Heavy Menstrual Bleeding
Heavy menstrual bleeding is a common women’s complaint, especially for women between the ages of 30-45. Heavy periods often occur two to three years before menopause and during the first two to three years after the onset of menstruation.
What is heavy menstrual bleeding?
Generally speaking, if you need to change your pads or tampons every hour or even more often because they are soaked, that is considered to be heavy menstrual bleeding. Also, if your period is longer than seven days you’re probably experiencing heavy menstruation as well.
Some women are anxious about clots in their menstrual flow, but clots really are a normal part of menstruation. Menstruation is the vaginal discharge of blood and tissue (endometrium) that were laid down in the uterus in preparation for pregnancy. This tissue (endometrium) may sometimes be seen as clots.
Causes of heavy periods
Heavy periods aren't usually a sign of anything serious. Most common causes of heavy menstrual bleeding are:
- Hormonal imbalance: These are especially common in adolescent and menopausal women.
- Fibroids in the womb: These are large growths in the womb lining. They aren't cancer, and they aren't harmful. Fibroids bleed just like the womb lining, so they can make periods heavy.
- A chemical imbalance: Prostaglandins are chemicals that control the tightening of the muscles in your womb. They can also make blood vessels wider and narrower. An imbalance of prostaglandins can cause heavy bleeding.
Other (less common) causes of heavy abnormal periods could be:
- Pelvic Inflammatory Disease
- Cervical Cancer
- Endometrial Cancer
- Lupus
- Cervical or Endometrial Polyps
- IUD (Intrauterine Device)
- Blood disorder (platelets disorder, which called Willebrand disease)
Risk factors for heavy periods:
- Getting older: about 1 in 4 women aged 41 to 49 have heavy periods.
- Teenagers: heavy periods are common in young teenagers when they first start getting their periods.
- Inheritance: heavy menstrual flow or “period problems,” can run in the family.
Treatment options for heavy periods:
- Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (first-line therapy)
- Oral contraceptive pills
- Progestin therapy
- Levonorgestrel intrauterine system
- Danazol
- Tranexamic acid
Home remedies for a heavy period:
Herbal remedies can be helpful to control heavy menstrual bleeding.
These herbs are agrimony, black haw, dong quai, lady’s mantle, periwinkle, pomegranate, raspberry leaf, sage, shepherd’s purse, stinging nettle, yarrow
Shepherd’s purse is particularly helpful and it has been used to stop heavy bleeding for centuries. When taken internally, shepherd's purse can reduce heavy menstrual periods, and it has been used to treat postpartum hemorrhage.
An astringent agent, shepherd's purse constricts blood vessels, thereby reducing blood flow. Shepherd's purse is also thought to cause the uterine muscle to contract, which also helps reduce bleeding.
Supplements and minerals for heavy menstrual bleeding:
- Vitamin A taken in a dose of 25,000IU twice a day for 15 days. If you are planning to get pregnant don’t take doses of more than 10,000 IU per day.
- Iron appears to help blood vessels contract, which is important if the body is to bring an end to the bleeding from the womb. Take 100-200mg of iron a day, until your ferritin level returns to normal.
- Magnesium can help reduce the pain associated with periods, relaxing the muscle of the womb and preventing cramping. Take 250-350mg of magnesium each day.
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