nipples.previous study has revealed that different types of eye tissue can be affected by hormonal changes in the body, researchers said. the thickness and curve of the cornea can fluctuate at various points during a woman’s menstrual cycle — or throughout pregnancy and lactation — that may open avenues for blood to make an unlikely escape from the body.other research has suggested an instability in the nervous system may play a part in the phenomenon but, whatever the cause, the condition is easily treated by medication and surgery is rarely required. doctors in this case were able to diagnose their patient relatively quickly because her symptoms coincided with her menstrual cycle. she was diagnosed with ocular vicarious menstruation and prescribed oral contraceptives that brought an end to her bloody problem.another patient, also from india,
experienced similar symptoms a few years ago, but ocular vicarious menstruation was quickly ruled out as the girl was only 11 years old. she was reportedly discharging bloody tears, unconnected to stress, multiple times a day for a week, with each episode lasting a few minutes.
“i am worried about my daughter’s health,” the girl’s mother reportedly said. “the blood coming from her eyes is horrifying. i hope there will not be any similar episodes in future.”after tests of the girl’s eyes, tear ducts, liver and renal function all came back normal, doctors were forced to list the cause as idiopathic, or of unknown origin.with few other such cases recorded in scientific literature, doctors said more research is required to better understand what makes some patients randomly see red and what, if any, long-term treatments need to be considered.
dave yasvinski is a writer with healthing.cadon’t miss the latest on covid-19, reopening and life. subscribe to healthing’s daily newsletter covid life.
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