More Than a Heavy Period: Understanding the Signs to See Your OB

For most women of childbearing age, periods are fairly predictable. When something happens that disrupts that predictability, like unusually heavy bleeding, it’s understandably a cause for concern.

The good news is that heavy bleeding is common and typically benign. That said, unusually heavy bleeding is never normal, and it should always be evaluated medically to rule out serious causes and complications.

At Feminine Urgicare, our team has extensive experience diagnosing and treating the causes of heavy menstrual bleeding, helping women get the care they need to relieve their symptoms and treat the underlying cause.

In this post, learn what constitutes abnormally heavy bleeding and what could possibly be causing it.

Normal periods vs. abnormally heavy flow

During an average period, most women lose about 2.7 ounces of blood. That’s a handy metric, but it’s not exactly practical for measuring period flow in real life.

Fortunately, there are better ways to determine if your flow is abnormally heavy.

Compare with past periods

One of the best ways to determine if your periods are unusually heavy is to compare your current period with periods you’ve had in the past. If your current periods are heavier or longer than they have been in the past, it’s a good time to schedule an evaluation.

Think about “protection”

The next step is to think about how you’re using period protection — pads or tampons. If you find you need to change your pad or tampon every hour or two, that’s a sign of an unusually heavy period.

Likewise, if you need to get up during the night to change your protection to prevent leaks, that’s another sign that your period is unusually heavy. The same is true if your flow is so heavy, you can’t use tampons at all.

Look for clots

While an occasional small clot isn’t usually a sign of problems, if you’re passing large clots — the size of a quarter or larger — or if you pass clots frequently, schedule an office visit so you can be evaluated for underlying problems.

Consider frequency

Most periods last a week or less and occur every 21-35 days. If your periods are lasting longer or occurring more frequently, call our office to schedule a visit. The same is true if you have vaginal bleeding between periods.

Look at lifestyle changes

If your periods are heavy enough to alter your regular routine or disrupt travel plans, that can indicate a heavier-than-normal flow. The same is true if you have heavy periods and find yourself feeling fatigued, a symptom that might be associated with anemia due to excess blood loss.

Heavy periods: Causes and treatments

As noted earlier, heavy periods are common, and that’s partly because many issues can cause heavy bleeding, including:

Polyps and cysts
Uterine fibroids
Endometriosis and adenomyosis
Ectopic pregnancy
Hormonal fluctuations
Some types of hormonal contraception
Certain medications
Thyroid disorders
Pelvic inflammatory disease (PID)
Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS)
Sexually transmitted infections
Cancer

Many women have very heavy periods in the months and years leading up to menopause, too.

The treatment for heavy bleeding depends on its underlying cause. Before recommending any treatment, our team performs a comprehensive exam that may include lab tests, diagnostic imaging, and other exams to evaluate your uterus or ovaries.

Based on our findings, your treatment might include:

A change in contraceptive methods
Hormone therapy
Minimally invasive treatments
Lifestyle changes, like losing weight
Referral to outside specialists for cancer evaluation

It’s important to note that even when heavy bleeding is due to a benign cause, like your birth control method, it can still cause anemia. We can help with that, too.

Help for heavy periods

Heavy periods aren’t normal, and they should never be ignored. To learn why your periods are abnormally heavy and what we can do to help, request an appointment online or over the phone with the team at Feminine Urgicare in Paramus and Clifton, New Jersey, today.