Do You Need To Use Protection
Using protection will also guard you against STIs. Not only can you catch an STI during your period, but you can also more easily transmit one to your partner because viruses like HIV live in menstrual blood.
Have your partner wear a latex condom every time you have sex to reduce your odds of getting pregnant and catching an STI. If you or your partner are allergic to latex, there are other forms of protection you can use. You can ask your pharmacist or doctor for recommendations.
Potential Causes For Large Blood Clots During Your Period
Passing blood clots during your menstrual cycle is often a normal occurrence during the heaviest days of your period. In fact, most women experience clots at some point in their lives however, heavy bleeding and passing large clots can sometimes Read More
Passing blood clots during your menstrual cycle is often a normal occurrence during the heaviest days of your period. In fact, most women experience clots at some point in their lives however, heavy bleeding and passing large clots can sometimes be a cause for concern.
Are huge blood clots normal during your period? What other symptoms can you look out for to ensure that more worrisome health conditions arent occurring?
Menorrhagia is defined as menstrual bleeding that can be heavier than usual. If youre changing your tampon every two hours or sooner, or are passing blood clots the size of a quarter or larger, you may be suffering from heavy periods. This is uncomfortable and often painful, and many women suffer from the debilitating symptoms that come from heavy periods.
There are numerous potential reasons that your period is getting heavier and youre passing abnormal period clots, and the good news is that many of the conditions and reasons for these symptoms are both common and treatable.
Here are seven reasons why you may be passing big blood clots and experiencing heavier-than-normal periods:
Whats First Period Like After Pregnancy
Periods that occur after childbirth are more vengeful than the ones that had occurred before. Womens and Childrens Health Network warns that the first period after pregnancy usually is more discomforting and comes with painful cramps. It even has a heavier flow as well. Periods after the first one though are not that heavy and resemble the normal periods you had before. A heavy period after pregnancy isnt concerning unless you start soaking pads within an hour or begin exhibiting signs of a medical condition or infection.
Spotting Before the Period
As your breastfeeding becomes lesser, your periods will resume shortly. You would begin spotting when your babys feeds are reduced to three times a day. Spotting is characterized as an irregular and light period that shows up as spots of blood only.
If periods resume while you are nursing, they would usually be irregular. It is normal for the menstrual cycle of a woman to slow down or quicken while she is nursing. Sometimes women who are nursing dont have periods at all or have them after many months.
Blood Clots
Having blood clots in periods after childbirth are a common thing for most women. It is usually not alarming and might be caused by the bodys self-healing. However, if you experience too much blood loss than normal or continue to have blood clots in the period for more than a week then speak with your GP, health visitor or midwife immediately.
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Seeing A Gp And Further Tests
A GP will start by asking you about your heavy bleeding, any changes to your periods and any other symptoms you have, like bleeding between your periods or period pain.
All women who have heavy periods should be offered a blood test to check for iron deficiency anaemia.
The GP may also suggest a physical examination or refer you for further tests to try to find out if there’s an underlying cause for your heavy periods.
Further tests may include:
What Is The Normal Menstrual Flow
In a randomly selected group of premenopausal women, the most common amount of menstrual flow was about two tablespoons in a whole period . However the amount of flow was highly variableit ranged from a spot to over two cups in one period! Women who are taller, have had children and are in . That means it is normal to soak one to seven normal-sized pads or tampons in a whole period.
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How To Deal With The Heavy Flow And Cramping
1. How to Regulate Your Cycles
Hormonal birth control can be used to control the changes in your cycle after pregnancy. For instance, if the heavier flow is interrupting your lifestyle, the hormonal birth control can help in regulating the cycle and might even make the flow less painful and lighter too. Ask your gynecologist regarding the type of birth control that is right for regulating your cycle.
2. Daytime Strategies
It is better to have an emergency bag ready when going out. It must have:
- At least 2 additional pairs of panties
- An additional pair of jeans
- A jacket or long-sleeved sweater in case an accident occurs
- Panty liners, tampons and pads
3. Nighttime Suggestions
- Since blood is not easy to be cleaned from sheets and clothes, its in your best interest to avoid leaks while you are asleep.
- Fold a dark-colored towel and put it underneath your bottom as a safety measure for accidental leakage while sleeping.
- Sleep on an old blanket to keep the sheets safe from being ruined. The blanket can absorb the blood if any of it leaks through the overnight pads.
- Make use of tampons that have panty liners during daytime and menstrual cups while sleeping.
4. Tips to Relieve Cramps
Causes Of Heavy Menstrual Bleeding
How do you know when your period is normal and when its not? Menstrual bleeding is different for every woman and can change as you age. There might be days when you have a heavy flow and cramps, which is completely normal. But if you have heavy bleeding that interferes with daily activities, you could have a condition called menorrhagia, or heavy menstrual bleeding.
Heavy menstrual bleeding can be caused by subtle health problems that can go unnoticed. In some cases, a larger health issue is the problem. For instance, endometriosis can cause painful and heavy periods. March is Endometriosis Awareness Month, so now is a good time to get familiar with its symptoms.
If you experience heavy menstrual bleeding, it might be time to talk to your doctor. Your doctor will ask you about your health history, perform a physical exam and may order tests like an ultrasound, Pap test or blood tests. After your doctor rules out other potential health problems, they may be able to diagnose you with menorrhagia.
Signs and symptoms of menorrhagia may include:
- Soaking through one or more sanitary pads or tampons every hour for several hours
- Waking up in the middle of the night to change their sanitary pads
- Using two sanitary pads to manage heavy menstrual bleeding
- Bleeding longer than a week
- Passing blood clots larger than a quarter
- Restricting daily activities due to heavy menstrual bleeding
- Symptoms of anemia, tiredness, fatigue, and shortness of breath
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No Matter Which Period Problems Are Affecting You You Dont Have To Suffer In Silence
You have no reason to feel embarrassed about your periodor the many period problems that can come with it. Talk of menstrual cycle problems is becoming so much more common because, hey, sometimes theyre just the lot were dealt as people with vaginas. Celebrities are out here talking about menstruation) problems, too! Some pad commercials evengaspuse red blood, these days! What a time to be alive.
If youre having period problems, see your doctor for help. If they arent committed to relieving your symptoms, thats a sign you should try to find a more sympathetic medical professional who can help you find the best treatment.
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If You Have Just Started Taking Certain Medication
There are certain sorts of medicines that can create havoc inside your body and whack your hormones. If you have just started medications for issues like thyroid and blood-thinning, then there are chances of having longer periods. These medications disturb the hormone levels by leaps and bounds and disturbed hormone levels mean longer periods.
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A Hysterectomy Isnt Your Only Option
Dr. Bradley says some women avoid getting help with heavy periods because theyre worried a hysterectomy is their only option. And the statistics may make that concern seem very real. One in three women has had a hysterectomy, but only 10% are due to cancer, she says.
Not every woman who has a heavyperiod has an underlying problem. But even if there are medical issues, Dr.Bradley says doctors can treat many of them with minor surgery or medications.
If fibroids are located in theuterine cavity , we can easily treat them with a briefoutpatient procedure called operative hysteroscopy, she says.
For healthy women who dont want to reschedule their lives for one week out of every month, birth control pills can help lighten or even stop the flow altogether. Lysteda, a non-hormonal, FDA-approved medication, also is useful in treating heavy periods, she says.
Previously, endometrial ablation was a common option to help treat abnormal bleeding, but its not typically done very often anymore. The procedure involves destroying the lining of the uterus to reduce menstrual flow. Its not recommended for women who may want to have children in the future and there is the potential for complications later down the road.
How Can The Risk Of Abnormal Menstruation Be Reduced
Here are some recommendations for self-care:
- Try to maintain a healthy lifestyle by exercising moderately and eating nutritious foods. If you have to lose weight, do so gradually instead of turning to diets that drastically limit your calorie and food intake.
- Make sure you get enough rest.
- Practice stress reduction and relaxation techniques.
- If you are an athlete, cut back on prolonged or intense exercise routines. Excessive sports activities can cause irregular periods.
- Use birth control pills or other contraceptive methods as directed.
- Change your tampons or sanitary napkins approximately every four to six hours to avoid toxic shock syndrome and prevent infections.
- See a doctor for regular check-ups.
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Why Do Some Women Have Heavy Periods
Why Do Some Women Have Heavy Periods?
So it’s that time of the month again, your period is here and seems to be heavier than other women you talk to. Why is it that some of your friends have lighter periods, while others experience heavy bleeding for longer amount of days? On average a period cycle is about 28 days, with a period of about 4 days – Add or take a few days. You may not know you experience a heavy menstrual cycle because you are used to it, but for those of you who go through these menstrual struggles, here are a few reasons why your period may be heavier or lighter than other women.
The Diet
Yes, what you eat can affect your period. Women who eat more junk food tend to suffer more from premenstrual symptoms. On the other hand, eating nutrient filled foods can help reduce period pains. With that being said, not eating enough and depriving yourself of nutrients can make your body assume you’re not ready to carry a pregnancy and can affect your period.
Weight
Your weight can be a significant factor in the heaviness or lightness of your period. Overweight women tend to have worse PMS, and irregular or heavier periods. While women who are underweight may be too thin causing their body to skip or lose periods because their bodies don’t seem fit for child bearing.
Too Little or Too Much Exercise
The Pill
Mirena
Mirena IUD is the only contraceptive device FDA approved to treat heavy or painful periods and lasts up to 5 years.
Your Age
Hormone Imbalance
Youre Not Ovulating Yet
Not ovulating is another one of the reasons you are having a heavy period after stopping birth control. When your period is irregular you are not ovulating normally, but when you do ovulate you can find that your periods are unusually heavy. You may not be ovulating because you are not producing enough progesterone to balance out estrogen levels. Remember, progesterone needs to be produced for the egg to be released from the ovary in order to have ovulation. Additionally, if progesterone is not being produced as much, then estrogen will be elevated in comparison which can cause estrogen dominance.
Source: 30062044
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Diagnosis Of Menstrual Periodrelated Problems
The most important issue in a medical evaluation is your personal history, where the doctor will ask about your past and present health conditions, medication you take especially birth control and your menstrual history.
Your doctor will likely also do a pelvic exam, and possibly take an ultrasound image of your uterus.
Unwanted Growths In Uterus Known As Polyps
Polyps are non-cancerous growths that can appear in any body part. If they have shown up on your uterus then you may experience prolonged periods. They happen to appear on the uterus lining and are non-cancerous most of the time. However, a proper medical examination is required. Uterus polyps are likely to affect women of an older age. However, it may affect younger women as well.
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You Missed Your Previous Periods
Missed periods are as common as prolonged periods. Sometimes due to some physical or mental stress, a woman is likely to miss her due periods. If you are amongst one of these women, then your next period is supposed to be last longer.
When you miss a period, your uterus lining becomes thicker than usual and takes time to clear up completely. Hence, you have prolonged periods in the next cycle.
Treating Heavy Periods In Blood Disorders
Treatment for blood disorders varies depending on the type and severity of the disorder. In some cases, women take iron supplementation to replenish the iron in their body lost from excessive bleeding in others, women may receive intravenous iron or a blood transfusion in which they receive blood from a donor to replace lost blood.
If we find that a hormonal imbalance is causing a patients heavy periods, hormones often are effective. The most common types include:
- Birth control pills
- Intrauterine device , a small, T-shaped plastic device inserted into the uterus
- Birth control ring , a tiny, flexible ring thats inserted into the cervix
When we diagnose a young woman with a blood disorder, we have other tricks up our sleeves to control her periods better, such as allowing her to have a period only four times a year using hormones to prevent anemia or using non-hormonal options for additional protection. We also work with dentists and surgeons to make plans for dental procedures and surgeries so patients do not experience unnecessary bleeding.
Additionally, some women with heavy periods receive psychiatric care because mental health problems such as anxiety and depression can arise while experiencing symptoms. In this case, a hematologist, Ob/Gyn, or adolescent doctor will refer patients to a psychologist or psychiatrist.
To find out whether you or a loved one might benefit from the Young Womens Blood Disorders Program, call or request an appointment online.
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