Why Is My Period So Light This Month 10 Main Light Period
Reasons for having a light period. Imbalance in the hormonal levels is the most common cause for the lighter periods. You are well aware that the normal menses occurs when you have a perfect balance of hormones in your body and when this gets disturbed some changes do occur in your menses cycles also. Estrogen is the main hormone that is. Your period may not make an appearance after your baby is born, but don’t be alarmed! If you are breastfeeding your little one, a lack of periods is completely normal. Referred to as lactational amenorrhea, this is a phase that disrupts the rhythm of your menstrual cycle. After a few months, your monthly period should be right back on track
What Tests Might Be Needed For Heavy Periods
Your doctor might do or advise one or more of the following tests:
- An examination to see whether the bleeding is coming from your cervix, not your uterus. This is done in a similar way as a cervical smear or HPV screening test.
- Blood tests to look for anaemia, iron levels, thyroid disease or a bleeding disorder.
- An ultrasound of your uterus and ovaries to detect abnormalities in your uterus, such as polyps or fibroids.
- A cervical smear in which a sample of cells is collected from your cervix and then looked at to see if you have an infection, inflammation or changes in the cells that might be or cause cancer.
- A sample of the lining of the uterus to see whether there are any precancerous or cancerous changes.
How Much Is Too Much Menstrual Bleeding
Lets start with what is considered normal menstrual bleeding. If you have average periods, youll change your pad or tampon about every 3 to 4 hours and bleed for 4 to 5 days. Within that time, some days will be a little heavier, some a little lighter, and you will lose about 2 to 3 tablespoons of blood.
But menstrual bleeding is different for each person, and it naturally changes over your lifetime. So, if your period is heavier than the average or heavier than it used to be how do you know if you have a problem?
Researchers have developed tools to estimate blood loss by how often pads or tampons are changed, how saturated they are, and how many days a period lasts.
Heavy menstrual bleeding is the loss of more than 5 tablespoons of blood during your period. Besides estimating your blood loss, consider the following questions to see if you may have heavy periods:
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Does your period last for more than 7 days?
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Do you have to change your pad or tampon every 1 to 2 hours?
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Are your pads and tampons saturated with blood?
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Do you notice blood clots ?
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Do you feel like you dont have enough energy to get through your day, even after your menstrual cycle?
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Are you pale?
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Do you get short of breath easily?
If you answered yes to any of the above, you may be dealing with heavy menstrual bleeding.
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What Does A Heavy Period Look Like
Everyone has different versions of what a heavy flow feels and looks like. For some, a heavy first day might mean that they need to change their tampon or sanitary towel every four hours, whereas some may need to do the same twice as much for the first day or two of their period. Essentially, a heavy period is any time you feel youre seeing significantly more blood over the course of your period than usual.
Wait And See: Seldom The Best Option
A heavier flow one month is oftennot a cause for concern. But if you experience a noticeable increase in yourflow over a few months or have ongoing irregular periods, youshould see your doctor to check for an underlying cause. Conditions that maycause heavier bleeding include:
- Cancer.
- Endometrial polyps.
And these all may need immediateattention. So its important to have a thorough evaluation to find out whatsgoing on. Your doctor should conduct tests specifically to diagnose orrule out these factors, Dr. Bradley says.
For example, a biopsy or regularultrasound isnt always enough. She says a specialized transvaginal ultrasound,also called saline infusion sonography, is often essential for a complete exam.
Its important for doctors toconsider the whole woman, she says.
And its equally important for womento know that there are options to help ease their monthly flow, or even stopit.
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When Is A Heavy Period Too Heavy
- By Claire McCarthy, MD, Senior Faculty Editor, Harvard Health Publishing
Its common for girls and their parents to wonder if the bleeding with their periods is too often or too much. Especially in the first few years of having a period, any bleeding can feel like too much. Usually, its not but sometimes it is, and its important for parents to know what to watch for, and when to call the doctor.
In the first couple of years after periods begin, its really normal for periods to be irregular and for some of them to be heavy. At the beginning, periods arent associated with ovulation, and the hormones and hormonal patterns that help regulate periods havent fallen into place yet. If its just the occasional period that is heavy, thats usually nothing to worry about.
Its not always easy to know what counts as a heavy period. As I said, for some girls anything is too much. And while we doctors often ask how often the girl changes her pad or tampon, thats very subjective and dependent on personal preference. Some girls change as soon as there is any blood present or every time they use the bathroom. Others wait until they are completely soaked.
Problems With The Uterus
Did you know that menstrual blood comes from the lining of your uterus? Each month, the tissue on the inside of the uterus builds up in preparation for pregnancy. But if an egg isnt fertilized, that lining sheds, which you experience as your period.
Knowing this, its easy to see how problems with the uterus can cause heavy menstrual bleeding. Some include:
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Polyps or fibroids: These benign growths within the uterus can prevent effective contraction of the uterus , which can result in heavy bleeding.
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Endometrial problems: If the endometrium is inflamed or infected, the normal process of monthly shedding may not work as well and could lead to heavy menstrual bleeding.
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Cancer or precancer of the uterus or cervix: If abnormal tissue is growing in the uterus or cervix, it can bleed easily due to rapid growth.
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Complications of pregnancy: Miscarriage or ectopic pregnancy can cause heavy bleeding. And this can happen even before someone knows they’re pregnant.
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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.
What Will The Doctor Do
After listening to the story and doing a physical examination, the doctor generally will do some screening blood tests. Basic tests recommended by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists include a complete blood count and some tests to look for bleeding problems. Along with checking to see if her bleeding has caused her to be anemic, its important to check to see if there might be a problem such as low platelets, or Von Willebrand disease, or some other condition that might cause her to bleed more heavily than normal. Some of these conditions dont become apparent until a girl starts menstruating. In retrospect, there is often a history of easy bruising and bleeding, or a family history of heavy periods or other bleeding.
In most cases, doctors will also do a pregnancy test. This may seem like a strange or silly test to do in a young teenager, but pregnancy can cause heavy bleeding and the reality is that we can never entirely know everything about the lives of young girls. Its always better to be safe than sorry.
There are many other causes of heavy periods. If initial tests dont show anything and the bleeding doesnt get better, the doctor may want to check thyroid function as well as some other hormones, and also do some tests to check overall health. Most of the time, though, more tests arent needed.
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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 .
What Is Prolonged Period
Women period is due to endometrial shredding that occurs during your menstrual cycle. It occurs due to the interplay of many hormones like estrogen and progesterone.
If your period lasts between two and seven days, then its normal. Women can have periods that last for three days or longer periods that last up to six to seven days. This is normal.
However, any menstrual blood flow more than seven days is considered abnormal.
Period blood flow more than seven days is prolonged and requires urgent treatment. Long periods, in women of reproductive age, can prevent pregnancy or cause infertility.
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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
Can Excessive Menstruation Be Treated
If your doctor finds stress or birth control pills as the cause of your excessive menstruation, you will be advised or other contraceptive methods used. Also, vaginal infections and other causes will require further testing. Vaginal infections gonorrhea and chlamydia, can be treated with antibiotics. If your bleeding is due to a polyp, a curettage or polyp forceps is used with good success rate.
Also, vaginal infections and other causes will require further testing. Vaginal infections gonorrhea and chlamydia, can be treated with antibiotics. If your bleeding is due to a polyp, a curettage or polyp forceps is used with good success rate.
Wondering why My period wont stop? Let us know.
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When Should You See A Doctor For Heavy Bleeding
You should call the attention of your doctor when you notice one or some of the following symptoms:
- Extremely heavy menstrual bleeding from the vagina which soaks one tampon at least within the space of two hours.
- Irregular vaginal bleeding. Always take note of when you begin to notice bleeding in between periods.
An Introduction To Heavy Periods And Menopause
In the lead up to the menopause, known as the peri-menopause, many women experience changes to their normal menstrual cycle, including unusually heavy bleeding. This symptom is usually accompanied by irregular periods. A woman may go for several months without a period and then experience particularly heavy bleeding, or may find her periods coming thick and fast.
Aside from the obvious inconvenience of this, heavy bleeding may also lead to further health problems, such as anaemia. This is when there is not a high enough level of iron in the body. This can lead to extreme exhaustion and weakness.
While many women suffer from heavy periods in the lead up to their menopause, it is important to remember that prolonged bleeding should be checked by your doctor. Bleeding for longer than 1 week per month is not healthy.
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Endometrial Polyp Or Uterine Polys
These are hanging mass attached to the uterine wall. They can sometimes protrude into the cervical canal and cause bleeding during intercourse. Symptoms of an endometrial polyps are
- Very heavy bleeding during periods
- Bleeding after menopause
- Bleeding in between periods
- Pain during periods
Uterine polyps are common in women taking hormone replacement with only estrogen, obese women and women with high blood pressure.
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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What Is Very Heavy Period Flow Or Menses
Normal blood loss during period in women is usually less than 80mls. If your period is more than 80mls then it is heavy. However, it may be difficult to calculate how much of blood youve lost during menstruation.
One easy way to know is the frequency at which you change you pads. If you change pads too frequently than usual it could mean heavy or increased menstrual flow.