My Period Only Lasted 2 Days But Was Heavy

If You’re Experiencing Shorter Periods That Last One Or Two Days Something Must Be Wrong With Your Menstrual Health Read On To Know The Causes

The menstrual cycle is no less than a puzzle. You may anticipate something, but something else may happen. This is because your cycles length might vary, sometimes even month to month, depending on a wide range of different factors. Given that a period usually lasts between 4 and 8 days, a sudden change in the menstrual cycle may worry you. So, are you going through shorter periods that only last a day or two? Lets find out why it may be so!

Dr Asha Hiremath, Consultant Obstetrician, Gynaecologist and Laparoscopic Surgeon, Motherhood Hospital, Indiranagar, Bengaluru, spoke to Health Shots about the shorter menstrual cycle problem and the reasons behind it.

Dr Hiremath says, For those of you who have been experiencing a sudden shortened menstrual cycle, there could be multiple reasons causing the same. A lot of these can be rectified by yourself.

How To Know If You’re Pregnant When You Only Have A 2

Although pregnant women do not menstruate, some experience vaginal bleeding in early pregnancy that is often mistaken for a period. In fact, approximately one-quarter of pregnant women experience bleeding in the first trimester, according to Marjorie Greenfield, M.D., contributor to DrSpock.com. Since doctors use the date of the last menstrual period to determine a due date for a pregnancy, it is important for women to learn when they may be pregnant despite their vaginal bleeding.

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Brown Discharge After Period And Cramps

If you experience brown discharge and cramps after your period, it could be caused by PCOS or early pregnancy.

Early miscarriage could also cause these symptoms. Sometimes the bleeding and cramps caused by miscarriage are mistaken for a period. The blood from a miscarriage can be red, but it can also be brown and resemble coffee grounds.

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Do Missed Periods Cause It

In some cases, brown discharge may come in place of a period.

For example, a withdrawal bleed which occurs when a person using a birth control pill takes inactive pills or no pills for a few days a month may sometimes cause brown discharge rather than bleeding that resembles typical menstrual bleeding.

• pain when urinating or during sex
• foul smelling discharge

Pregnant people should talk to a doctor about unexpected changes in their discharge. These will usually not be cause for concern, but they can sometimes be a sign of an underlying issue.

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Estimating The Volume Of Your Period

It is difficult to figure out how much menstrual fluid leaves your body every cycle. If you use a menstrual cup, these often have volume measurements indicated on the side of the menstrual cup to help you estimate how much fluid you have lost.

In general, the amount of fluid lost can be estimated when using pads or tampons, depending on the size and soaking amount of the menstrual product. A fully saturated light tampon can hold up to 3 mL of fluid, while a fully saturated super tampon may hold up to 12 mL . A regular daytime fully soaked pad may hold around 5 ml of fluid, and fully soaked overnight pad may hold 10-15 mL .

If you are repeatedly soaking through a tampon or pad every two hours, this is considered heavy menstrual bleeding and should be brought to your healthcare providerâs attention.

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When Do You Call Your Healthcare Provider If You Suspect Heavy Period Bleeding

You should call your provider if you’re experiencing the symptoms of heavy menstrual bleeding or anemia, or if your period bleeding has become abnormal. Tracking your periods using a calendar or app can help you identify if your periods are heavier and longer-lasting than usual. Share these notes with your provider.

You should also schedule an appointment if you notice that you’re having to double-up on menstrual products or if you’re skipping activities you enjoy because of heavy bleeding.

Can heavy menstrual bleeding be life-threatening?

Heavy periods arent usually life-threatening, but they can be if you lose too much blood. Bleeding through two or more tampons or pads each hour for two hours in a row is a sign that you should see your provider or seek emergency care immediately.

A note from Cleveland Clinic

Just because heavy periods are common doesn’t mean that you have to learn to live with the discomfort they cause. If managing your blood flow is getting in the way of your emotional and physical well-being, speak with your provider. They can provide a care path that will provide relief.

What Is The Normal Duration For A Menstrual Period

Women vary greatly in the range of their cycles. This includes how long they go between periods .

It also includes how long a period lasts. Generally, a period should last six days or less and start heavier and get lighter. But every woman is different, Dr. Thielen says.

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Whats more important is whether the length of your period has changed, she stresses. If you regularly bleed for eight or nine days, thats not concerning. But if you previously had a five-day flow and now youre going eight or nine, that should be evaluated, she says. Even women in perimenopause, whose periods may be all over the place, are wise to get examined if the length of their period changes markedly.

Depending on the circumstances, long menstruation might be a mild condition that can be easily controlled, or one that indicates a more serious underlying health issue.

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When Its Time To See A Doctor

Signs that you should contact your doctor include:

• Menstrual bleeding that last longer than 7 days
• Passing clots larger than a quarter
• Changing pads or tampons more than every hour
• Changing pads in the middle of the night
• Feeling more tired than usual or feeling lightheaded

If you suspect your period is lasting longer than usual or you have heavy bleeding with your periods, dont hesitate to contact your doctor. Its important to find the cause of longer or heavier periods to not only rule out more concerning medical conditions but to improve your overall quality of life.

I Think I Had My First Period How Can I Be Sure

I had my first period a couple of days ago. At least I think it was my period because I had a red-brown smudge that lasted for a day and a half. The problem is, it lasted for such a short time that Im not sure if it was my period or not. I am really confused!

Lots of girls expect their blood to be bright red during their periods. But its completely normal for menstrual blood to be brownish. Its also perfectly normal for some girls to have their first period for just 2 or 3 days. Many girls will have a very light flow the first few times they get their period, while others have more.

How long your period lasts and how often it comes might change during the first couple of years of menstruation. Thats because your body might make different amounts of hormones from one menstrual cycle to the next. Other things can affect periods too, such as nutrition, exercise, and medicines. If you have any concerns about your period, talk to your doctor.

*Names have been changed to protect user privacy.

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You Have Pelvic Inflammatory Disease

Pelvic inflammatory disease is a condition caused by sexually transmitted bacteria, like that from gonorrhea and chlamydia, traveling from the cervix into the fallopian tube. PID can cause bleeding that is heavier than normal, spotting between menstrual cycles or spotting after sex.

If you have abnormal bleeding and pain, get a pelvic exam and get tested for sexually transmitted infections, says Dr. Horton. They can be treated with medication, which will stop the progression of PID too. Left untreated though, and PID can cause lasting issues with fertility.

How Can Birth Control Or Menopause Affect The Duration Of Your Period

Birth control pills generally help with prolonged menstrual bleeding, but on occasion may cause it. IUDs, especially copper IUDs, sometimes cause prolonged bleeding, especially in the first year after insertion.

Women in perimenopause, the years leading up to menopause, frequently find their periods changing. Still, even if youre perimenopausal, you want your doctor to check things out. Long or irregular bleeding may just be from perimenopause. But it is also often our first clue of endometrial cancer or cervical cancer, she says.

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What Is Considered Normal Menstrual Bleeding

Normal menstrual bleeding is when menstrual periods last four to seven days, with a normal cycle occurring every 21 to 35 days.

Most woman have a definition of what normal looks like for them. Many women already know that on average, menstrual periods last four to seven days, with a normal cycle occurring every 21 to 35 days. But did you know this interesting fact? Blood loss during a period averages about 40 ccs, or the equivalent of only three tablespoons.

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.

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Here Are A Few Reasons Why Your Menstrual Cycle Is Getting Shorter:

1. Stress: Increased stress levels also result in your periods lasting only a couple of days since stress adversely affects your hormones. Once your stress levels go down, your periods length most likely to come back to normal.

2. Rigorous workout: If you have been exercising aggressively, it may result in hampering the release of the hormones controlling ovulation, resulting in shorter periods.

3. Certain medications: Certain medicines such as blood control pills, blood thinners, and steroids, to name a few, also contribute to shorter periods.

4. Other diseases: Medical conditions such as PCOS, thyroid, tuberculosis of the uterus, and certain sexually transmitted diseases also result in disturbing your menstrual cycle.

5. Poor ovulation: Shorter periods could also be a sign of poor ovulation. This is known as anovulation, and it might cause lighter or irregular periods.

Your Body’s Gearing Up For Menopause

Oh yes, simply getting older can mess with your period. Menopause, which technically means you’ve gone 12 or more months without a period, hits women around age 50. However, your body starts the natural decline in hormones that leads up to menopause as early as 35, says Christiane Northrup, MD, author of Womens Bodies, Womens Wisdom.

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When this happens, you may notice your periods getting longer or shorter, your cycle becoming more random, and other slight changes in your menstruation.

If you’ve ruled out everything else, and you’re in your mid- to late-30s, your prolonged periods might simply be due to the natural process of aging. There is, however, such a thing as early menopause, which can affect women even in their twenties. So talk to your doctor if this runs in your family or if you’re showing other signs of menopause, like a low sex drive or insomnia.

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Why Did My Period Stop After One Day/why Did My Period Stop Suddenly

In some women, estrogen levels are too high in the first phase of the cycle. This can cause bleeding to stop too early in the cycle when there is still menstrual blood to be shed resulting in some females who may have bled for an hour then stopped with a period that starts and stops the same day.

Periods stopping suddenly can be due to many reasons I have outlined above including:

When To Seek Help

If this period that keeps coming and going has occurred several cycles in a row or you have any other symptoms like increased pain, bleeding or spotting outside of your menstrual window, its best to visit your primary health care provider or gynaecologist for a check up to make sure nothing else is going on. With other more serious causes ruled out, focus on the strategies above to gently bring your body back into balance.

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My Period Only Lasted Two Days What Does That Mean

I really need help and im really scared. My period only lasted two days. It was light too. What does this mean? I am sexaully active but I use protection. Im so scared. Please help!

When you first start menstruating, it may take a while for your body to get things going smoothly and regularly. Your periods may not always last the same number of days, or be the same number of days apart. You might have a light flow one month and a heavy flow the next. Your periods and cycles will probably become much more regular as you get older. Many people have irregular periods at one time or another, or even throughout their lives.

There are a lot of other reasons why your menstrual cycle might be acting funny, including illness, stress, weight changes, medicine, and travel. Learn more about your menstrual cycle and what can affect it. If you had unprotected sex since youre last period, or may have made a mistake with your birth control, pregnancy is possible.

While its not possible to get a period if youre pregnant, some light bleeding/spotting can happen. So if youre worried about pregnancy, the only way to know for sure is to take a pregnancy test. You can take a home pregnancy test, or get one from a nurse or doctor, like the ones at your local Planned Parenthood health center.

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Birth Control And Other Medications

Hormonal birth control pills or shots as well as intrauterine devices can cause shorter and lighter menstrual cycles.

The hormones in birth control pills can thin out the lining of the uterus. This can lighten and shorten your period. According to the Cleveland Clinic, women who take progestin-only pills may bleed between their periods.

Other medicines that may affect the frequency, length, or flow of your period include:

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Whats Considered A Normal Menstrual Cycle

A normal menstrual cycle happens about once every 28 days, but this often varies. Some women have periods every 21 days, while others have periods that are 35 days apart.

When it comes to periods, every woman is different. Most women have periods that last around three to five days each month. But a period that lasts only two days, or goes on for seven days, is also considered normal.

If your period typically lasts several days and suddenly becomes much shorter, it could be due to a variety of causes.

Pregnancy may be the reason for a period that lasts only one or two days.

When a fertilized egg attaches to the lining of the uterus, implantation bleeding can happen.

This type of bleeding is usually lighter than a regular period. It most often lasts about 24 to 48 hours. Its typically light pink to dark brown in color.

Implantation bleeding usually occurs about 10 to 14 days after conception. Not all pregnant women will experience it, though. According to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, implantation bleeding only happens in about 15 to 25 percent of pregnancies.

An ectopic pregnancy happens when a fertilized egg attaches to the fallopian tubes, ovary, or cervix instead of the uterus. Its commonly called a tubal pregnancy.

One of the first signs of an ectopic pregnancy is vaginal bleeding along with pelvic pain.

Seek medical help right away if you experience symptoms of an ectopic pregnancy, such as:

What Is An Abnormal Cycle

A period that is abnormal is one that is in some way different from a typical, normal periodbut this can mean different things for different people.

A normal menstrual cycle lasts between 21 and 35 days. On average, you might have spotting or bleeding for three to seven days.

Your cycles will typically look very similar. If you normally have periods with three days of spotting and two days of bleeding, an abnormal period might only be two days of spotting and no bleeding.

During an abnormal cycle, your period could be longer or shorter than usual. It also might come earlier or later than anticipated. It could also differ in the amount of flow you have. Your flow might also stop and start but still last the same number of days overall.

You might experience bleeding in between your periods when you would normally not expect to bleed. You might also have more cramping than you normally do.

When it comes to your period pay attention to anything that does not feel or look like whatever “typical,””usual,” or “normal” means for you.

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