Heavy Periods

What are heavy periods?

When you’re getting ready to have your period every month, the lining of your uterus thickens in preparation for a fertilized egg to implant and develop. If this doesn’t occur, the lining of the uterus is shed as your period.

If you have heavy periods, the amount of blood you lose will be much more substantial. A menstrual cycle is considered regular if it occurs every 21-35 days. There are always natural variations from woman to woman.

Different lifestyle factors can cause changes to menstrual cycles too. For instance, increased stress, dietary changes, or being unwell can all cause heavier and more painful periods.

If you find you’re needing to change your sanitary pad or tampon every two or three hours, you’re passing blood clots, or you’re leaking blood onto your clothes or bedding, it might be a sign you’re having heavy periods.

Who gets heavy periods?

Any woman can experience heavy periods at any stage of her menstrual life. Stress, illness or generally feeling run down can all contribute to changes in your periods.

Irregular menstrual cycles can often cause heavy bleeding, and conditions like endometriosis or fibroids can cause heavy, painful periods. Polycystic ovaries (PCOS) can cause irregular cycles and erratic menstrual bleeding. If you think you’re experiencing the signs and symptoms of any of these conditions, you should have a chat with a doctor about it and get yourself checked out.

How common are heavy periods?

Heavy periods are common. Most women will experience them at some stage, for a number of reasons. Life changes, stress and illness can all bring about disruption to your menstrual cycle.

It’s believed that the prevalence of diagnosed heavy menstrual bleeding may be about 20% among American women.^[1] Many more women may experience heavy periods, but not seek help or speak to a healthcare professional about them.

What causes heavy periods?

There can be factors behind heavy periods. Underlying health issues is one. Endometriosis, fibroids, polycystic ovaries and hypothyroidism can all lead to heavy periods. Anemia (loss of iron) can arise from heavy periods, but it can also cause them too.

Treatments for other illnesses can sometimes cause heavy periods as well.^[1] These include:

• antidepressants
• anticoagulants (medicines which are used to treat heart or blood conditions they can thin your blood and make menstruation heavier)
• aspirin
• chemotherapy
• hormonal contraceptives like the pill or the IUD (coil)

But many women who experience heavy periods find that there is no specific cause. This is then often defined as dysfunctional uterine bleeding, and means there’s no illness causing the heavy periods.

What are the symptoms of heavy periods?

Heavy periods are defined as losing 80ml or more of blood with each cycle, a period that lasts longer than seven days or both of these combined.

Many women lose less than 80ml of blood during their period. 80ml is about 6 tablespoons, and research suggests most women lose around 4 tablespoons.

However, blood loss doesn’t always need to be measured as there are so many variations in women’s periods. You’ll know how much bleeding is normal for you, and you’ll know if it’s suddenly heavier.

Here are some good indications that you’re experiencing heavy periods.

• Do you have to change your sanitary products every 1-2 hours?
• Do you pass blood clots larger than 2.5cm?
• Do you bleed through to your clothes or bedding?
• Do you need to use 2 types of sanitary products together (for example, tampons and pads) or do you rely on Night Time pads all the time?

If you’ve noticed one or more of these symptoms and they’ve lasted more than a few months then it’s a good idea to speak to a doctor.

Can heavy periods lead to other problems?

Heavy periods can be really frustrating, painful and distressing, but don’t necessarily lead to other health problems in their own right. However, they can be a sign of other underlying conditions such as anemia, endometriosis, fibroids and polycystic ovaries.

If your periods have suddenly become heavier or changed, and you aren’t sure why,, speak to a medical professional.