Getting your monthly period is already viewed as unpleasant by most women. But if you add onto that a heavy menstrual cycle, then your life can become almost unbearable. From going through a lot of menstrual products, to worrying about causes that may lead to heavy menstrual bleeding, the cons far outweigh any thought about pros. So let’s talk about it, I’m sure there are a lot of questions.
Heavy menstrual bleeding
The medical term for heavy menstrual bleeding is menorrhagia. This is however when the heavy bleeding is abnormally heavy and prolonged. This normally affects your usual activities due to blood loss and cramping. There are a couple of symptoms that you can compare your heavy bleeding to. This includes soaking through one or more sanitary pads or tampons in an hour, having to wake up in order to change your pad during the night, bleeding for longer than 7 days, passing blood clots larger than a 20 cent coin, having to restrict your daily activities, and symptoms of anaemia such as tiredness, fatigue or shortness of breath. But what causes menorrhagia? Why is your period so heavy?
Why is my period so heavy?
In many cases the cause of heavy menstrual bleeding cannot be determined, but there are a number of causes for menorrhagia. Some of the common causes are:
* Hormone imbalance. This can be due to polycystic ovary syndrome, obesity, thyroid problems, and insulin resistance. What basically happens is that the balance between oestrogen and progesterone is off, which causes the endometrium to develop in excess and shed heavily causing severe bleeding.
* Dysfunctional ovaries. If you do not ovulate, your body doesn’t produce progesterone, which in turn again leads to a hormone imbalance.
* Uterine fibroids. We’ll talk about that some more later.
* Polyps. Small, benign growths found on the lining of the uterus.
* Adenomyosis. The glands from the endometrium becomes embedded in the uterine muscle.
* Pregnancy complications. This may be indicative of a miscarriage.
* Inherited bleeding disorders. Von Willebrand’s disease is a condition where the blood clotting factor is deficient or impaired.
* Medications. Some medications may react negatively with your body, such as oestrogen, progestins, warfarin, or enoxaparin.
* Cancer. Uterine and cervical cancer is something that needs to be checked for regularly.
Heavy first period after having a baby
Having a heavy period after giving birth is completely normal. Remember, your body needs to get rid of all the extra blood and tissue in your uterus. Even if you had a C-section, you will still have this bleeding. But this bleeding is only supposed to last for a couple of days. If it lasts longer than that, you should call your doctor as you may have postpartum haemorrhage.
How to stop heavy period bleeding naturally
Changing your diet might be a good start, as may getting enough rest and taking pain medication. Although there isn’t a sure fire way to stop heavy bleeding, except seeing your doctor to get to the root cause, there is certainly ways to ease your symptoms. Make sure that you drink enough water, eat food that is rich in vitamin C, add more iron-rich foods to your plate, and talk to your doctor about taking supplements.
How to stop heavy menstrual bleeding with clots
Unfortunately clots will always be part of the menstrual cycle. As the body sheds the uterine lining, small clots form. These are visible during the heaviest part of your menstrual cycle. If the clots are abnormally large, you should call your doctor to make an appointment.
Why do fibroids cause heavy bleeding?
Let’s first take a look at what fibroids are. They are non-cancerous growths that develop in the uterus. Fibroids do not always cause heavy bleeding, but it is one of the symptoms. Other symptoms are painful cramping and lower back pain. The reason that fibroids cause heavy bleeding is probably because the uterus cannot contract properly, which means that it cannot stop the bleeding.
Why do fibroids cause clots?
Although it may seem as though it is the fibroids that causes more clots, it is simply that the uterus cannot contract properly, therefore uterine lining will keep on shedding. This is why it is important to see your doctor.
Heavy bleeding pads
While you’re sitting with your hot pack, pain medication, and period pants, you can always count on Lady Anion heavy flow pads. With their high absorbency and the added benefit of negative ions that fights bacterial infections, they will certainly improve your quality of life. Even though these pads are great for you, don’t put off that doctors appointment if your bleeding is abnormally heavy.
Heavy bleeding after IUD removal
This is something that should set off alarm bells if it happens. Light bleeding and spotting after removal is normal, but heavy bleeding is definitely a red light. It could be an indicator of something much more serious, like a bacterial infection or inflammation.
Menorrhagia
We’ve already touched on the subject of menorrhagia, but let us go into a little more detail. It is a common disorder in women, and affects about 1 in every 20 women. It can result in anaemia if it is left untreated. The heavy bleeding can also affect sleep, and heavy lower abdominal pain is also a common symptom. Luckily menorrhagia is not difficult to diagnose. Your doctor will ask you a series of questions including the length of your menstrual cycle, the number of days your period lasts, the number of days that your period is at its heaviest, stress that you may be facing, whether you have weight problems, and current medications that you are taking. Your doctor will also do a physical exam to diagnose menorrhagia, and may include a pelvic exam, blood panel, pap smear, an endometrial biopsy, and an ultrasound. To understand the cause of the bleeding, you may expect additional tests including a sonohysterogram, a hysteroscopy, and dilation and curettage. To see what the treatments are, go to https://my.clevelandlinic.org/health/diseases/17334-menorrhagia-heavy-menstrual-bleeding