A heavy period is troubling no matter your age. Some women bleed heavier than others do and this could be due to genetics, diet, and how much they exercise. Other women bleed heavy because there is something medical going on and Eagle’s Landing OB/GYN can help if that’s the case. Why is your period so heavy? Let’s look at what constitutes and heavy period and its possible causes.
Heavy Period Signs
A heavy period is also called menorrhagia and you are considered to have menorrhagia if your period lasts longer than seven days or you experience any of the following symptoms:
- Your menstrual flow soaks through your pad or tampon every hour and you must change it
- You must use two pads to prevent bleeding through them
- You must change your pads throughout the night, even if you use overnight pads
- You cannot function normally because of heavy menstrual flow
- You have constant pain in your lower abdomen during your menstrual flow
- You are tired, short of breath, and lack normal energy during your period
Whether you wear pads or use tampons during your monthly cycle you should not have to change them more than every few hours, even on heavy days. In fact, most pads and tampons can last four hours or longer before you have to change them. Additionally, you should never be disabled by your period. Yes, it might be uncomfortable but you should still feel relatively normal during your cycle.
Menorrhagia Causes
Your heavy periods indicate there might be something wrong in your uterus, with your hormones, or that you suffer from a related illness. Your period is likely heavy because of one of the following medical reasons
- You have non-cancerous growths in your uterus
- You have cancerous growths in your uterus or on your cervix
- Your birth control is causing excess bleeding
- Your pregnancy is an ectopic one
- You are miscarrying your pregnancy
- Your hormones are unbalanced
- You have von Willebrand disease or other blood platelet disorder
- You have pelvic inflammatory disease
- You have liver, kidney, or thyroid trouble
Non-medical causes of heavy periods can be medication, such as aspirin or blood thinners, and as mentioned above genetics. If your mother had heavy periods you might have them, too.
Eagle’s Landing OB/GYN in Stockbridge, GA, can rule out all medical causes of heavy periods. If we find that your heavy menstruation is caused by a medical condition, we can treat the condition or refer to a specialist. Call us at 770-474-1919 to schedule an appointment.
