Scanty Period: What Causes Less Bleeding During Periods
If perhaps you just noticed less bleeding during periods , it may not mean much. During the menstrual cycle and because of hormone imbalance, you may experience lighter than usual bleeding sometimes.
However, if persistent for many periods, it may indicate a problem.
In some women, lighter than usual period bleeding may be the first sign of pregnancy. This occurs because of implantation bleeding.
Other reasons for a light period are perimenopause, drugs, sexual intercourse with a vaginal tear, weight loss, hypothalamus dysfunction, contraceptives, abortion and thyroid problems.
What Is The Prognosis For Living With Menorrhagia
If left untreated, menorrhagia can interfere with daily life. In addition, it can cause anemia and leave you feeling tired and weak. Other health problems can also arise if the bleeding problem is not resolved. With proper treatment and doctor assistance, menorrhagia can be managed and not cause a disruption to your life.
Difference Between Normal Menstrual Clots And Abnormal Menstrual Clots
Clots that are small and are around the size of a quarter or less are normal in the menstrual cycle. If they are occasional and infrequent, it is not something you need to worry about. Normal menstrual clots occur usually at the beginning of your menstrual cycle. It is usually the clots that form in the blood vessels that are dangerous as they are capable of blocking the blood flow. But the clots during the menstrual cycle are not the same as the venous clots and hence not harmful to the female body.
But if the blood clots in periods are frequent and larger than the earlier mentioned size, it can be a sign that you need medical attention. Abnormal menstrual clots occur not only in the beginning and more frequently.
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Female Bleeding: When Should You See A Doctor
Thankfully, most of the time your period will come and go without causing much fuss. But what about those times when your cycle gets thrown out of whack and you have abnormal bleeding? Should you be concerned?
Every woman is different when it comes to her cycle. However, when period changes happen such as a heavier or lighter flow than usual or timing abnormalities it can be hard to decide if you need to call your doctor or if what youre experiencing is in the range of normal.
Its a good idea to always track your menstrual cycles, including how heavy your flows are, how long they last and how many tampons or pads you use during a single cycle. This information can be useful for your doctor.
We spoke to INTEGRIS Health OB-GYN Dr. Elise Schrop to get her insights on a scary topic. What causes abnormal bleeding, just what is abnormal anyway, and when should you consult your doctor?
“Abnormal bleeding is a very common problem for women,” Dr. Schrop says. “In fact, about a third of office visits to the gynecologist are for abnormal bleeding. It can happen to women of all ages but most commonly occurs in the first several years after a young woman starts having a period and as women start to make the transition to menopause.”
Whats Considered A Heavy Period
You might be surprised to learn that about one in five women experience menorrhagia, the medical term for heavy periods. Because each womans period is unique, it can be tricky to know if what you think is normal for your cycle is actually excessive bleeding. In fact, half of women who experience menorrhagia dont realize they have it.
While the best way to know if your heavy periods are chronic is to talk to a doctor, you can keep an eye out for some common symptoms of menorrhagia.
According to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, any of the following is considered a symptom of heavy bleeding:
- Bleeding for more than seven days
- Blood soaks through one or more tampons or pads every hour
- You need to change your pad or tampon during the night
- You need to double up on protection to keep from leaking
- The blood clots in your flow are the size of a quarter or larger
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Can Abnormal Uterine Bleeding Be Prevented Or Avoided
If your abnormal uterine bleeding is caused by hormonal changes, you will not be able to prevent it. But if your hormonal changes are caused by being overweight, losing weight could help. Your weight affects your hormone production. Maintaining a healthy weight can help prevent abnormal uterine bleeding.
How Can I Figure Out How Much I Actually Bleed During My Period
The possible methods for this are: measuring, weighing, chemical test.
- If you are using a menstrual cup, this is easiest. Many cup models actually have metric lines for you to read how much liquid is inside once you take it out. Even if the particular cup doesnt, it is easy to take a teaspoon and just measure the number of teaspoons through pouring the blood onto it.
- If you are using pads or tampons, measuring is a bit more tricky. You will have to estimate that one fullysoaked, normal size sanitary product will hold about 5ml, , add up all the products used while making your judgement paying attention to the number of items that you changed half full.
- You can also weigh the pads or tampons after use, add up the amount and then subtract the weight of the same unused products. Using this method, note that the number can also contain sweat as well as other body fluids, and then again might be altered through evaporation of fluids. Dried blood weighs less than wet blood. And your results will be a weight rather than a liquid quantity.
- The most exact method is a chemical process. This is not practical to be applied at home, but can be used for lab testing and scientific studies .
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You Are Taking Contraceptive Pills
Most women take birth control medication to lighten their period or stop it. These pills contain synthetic hormones estrogen and progestin, produced during the menstrual cycle.
These hormones work by blocking ovulation and making cervical mucus unfavorable for sperm to swim through.
However, some women have complained of spotting while on these pills. Though, these symptoms clear in few months after starting the pill.
On the other hand, you can get pregnant while on these pills. This may happen for many reasons. The commonest reason is not taking your medication every day as prescribed.
What Is A Typical Period Volume For People On Progestin
There are many different types of hormonal birth control, all containing differing types and levels of hormones. Some types of birth control do not contain any estrogens and only contain progestinâa synthetic form of progesterone . These methods include progestin-only pills , progestin injections , or progestin implants .
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Miscarriage Or Abnormal Pregnancy
In the first trimester, signs of a miscarriage can mimic a menstrual period, because there will be bleeding and clotting, says Dr. Ross. For some women, they may not have even known they were pregnant. According to Penn States Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, as many as 30% of women will experience this at least once, and causes can include chromosomal abnormalities, autoimmune disease, infections, and structural issues with the uterus, among other factors.
How Can I Stop Heavy Periods
If youve heard that the only options for treating heavy periods are hormone therapy or surgery, thats not true! Just like there are many causes of menorrhagia, there are many treatment options available. Were often able to manage heavy periods with treatments ranging from diet changes to prescription medication.
Menorrhagia can usually be managed with medication and lifestyle changes. In some cases, heavy periods caused by fibroids, growths or endometriosis might be best treated with surgery. The best way to know which treatment options will work best for you is to talk to a doctor.
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Because Folks Dont Get Why You Cant Just Hold It
Iâve always thought that we live in a pretty weird society because weâre all expected to hold in the need to pee or poop until itâs more convenient for other people. In school, we have to raise our hand. At work, we have to excuse ourselves and if you take too long, forget it.
So bosses and customers and other such folks might not be so sympathetic to your frequent period poops, especially if you take longer in the bathroom . It just all really sucks because itâs way too taboo to say, âHey listen, I am going to take about 10-15 minutes in the bathroom because of all my period sh*ts, alright? Please deal with it.â
How Is Menorrhagia Diagnosed
Menorrhagia is diagnosed by your doctor through a series of questions about your medical history and menstrual cycles. Usually for women with menorrhagia bleeding lasts for more than 7 days and more blood is lost .
Your doctor may ask for information about:
- Your age when you got your first period
- Length of your menstrual cycle
- Number of days your period lasts
- Number of days your period is heavy
- Quality of life during your period
- Family members with a history of heavy menstrual bleeding
- Stress you are facing
- Blood test to check thyroid, check for anemia and how the blood clots
- Pap test to check cells from cervix for changes
- Endometrial biopsy to check uterine tissue for cancer or abnormalities
- Ultrasound to check function of blood vessels, tissues and organs
Sometimes additional tests are still required to understand the cause of bleeding, including:
- Sonohysterogram to check for problems in the lining of the uterus
- Hysteroscopy to check for polyps, fibroids or other problems
- Dilation and curettage . This test can also treat the cause of the bleeding. During this test, the lining of the uterus is scraped and examined under sedation.
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Diagnosis Of Underlying Conditions
Blood clots in and of themselves aren’t a medical condition, but rather a possible symptom of another underlying condition. Your healthcare provider may start trying to diagnose the cause of your blood clots by asking you some questions, such as:
- How long does your period last?
- How heavy is your usual flow?
- Have you noticed changes in your flow over time?
- Have you been pregnant before?
- Have you ever had pelvic surgery?
- Do you use birth control and, if so, what kind?
- What medications are you on?
Next, your healthcare provider will do a pelvic exam. They may also want to do some tests to figure out what might be causing your blood clots. These tests may include:
Blood Clots Healthcare Provider Discussion Guide
Get our printable guide for your next healthcare provider’s appointment to help you ask the right questions.
Not Sure What To Do Next
If you are still concerned about bleeding between periods, check your symptoms with healthdirect’s online Symptom Checker to get advice on when to seek medical attention.
The Symptom checker guides you to the next appropriate healthcare steps, whether its self-care, talking to a health professional, going to a hospital or calling triple zero .
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Because Once You Put A Tampon In You Feel Like You Have To Poop Again
It’s already annoying that your tampons and cups shift during a poop. What’s worse is when, sometimes, you re-insert one of these items and suddenly feel like you need to poop again. Itâs like this evil, never-ending cycle. Youâll never make it out of the bathroom alive! Run for your lives!
Women In Their 40s And Early 50s
In the years before menopause and when menopause begins, women have months when they dont ovulate. This can cause abnormal uterine bleeding, including heavy periods and lighter, irregular bleeding.
Thickening of the lining of the uterus is another cause of bleeding in women in their 40s and 50s. This thickening can be a warning of uterine cancer. If you have abnormal uterine bleeding and youre in this age group, you need to tell your doctor about it. It may be a normal part of getting older, but its important to make sure uterine cancer isnt the cause.
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What Causes Heavy Periods
In about half of women with heavy menstrual bleeding, no underlying reason is found.
But there are several conditions and some treatments that can cause heavy menstrual bleeding.
Some conditions of the womb and ovaries can cause heavy bleeding, including:
- fibroids non-cancerous growths that develop in or around the womb and can cause heavy or painful periods
- endometriosis where the tissue that lines the womb is found outside the womb, such as in the ovaries and fallopian tubes
- adenomyosis when tissue from the womb lining becomes embedded in the wall of the womb this can also cause painful periods
- pelvic inflammatory disease an infection in the upper genital tract that can cause symptoms like pelvic or abdominal pain, bleeding after sex or between periods, vaginal discharge and a high temperature
- endometrial polyps non-cancerous growths in the lining of the womb or cervix
- cancer of the womb the most common symptom is abnormal bleeding, especially after the menopause
- polycystic ovary syndrome a common condition that affects how the ovaries work it causes irregular periods, and periods can be heavy when they start again
Other conditions that can cause heavy periods include:
Medical treatments that can sometimes cause heavy periods include:
What Blood Clots During Your Period Mean
Monique Rainford, MD, is board-certified in obstetrics-gynecology, and currently serves as an Assistant Clinical Professor at Yale Medicine. She is the former chief of obstetrics-gynecology at Yale Health.
For most women, occasional clots in period blood are normal and nothing to be concerned about. That said, it’s also possible that another condition is causing abnormal blood clots to appear in your period blood.
This article is a guide to menstrual blood clotswhat they’re made of, how they form in your period blood, and possible signs that something else could be causing them.
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