Get The Right Nutrients
Certain micronutrients, such as B vitamins, are essential to your overall health. Certain nutrients can even ease up your periods while alleviating PMS symptoms.
Vitamin B6 is one of the nutrients that can affect your periods. Its found naturally in foods such as eggs, fish, and poultry. Vitamin
One study found that zinc, an essential mineral, was helpful in alleviating painful period cramps . Its thought that zinc has similar effects as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs , such as ibuprofen.
Study participants reported relief from cramps when they took 30 mg doses of zinc up to three times per day. You can also make sure to get enough zinc-rich foods in your diet, such as meat, legumes, and dairy.
Magnesium is another mineral that can potentially help alleviate long, painful periods because of its anti-cramping effects. One study found that a combination of magnesium and vitamin B6 was helpful in alleviating symptoms of PMS.
Talk to your doctor before taking any supplements to treat your periods. In the meantime, make sure you get enough magnesium in your diet via nuts, seeds, greens, and fish.
How To Stop Your Periods Once It Starts
If you are just getting started with having your menstrual cycle or have an underlying medical condition that might interrupt your normal monthly cycle, then its possible to have your period unexpectedly. This can be very annoying and discomforting.
But can you really stop your periods once it starts? The answer is yes, you can. There are some ways that you can manipulate your body to stop your period. You can try the following to see if your menstrual flow will stop.
Heavy Bleeding In Women Frequently Asked Questions
Women have many questions when it comes to Heavy Menstrual Bleeding. Below are the most common questions and answers.
Q: What is a menstrual period?
A:When puberty begins, your brain signals your body to produce hormones. Some of these hormones prepare your body each month for a possible pregnancy. This is called the menstrual cycle. Hormones cause the lining of the uterus to become thicker with extra blood and tissue. One of your ovaries then releases an egg. This is called ovulation. The egg moves down one of the two fallopian tubes toward the uterus.
If the egg is not fertilized, pregnancy does not occur. The lining of the uterus breaks down and flows out of the body through the vagina. The discharge of blood and tissue from the lining of your uterus is your menstrual period .
Q:What if I am having heaving bleeding?
A:If you are bleeding so much that you need to change your pad or tampon every 1-2 hours or if your period lasts for more than 7 days, you should see your doctor. See your doctor right away if you are light-headed, dizzy, or have a racing pulse.
Q:What is heavy bleeding or Menorrhagia?
Q: Who is affected?
A:Menorrhagia is common among women, but many women do not know that they can get help for it. Others do not get help because they are too embarrassed to talk with a doctor about their problem. Talking openly with your doctor is very important in making sure you are diagnosed properly and get the right treatment.
Q: Are there treatments I can try myself?
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Q: Is This Something Youd Recommend To Patients
A: I have not seen this proposed in any medical journals, and I would not advise patients to try this on their own.
If you want to delay your period, your doctor can instead prescribe the hormones progesterone or estrogen, or a combination of the two. Some formulations can delay a period by a couple of weeks others for only a few days, depending on your needs.
Other options include birth control medications that suppress periods for a couple of months.
A non-hormonal medicine is also available. However, it only decreases blood flow by about 50%.
Youve Lost Or Gained A Ton Of Weight
Fluctuating weight can mess with your menstrual cycle, making your periods a lot shorter or lighter. Thats because when you gain weight, storing more fat in your body can affect your hormone levels and throw them out of balance. In a similar way, losing weight from restricting calories can put your body into stress mode and create an imbalance of hormones. Dr. Akopians notes that your body needs a healthy balance between protein, carbohydrates, fats, and vitamins, to keep operating normally.
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Ways To Help Lighten Your Period:
Take natural remedies. Natural herbs that seem to have a positive effect on reducing menstrual flow include agrimony, blue cohosh, and golden seal . Be sure to discuss these herbs with your doctor before taking any of them because they may interfere with certain prescription medicines.
Be sure to get your nutrients. Make sure the foods you eat contain essential nutrients such as calcium, magnesium and essential fatty acids. Vitamins B, C, and E and iron should also be on your shopping list when its that time of the month!
Enjoy good nutrition. Avoid foods containing saturated fat, excess sugar and flour because these ingredients can negatively affect your period.
Avoid stress. You might tend to eat poorly when under stress, and this only compounds a heavy period. Check out the food pyramid to find out the recommended healthy foods in each food group for your daily menu.
Take birth control pills. Taking oral contraceptives may alleviate the symptom of heavy bleeding if a hormonal imbalance is causing it, according to the Mayo Clinic.
Move your body. When you get regular exercise, youll reap the benefitsincluding reducing the amount of monthly bleeding. Good choices of healthy exercise range from swimming to Pilates and yoga. There are also many advantages to a good, old-fashioned walk in the park!
Get enough Zs. Make certain youre getting enough sleep each night to feel rejuvenated and healthy.
How Do I Know Whats Causing My Heavy Periods
Your doctor will perform an evaluation and likely ask you a variety of questions about your menstrual cycle and how it affects your quality of life. Consider keeping a period log for multiple cycles that notes how many days of bleeding you experienced, how heavy your flow was, and how many sanitary products you needed to control it, and then share this log with your doctor.
From there, to determine the cause of your heavy menstrual bleeding, your doctor may order one or more of these tests:
- Blood test to screen for anemia, thyroid disorders, and blood-clotting issues
- Endometrial biopsy to assess the uterine tissue for abnormalities or growths
- Pap test to evaluate cells from the cervix for infection, inflammation, or cancer
- Ultrasound to evaluate the structure of the uterus, ovaries, and pelvis
Depending on what these initial tests find, your doctor may order additional tests or procedures:
- Sonohysterography to look for problems in the uterine lining
- Hysteroscopy to take a closer look inside the uterus
- Dilation and curettage to find whats causing the excessive bleeding
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How To Stop Periods Permanently
The period or menstruation cycle is normal and harmless. Your period is a natural way to cleanse your reproductive system. When occurring irregularly, it can be a sign of an underlying condition. Stopping your period permanently is a serious decision that needs lots of consideration. This is not to say that you cannot stop your period permanently.
If your reasons for stopping your period are not a medical emergency, then you might want to reconsider such a decision, especially for a young girl. You might opt for semi-permanent methods such as using contraceptives and other natural methods.
If you are, however certain that you would wish to stop your period permanently, then you can try the following:
How Is Heavy Menstrual Bleeding Diagnosed
Your healthcare provider will ask a series of questions about your medical history and menstrual cycle to diagnose heavy menstrual bleeding.
Your provider may ask about:
- Your age when you got your first period.
- The number of days your period lasts.
- The number of days your period is heavy.
- Family members with a history of heavy menstrual bleeding.
- Your pregnancy history and current birth control methods.
- Current medications you’re taking, including over-the-counter ones.
Come prepared to talk about your quality of life, too. Your provider needs to know if you’ve been doubling up on menstrual products, avoiding activities or placing restrictions on your life in any way because of heavy periods.
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Do I Need Any Tests If I Have Heavy Periods
See your doctor if your periods change and become heavier than previously. For most women, the cause is unclear and there is no abnormality of the womb or hormones. However, it is very important to get it checked out properly.
A doctor may want to do an internal examination to examine your neck of the womb and also to assess the size and shape of your womb. However, an examination is not always necessary, especially in younger women who do not have any symptoms to suggest anything other than dysfunctional uterine bleeding.A blood test to check for anaemia may be performed. If you bleed heavily each month then you may not take in enough iron in your diet, needed to replace the blood that you lose. This can lead to anaemia which can cause tiredness and other symptoms. Up to 2 in 3 women with recurring heavy periods develop anaemia.If the vaginal examination is normal and there are no other associated symptoms, no further tests may be needed. The diagnosis is usually dysfunctional uterine bleeding and treatment may be started if required. Further tests may be advised for some women, especially if there is concern that there may be a cause for the heavy periods other than dysfunctional uterine bleeding. For example, if you:
If tests are advised then they may include one or more of the following:
Avoid Processed Foods Sugar And White Flour
Processed foods have been seen to exacerbate the PMS symptoms, and therefore end-up making your periods very painful and difficult. Even though it has not been proven that avoiding carbs and sugar can actually assist in shortening the duration of your foods, it has been seen that it can assist in reducing cramps and bloating.
Additionally, many women have reported experiencing lighter periods, after paying increased attention to their diets. Potato chips and ice cream could be what you are craving when your period comes around, but choosing to avoid them can make a ton of a difference. Note that
- Crackers, pasta, cookies, white bread, pretzels, cookies, sugary confections and other pastries are in the list of items that you should avoid. You need to swap them out for natural sweeteners like honey and fruits.
- Managing to avoid some and all these foods for the entire month will be your best bet to ensuring that you are able to manage your period.
But if you feel that you cannot stay without consuming a few scoops of chocolate ice cream during your menses, you will still have the option of eating healthy in the few weeks preceding your periods.
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How Can Hormones Help
Painkillers like ibuprofen and diclofenac both of which are non-steroidal are often used for the relief of menstrual pain and cramps, and also for heavy periods. In addition to relieving the pain, they may also help to lower the amount of blood lost. Acetylsalicylic acid is not suitable for heavy periods because it has an anti-clotting effect so it can increase the amount of blood lost during menstruation.
The most common side effects of NSAIDs are stomach problems, nausea, vomiting, headaches and drowsiness. The women who took NSAIDs for heavy periods in studies didn’t experience many more side effects than women who took a placebo for comparison.
Another medication that can help in the treatment of heavy periods is tranexamic acid. It affects blood clotting and reduces the tendency to bleed. Studies have shown it to be more effective than NSAIDs. Tranexamic acid may cause headaches, tiredness and muscle cramps. But these side effects are not more common than with NSAIDs.
There is no good-quality research on whether herbal products can relieve heavy periods.
If excessive loss of blood is causing extreme tiredness, iron deficiency anemia is probably the reason. It is normally treated by taking iron tablets. Iron supplements may have side effects such as stomach ache and constipation, and can cause your stool to turn black.
Youre Experiencing Early Signs Of Menopause
When a patient mentions a diminishing return on her tampon investment, the first thing Dr. Choi looks at is age. Menopause might be around the corner, but not always. Sometimes with aging the cycles change, she says, noting that its not necessarily a sign of infertility. Someone who needed to use a super pad in their 20s and early 30s may find they need less protection in their later 30s.
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Q: How Do You Know Which Option Is Best For A Special Event
A: The options might vary, depending on how far in advance the patient consults us.
If patients contact us a couple of months ahead of an event, birth control is likely their best chance to reliably delay a period. If they ask for help a week or two in advance, a high dose of progesterone can delay their period for a week or so.
But remember: Everybody is different. Some women can skip periods for a whole year, and have no bleeding, on certain treatments. Some can only delay periods for two to three weeks, and then will start to get breakthrough bleeding.
For others, we cant ever completely stop their periods, but we can slow or delay them.
So Why Do Women Have Periods
As a woman, your period is your bodys way of releasing tissue that it no longer needs. Every month, your body prepares for pregnancy.
The lining of your uterus gets thicker as preparation for nurturing a fertilized egg. An egg is released and is ready to be fertilized and settle in the lining of your uterus.
If the egg is not fertilized, your body no longer needs the thicker lining of the uterus, so it starts to break down and is eventually expelled, along with some blood, from your vagina. This is your period, and once its over, the process starts all over again.
The way that women experience their periods varies widely. Its important that you communicate with your healthcare provider if you have concerns about:
- Cycle regularity. Is it regular each month? Irregular? Absent?
- Duration of period. Is it prolonged? Typical? Shortened?
- Volume of menstrual flow. Is it heavy? Typical? Light?
2014 article in the International Journal of Womens Health, you can suppress your cycle with various types of birth control such as:
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