For most women of childbearing age, having a period is a regular occurrence — so when a change happens in your menstrual cycle, it can be concerning. Having a heavier-than-normal flow is one of those changes that can cause anxiety. While it should be medically evaluated, the good news is that a heavy flow isn’t always due to a serious medical problem.
At Desert Star Institute for Family Planning, DeShawn Taylor, MD, MSc, FACOG, helps women learn the cause of abnormally strong periods, providing a dose of reassurance and patient-centered medical treatment when needed. In this post, learn why heavy periods happen and how to differentiate between a “strong” period and abnormal bleeding.
According to the National Library of Medicine, during an average period, a woman loses about 2.5 ounces of blood, roughly enough to fill a shot glass 1.5 times. Since few women keep a shot glass handy for measuring their monthly flow, there are easier ways to determine if your period is abnormally heavy.
Your first consideration should be your menstrual cycle. Most women have fairly regular and predictable menstrual cycles. By comparing your current flow with past menstrual activity, you can quickly determine if the flow you’re having now is heavier than it was in the past.
It’s also worth noting that most periods last a week or less and occur every 21-35 days. If your period is lasting longer than that, if it’s happening more or less often, or if you're bleeding between periods, you should schedule a visit, too. (By the way, if your cycles are not regular and predictable or vary a lot from one cycle to the next, you should schedule a visit.)
Another way to decide if your menstrual flow is unusually heavy is to consider how often you need to change your pads or tampons. If you find that you need to change your pads or tampons very frequently — every hour or so — or your flow is too heavy to be controlled effectively with tampons, that’s a sign that your periods are unusually heavy.
Likewise, if you need to get up in the middle of the night to change your protection due to heavy flow, that’s another sign you should schedule an office visit. The same is true if heavy periods prevent you from traveling or interfere with other activities.
If you need to wear more than one pad at a time to control your flow, that’s another sign of abnormally heavy periods. And finally, if you pass blood clots regularly, it’s time to call the office and schedule a visit.
Heavy bleeding isn’t normal, but it’s not uncommon, either. Often, changes in hormones are to blame. Women approaching menopause frequently experience very heavy periods as a result of fluctuations in estrogen levels. Some forms of hormonal contraception can cause heavy bleeding, too.
Other potential causes of abnormally heavy bleeding include:
Even when the cause of heavy periods is benign, losing a significant amount of blood during each cycle can lead to complications like anemia.
The first step in treating heavy periods is determining what’s causing them. Our team uses advanced diagnostic techniques, lab tests, and a comprehensive exam to understand why your periods are unusually heavy.
Once we identify the cause, we recommend appropriate treatment focused on treating that cause and improving your overall wellness. Depending on your needs, your treatment might include:
If we suspect cancer, we can refer you to a specialist for targeted therapy.
Heavy periods are often due to benign issues, but that doesn’t mean it’s OK to ignore it. Our team should evaluate any type of unusual bleeding to rule out serious problems like cancer or ectopic pregnancy.
Find out what’s causing your heavy periods and how we can help. Request an appointment online or over the phone with Dr. Taylor and the Desert Star Family Planning team in Phoenix, Arizona, today.
