Heavy Bleeding
The amount of blood lost during a period varies between women; what may be normal for one is
heavy bleeding for another. If your periods are so heavy that they are interfering with your
normal life, are making you worry about going out, or they change from their normal pattern to
suddenly become heavier, then you need to seek treatment.
Blood loss is very often heavier during the first 24-48 hours, as the period becomes
established, and then tails off. If you are having to change your protection (tampon or pad)
every two hours or more frequently, then your bleeding is on the heavy side. If you have large
clots, flooding, have to use double pads and cannot get through the night without changing, it
would certainly be considered as too heavy. If the rate of blood loss is not as high as this,
but your periods continue longer then the average five days, then they could be considered as
heavy, because overall blood loss may be excessive.
Causes Of Heavy Bleeding
hormone imbalance, particularly leading up to menopause
genetic predisposition
rare problems with blood clotting mechanisms
fibroids, polyps, endometriosis
stress
IUDs
infections and inflammation in the productive tract
obesity
low thyroid hormone
endometrial cancer
nutritional deficiency
What is necessary to control the bleeding and prevent hemorrhage is adequate contraction of
the muscles in the uterine arteries, proper hormone balance, and substance necessary for
repair of the endometrium.
If you have heavy periods, particularly if your periods are heavier than normal for you,
it is important to establish whether there is any underlying cause which requires treatment.
Often there is no apparent cause and the condition is known as dysfunctional uterine bleeding.
This kind of heavy bleeding often accompanies anovulatory cycles (where no egg is produced) and
is most likely in the first few years of menstruation and after the age of thirty-five.
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