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Anthem Heavy Period Specialists
Heavy menstrual bleeding interferes with your quality of life. It’s often accompanied by cramping, nausea, and other uncomfortable side effects. Our doctors can help determine what’s causing your heavy bleeding resolve this problem.
HEAVY PERIODS Q & A
What’s considered heavy when it comes to menstrual bleeding?
Menorrhagia, or clinically-diagnosed heavy menstrual bleeding, is the problem of having a menstrual flow so heavy that you have to change your pad or tampon once or more every hour for at least an entire day. You may have to wear two pads at once or change your pad in the middle of the night. A period that lasts for 10 days or longer is also considered heavy and abnormal.
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Cramping can be so serious that it interferes with your daily activities. Heavy bleeding can make you feel weak and fatigued. It also puts you at greater risk for iron-deficient anemia.
What causes heavy bleeding?
You bleed during your menstrual cycle when you slough off the uterine lining. This lining builds up to support a fertilized egg, but when one doesn’t implant, your body disposes of the lining each month. If your hormones are out of balance, it can make your uterine lining too thick so that when it sheds, you experience heavy bleeding.
Other possible causes include:
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Uterine fibroids or polyps
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Some IUDs and medications, such as blood thinners
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Pregnancy complications
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Endometriosis in which the uterine cells grow outside the uterine lining
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Thyroid problems
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In rare cases, certain cancers of the reproductive organs or bleeding disorders may be to blame. Kidney or liver disease and pelvic inflammatory disease should also be ruled out.
What tests will be required to diagnose the reason for heavy bleeding?
The doctors will take a thorough medical history and perform a pelvic exam, including a Pap smear. You may need an ultrasound or specific blood tests. A biopsy of your uterine tissue could also be gathered to rule out any underlying health issues.
How can heavy periods be treated?
In some cases, birth control pills help level out your hormones to resolve heavy bleeding. If you have uterine polyps or fibroids, surgery may be required. In severe cases, the doctors may recommend an endometrial ablation — which permanently destroys the lining of the uterus — or a hysterectomy. Both of these procedures are options when you’re done having a family, as pregnancy will no longer be possible.