Final answer:
The nurse should document the symptoms of long, heavy, and irregular menses accompanied by headache and back pain as menometrorrhagia, which best describes prolonged or excessive bleeding at irregular intervals.
Step-by-step explanation:
The patient reports long, heavy, irregular menses accompanied by headache and back pain for the past several months. The nurse should document these symptoms as menometrorrhagia. Menometrorrhagia is characterized by prolonged or excessive menstrual bleeding that occurs at irregular intervals.
Polymenorrhea refers to cycles that are more frequent than normal, while oligomenorrhea is a term for infrequent menstrual periods. Hypermenorrhea, also known as menorrhagia, is a term used for excessive menstrual blood loss at regular menstrual cycle intervals. However, it does not capture the irregularity component experienced by the patient.
It is essential for healthcare providers to document menstrual irregularities accurately, as they may indicate underlying health issues such as hormonal imbalances, polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), endometriosis, or other conditions that could require further investigation and management.