Are you one of the many people experiencing extremely long or heavy menstrual bleeding? If the answer is yes, you may be suffering from menorrhagia, a medical ailment. The flow in this situation is so heavy that a tampon or pad change is required almost every two to three hours. Additionally, cramps can be rather painful and keep you from doing your regular tasks.
Menstrual periods that are unusually heavy or lengthy are referred to as menorrhagia in medicine. When they are on their period, many women experience days with heavy periods and pains. Menorrhagia is uncommon, nevertheless.
You will need to replace your tampon or pad every hour for at least one complete day if you have menorrhagia since your flow is so heavy. Additionally, your cramps are so bad that they prevent you from performing your normal activities. Heavy periods can be brought on by a variety of health conditions, some of which are subtle. Consult your doctor if you frequently bleed through a pad or tampon every hour or so. They could be of assistance. Heavy periods do not always need to be treated. But there are treatments that can help if they’re affecting your daily life.
Common causes of heavy periods include: -
- Issues with hormones. Inside your uterus (womb), a lining develops each month and is expelled during your period. Your body may create the lining too thick if your hormone levels are out of balance, which can cause heavy bleeding when the thicker lining is removed. The hormone balance in your body might also become out of whack if you don't ovulate, which can result in a thicker lining and a heavier period.
- Obstructed uterine growths (womb). Growths in your uterine lining are called polyps. Fibroids are uterine tumors that are benign (non-cancerous). Both can lengthen and make your periods considerably heavier than they should be.
- A few IUDs. Small intrauterine devices (IUDs) are popular among women for contraception.
Treatments include: -
- Some types of contraception, such as an intrauterine system (IUS) or the combined contraceptive pill
- Medicine to help reduce the bleeding, such as tranexamic acid & prescription-only anti-inflammatory painkillers, such as mefenamic acid or naproxen
- You should have a blood test to check if you have iron-deficiency anemia.
If these treatments do not work and your condition may be causing you heavy periods, they’ll usually refer you for tests or to see a specialist.
