When is a Heavy Period Considered TOO Heavy?
Many of those who menstruate go through life never discussing the details of their periods with anyone - so they assume that what they go through is the same for everyone else. All too often I meet new clients and discover that they have struggled with heavy bleeds (and low iron) for years, but never sought help as they assumed everyone else was also was getting up in the night due to flooding, soaking through multiple super tampons or pads in a day and generally dreading their period due to the impact it is having on their life.
So what if your ‘normal’ isn’t actually considered normal?
How do we quantify a ‘heavy’ period?
Heavy menstrual bleeding (also known as menorrhagia or abnormal uterine bleeding) is when blood lost in a menstrual cycle exceeds 80mL - that’s 1/3 of a cup!
This equates to:
🩸16+ fully soaked regular tampons or pads (5mL each)
🩸8+ fully soaked super tampons or pads (10mL each)
🩸80mL+ measured via a menstrual cup
Other important indicators include:
▪️Periods > 7 days long
▪️Needing to change menstrual products through the night
▪️Multiple clots grape-sized or larger
▪️Soaking through menstrual products every hour for consecutive hours
▪️Menstrual flow that severely impacts quality of life.
Unsure why you have heavy bleeds?
It is essential that potential underlying causes are investigated and treated appropriately.
Reasons behind your heavy menstrual bleeding can include conditions such as fibroids, polyps, endometriosis, adenomyosis, pelvic inflammatory disease, blood clotting disorders, reproductive cancers, hypothyroidism and high oestrogen levels.
Another scenario I regularly see, is that clients will present to my clinic having delayed treatment for their heavy bleeding for months, even after receiving a diagnosis that explains why it is happening. Often this is because they are fearful of, or not interested in the treatment options that have been suggested, such as uterine ablation, hysterectomy or medications like tranexamic acid.
This means that excessive bleeding continues to drain them every cycle, which frequently results in anaemia and being stuck in a cycle of relying on iron infusions just to function. I wish more women knew that there are both natural and conventional medicine options to improve heavy menstrual bleeding and that both can have their place, depending on individual circumstances and severity. It is SO important to be informed and not afraid in this scenario so that you feel empowered to take action and can start to feel like yourself again.
Feeling fatigued?
One side effect of losing a lot of blood each month is that your iron levels can get INCREDIBLY low, often resulting in anaemia and leaving you feeling terrible. You can learn more about iron deficiency in this blog post.
A holistic naturopathic approach looks at implementing supportive diet & lifestyle changes, whilst using herbal medicines such as uterine anti-haemorrhagics & uterine tonics to reduce excessive bleeding. Once the underlying cause is identified via medical investigations, we can also support you with managing that more specifically too.
Let’s normalise talking about period problems and seeking the help that you deserve.
If you would like to learn more about how a natural approach could support your circumstances, book your 1:1 introductory call today!
