Changes In Your Periods
Your periods can change for example, they may last longer or get lighter. This does not necessarily mean there’s a problem, but it does need to be investigated.
You can see your GP, or visit your nearest women’s clinic or contraceptive clinic.
Bleeding between periods, bleeding after having sex, or bleeding after the menopause needs to be checked by a doctor.
It might be caused by an infection, abnormalities in the neck of the womb or, in rare cases, it could be cancer.
You could be pregnant if you miss a period and you’ve had sex. See your GP if you’ve taken a pregnancy test and the result is negative and you’ve missed 3 consecutive periods.
They will investigate the cause and recommend any necessary treatment.
Read more about stopped or missed periods.
You Lost A Ton Of Blood During Or After Childbirth
This is a very rare condition, says Dr. Akopians. Losing a lot of blood deprives your body of oxygen, which can end up damaging the pituitary gland and cause something called Sheehans syndrome. That, in turn, drastically reduces the glands production of all types of hormones, including those that control your menstrual cycle. This hormone production not only impacts your menstrual cycle, but it can affect other parts of your body, like your thyroid. So if your doctor is concerned about this, they will likely refer you to an endocrinologist for diagnosis and treatment.
The bottom line: While having a lighter period than normal isnt necessarily cause for alarm, dont ignore the change. Track your cycle for a couple of months, and if it doesnt go back to your normal, make an appointment with a gynecologist.
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Your Uterine Lining Is Struggling
Low estrogen isnât the only reason your uterine lining could be thinner than usual. If you have a scar on your uterus , it could damage the tissue that thickens each month and then sloughs off to cause your monthly flow, making your period lighter as a result. Thereâs also a disease of the uterus called Ashermanâs Syndrome, which causes adhesions inside your uterus. Often the only symptom of this super rare disease is hypomenorrhea, so if youâre experiencing scanty flow, your doctor may want to check to see if you have it.
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Is It Safe To Reduce Or Stop Periods
According to the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, a common side effect of hormonal birth control is amenorrhea, which is when your period disappears for months at a time. Missing periods is common when youre using hormonal contraceptives.
Theres no science to support claims that skipping periods is dangerous to you or your reproductive health. But if you start skipping periods, talk to your doctor just to make sure everything is still hunky-dory.
Keep in mind, there are some risks to hormonal methods. According to the American Cancer Society, women whove used hormonal birth control methods are slightly more inclined to get breast cancer and five times more likely to get cervical cancer.
Longer usage increases the risk. But the American Cancer Society also notes, hormonal methods can reduce your risk of endometrial cancer, cervical cancer, and colon cancer.
As with anything, family history and other factors play a part. Talk to your doctor about risk factors before starting your treatment of choice.
You Have Cervical Stenosis
A rare but uncomfortable problem, Dr. Akopians says this occurs when the cervix narrows or closes up completely. This may occur after previous surgery of the cervix or uterus, such as a LEEP procedure for an abnormal pap or an endometrial ablation for heavy menses. Cervical stenosis may also be due to low estrogen levels during perimenopause. As a result, blood stays trapped in the uterus or is only able to trickle out slowly. If you experience bad cramping, despite a light flow, talk to your doctor.
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When Periods Are Too Heavy
There are heavy periods, and then there are heavy periods.
Your period is heavier than normal if you soak through a pad every hour for a few hours in a row, Dr. Higgins says. Large clots like the size of a golf ball or larger are also a sign that your bleeding is too heavy.
This type of bleeding can get in the way of your life, but dont assume you have to suffer through it. Your doctor can help you figure out the cause of heavy bleeding and provide treatment if needed, Dr. Higgins says.
Gelatin To Stop Periods
The other way you can stop your period is by drinking gelatin. Gelatin is a natural food ingredient. It comes from animal proteins and can be derived from mammals, especially pigs and some fish. It is made from the collagen found in the skin, fatty tissue, ligaments, and joints of animals.
Gelatin can be used for weight loss, treating osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, and brittle bones. It can also be used to improve the quality of hair and to shorten recovery after strenuous exercise.
To stop your period once it starts, you will need to drink a cup or two of gelatin mixed with water. Drinking it before your period can help delay your menstrual flow for some time.
Those opposed to using animal products in their lifestyle or diet should avoid gelatin.
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Stopping Periods With Ibuprofen
Ibuprofen is nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory pain medication. During your periods, taking small amounts of ibuprofen may help prevent bloating. It can also help relieve period or menstrual cramps.
Ibuprofen contains small amounts of synthetic hormones that can inhibit prostaglandin from functioning properly. Prostaglandin hormone is the hormone responsible for smooth menstruation. It helps with proper contraction and relaxation of the muscles in the stomach or uterus. Taking ibuprofen can thus help stop your period.
If you would wish to use this method to stop your period, then it is important to have your health care provider prescribe the right dosage. This will often vary from one person to the other. The dosage will depend on your general health, individual body characteristics, and how heavy your menstrual flow is.
Common side effects of having an overdose will include the following:
- Stomach ulcers
- Digestive and breathing problems in some people
Why Hormonal Contraceptives Make Periods Lighter
The patch, pill and ring are designed to be used for three weeks, each with one week off. During the week off, you usually have withdrawal bleeding, which resembles a period. Withdrawal bleeding is a result of the sudden drop in hormones. Its different from a true period, which comes 10-14 days after ovulation.
Some people take the pill, patch or ring continuously, without the hormone-free week. If you do this, you probably wont have any bleeding at all. If youre interested in skipping the withdrawal bleeding, ask your doctor whether continuous hormonal birth control is safe for you.
If youre on injectable contraceptives or using a hormonal implant or IUD, your periods may be lighter, too the result of the thinning of mucous membrane that lines the uterus.
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Maintain A Healthy Weight:
Women with high or low BMI struggle with their period regularity. Fluctuating weight means fluctuating periods, maybe your periods would be lighter or heavier than normal. This is because an unhealthy BMI can severely disturb your hormones, especially in women who have a high BMI. The fatter cells you have in your body the heavier your periods will be because fats cells tend to produce estrogen which works in giving you much heavier periods. Such women may also experience more inconsistent and painful periods. If you try maintaining your weight, our reproductive will also drastically enhance your menstrual cycle with regular cycles with just the right number of days.
You’ve Recently Had Surgery
You’ll have been told this when undergoing your procedure, but doctor Datta warns that if you’ve had any work on your womb or cervix recently, it could certainly affect your monthly bleed, even if only subtly.
“If you’ve had recent surgery to your womb or your cervix, for example to treat an abnormal cervical smear, this can also affect your periods initially,” she explains. You may expect a lighter flow for a few months. As always, do visit your doctor if you’re worried at all.
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You Have Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome
Another reason why your period might be scanty is polycystic ovarian syndrome, or PCOS for short. This is a common disorder of your endocrine system that causes your hormones to become imbalanced. If you have this syndrome, you most likely have lots of small cysts on your ovaries that can cause the hormonal imbalance, causing excess hair, acne, obesity, and scanty periods. So if in addition to a light period you have these other symptoms, you might want to ask your doctor to check your ovaries for cysts.
The Sweet Things About Having Your Period
- You can justify eating a little more chocolate
- You have an excusefor waking up on the wrong side of the bed
- Your period is your monthly report carda sign that your body is in a healthy, happy and fertile place
So, what does it mean if youre NOT having a period?! Something is not quite right.
If youre wondering: Whats wrong with me? Will I ever be able to have kids? How do I get my period back?!You are not alone.
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You Can Get Pregnant During Your Period
Itâs time to squash that age-old myth: Your period doesnât protect you from pregnancy. There are a couple of reasons why. First, some women may bleed when their ovaries release an egg each month, called ovulation, and mistake it for their period. Youâre at your peak fertility when you ovulate. So if you have sex during this time, it could actually make you more likely to get pregnant.
Second, you may ovulate before your period is over or within a few days after the bleeding stops. Since sperm can hang out in your body for up to 3 days, having sex during your period could lead to conception.
Use a condom or other form of birth control to prevent an unplanned pregnancy, no matter what time of the month it is.
Can Periods Be Shortened
A woman goes through her menstrual cycle every month. While many women have regular cycles and they can predict their periods, many women who do not have a regular cycle and cannot plan for any event. This situation can be very risky and troublesome for many women. Because periods can be like one of those uninvited guests who show up at the last or at the wrong moment to destroy your plans. And if this happens, your important events may come and go and you might not able to enjoy them or attend them. This is the reason many women lookout for ways to reduce the time of their periods or try to skip their cycle. And here the question arises whether or not is it safe to shorten the number of days of a period and if it is related to any health risk.
Scientifically, there is no relation of shortening the number of days of your period and your overall health. Some measures can be taken long term but we also need to look if they have side effects which may cause health concerns. But first, let us look at some effective ways of reducing or stopping your periods earlier.
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Your Hormones Are Out Of Balance
Your menstrual cycle is orchestrated in large part by two hormones: estrogen and progesterone. These hormones dip and rise throughout your cycle in a complicated rollercoaster dance. If you have an imbalance of these hormones, it makes sense that your menstrual cycle would get altered as a result. For instance, estrogen is in charge of the lining of your uterus. So if you have lower levels of this hormone, your lining might not thicken enough for you to have a full period. Having too much of the hormone testosterone can also cause your period to be scanty.
To learn more about your hormone levels, youâll have to get your doctor to test them. If you are dealing with hormonal imbalance, your doctor may prescribe hormones for you to take to even yourself out.
Stress Is Messing With Your Body
You already know that stress can mess with your body in a lot of ways. While the usual day-to-day annoyances arent enough to throw your hormones out of whack, Dr. Choi says that major life stressorsfor example, grieving over a loss or suffering from depressioncan do just that. She also points out that overexercising can also wreak havoc on your period because of the stress it puts on your body physically.
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Start Exercising And Eating Well
A good hormone-free alternative is to try to eat a healthy, balanced diet packed with lots of fruit and veg.
Exercise is also supposed to help lighten your menstrual flow, and it’s also useful for reducing water retention, bloating and cramps.
Obviously, no bloody experience is the same and exercise isn’t always realistic if you suffer from really heavy, painful periods. But if you can, working out every day might help.
Increase Your Body Heat
This is one of the most effective ways to make your period come faster in a natural way. Increasing your body heat can relax the muscles in the stomach and promotes enlargement of the blood vessels which supply and drain your uterus.
So, by increasing your body heat you can trigger the shedding of the uterine linings and thereby induce your period early.
- You can take a hot bath.
- Try heating pads and hot packs.
- Eat a lot of red meat.
- Drinking hot water also helpful in getting your period to start early.
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Good Diet And Supplements:
The vitamin B series may also help reduce you the duration of your periods. The trick behind this is that Vitamin B6 helps reduce your estrogen levels, while, increasing your progesterone levels, that subsequently reduce the period days. You can also add magnesium to your Vitamin B6 supplements to further reduce the menstrual symptoms and feel much better. Similarly, zinc has also proven to act as a natural NSAID like Ibuprofen. And as we know Ibuprofen inhibits the prostaglandin level, hence, reduced the contraction of the uterus. Likewise, zinc also helps in reducing your period symptoms, like pain and cramps.