Having a period is normal, and healthy. Cramping, some irritability and discomfort are also pretty normal. But if you have heavy flow days, forcing you to change your pad or tampon every hour for an entire day or making you avoid your normal activities, you have menorrhagia — the medical term for unusually heavy or prolonged bleeding during your periods.
At Capital Women’s Care, we can help. Heavy periods may come from treatable problems such as uterine fibroids or certain birth control choices. We can help you isolate the problem and find relief.
Even if the exact cause of your heavy periods can’t be identified, we can help you find relief with lifestyle changes and certain medications. Take a moment to learn how you can get your life back and slow down heavy periods.
Heavy periods may be the norm for you. But, some women develop them over time or as they near menopause. Discuss a heavy flow with the doctors at Capital Women’s Care. We can help you find relief and make sure you’re not suffering anemia (low iron levels) due to your heavy bleeding.
Heavy bleeding causes you to:
You may skip activities, pass large blood clots, feel fatigued, and have periods that last longer than seven days.
Heavy periods can be a result of hormone problems and changes, such as estrogen shifts that occur with menopause or after childbirth. If you’ve developed polyps or fibroids in your uterus, they can make your periods heavier than usual.
These growths are benign, meaning they’re not cancerous, but they can cause uncomfortable symptoms. Certain types of intrauterine devices can cause irregular and heavy bleeding.
Other causes of heavy menstrual bleeding, especially if the heavy bleeding is new for you, could be endometriosis, pelvic inflammatory disease, and kidney or liver disease. Because sudden heavy bleeding could be a sign of a serious condition, it’s best to have it checked out.
At Capital Women’s Care, we look for the cause of your heavy bleeding before offering a solution. Options include birth control pills, which can alter your hormone levels and put an end to uncomfortably heavy periods. Intrauterine devices (IUDs) with hormones may also lighten your periods.
We can also prescribe medications, usually taken only during your period, to ease your flow. Surgery or other procedures that shrink fibroids or remove endometrial tissue can help heavy bleeding if these are the cause.
We may recommend you cleanse and remove the outermost layer of the lining of your uterus in a minor surgical procedure known as dilation and curettage (D&C). Or, in more severe cases, permanently destroy the lining of the uterus with endometrial ablation.
Ultimately, if your heavy bleeding is truly life-altering, other methods of treatment fail, and you’re sure you’re done with your family, we may recommend a hysterectomy to remove the uterus altogether.
Women can get relief from heavy bleeding, and Capital Women’s Care is here to help. Don’t suffer in silence. Call the office or request an appointment here on the website today.
