The new ‘FIGO Classification of Causes of Abnormal Uterine Bleeding’, is published in full in the International Journal of Gynecology and Obstetrics (IJGO), April 2011, and accessible free of charge on the FIGO website.

This Classification has been developed over a five-year period by the FIGO Menstrual Disorders Working Group, with advice and input from over 40 experts in the field at two international workshops. The purpose of the system is to provide a structured context for clinical research, medical education, and the provision of clinical care for women with abnormal uterine bleeding (AUB). It has been designed to be flexible, suitable for regular review and revision and adaptable for use at the primary care, specialist and clinical investigator levels. The system eliminates the use of vague and undefined diagnostic terms like ‘dysfunctional uterine bleeding’ and ‘menorrhagia’, thereby allowing improved diagnostic precision, a critical element of any strategy designed to enhance the standard of care for women with AUB. Widespread use of the Classification will allow much improved comparison of the findings in different research publications, in case studies and in routine clinical practice.

The co-authors of the Classification, FIGO and the IJGO are working with the editors of leading reproductive journals to encourage clinical investigators to utilise the principles of the Classification when designing, interpreting and publishing their research on topics related to AUB.  FIGO also believes that the Classification should be used widely in undergraduate and postgraduate education to facilitate the development of practitioners who are able to provide quality care for women with AUB.  

Ideally, this Classification should be used in association with the previous FIGO-supported publications on uniform menstrual and AUB terminologies and definitions ^1,2.

References:

1. Fraser IS, Critchley HOD, Munro MG, Broder M.  Can we achieve international agreement on terminologies and definitions used to describe abnormalities of menstrual bleeding?  Hum Reprod 2007; 22: 635-643; Simultaneous publication in Fertility and Sterility;

2. Fraser IS, Critchley HOD, Munro MG, Broder M.  A process designed to lead to international agreement on terminologies and definitions used to describe abnormalities of uterine bleeding.   Fertil Steril 2007; 87:466-476; Simultaneous publication in Human Reproduction