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Heavy Periods
One Day and Years of Heavy Periods Are Done
For most women, menstrual periods are a simple fact of life. But if you suffer with heavy menstrual bleeding - the medical term for this is "menorrhagia" (men-or-ah-jah) - there may not be anything simple about it - not if you find yourself rearranging your schedule around your period, or limiting participation in favorite activities, or coping with the pain and fatigue that heavy periods can sometimes cause.
If you suffer from heavy periods, you are not alone. More than 1 woman in 5 share this common condition. The good news is that safe and effective treatments for heavy periods are available, and you have choices.
What is "excessive" menstrual bleeding, and what are the symptoms?
Every woman is unique, and so are her periods. When it comes to periods - how long they last, how heavy they are - there is a wide range of normal. But usually, the average period lasts 5-7 days, and the average amount of blood lost is only one to two ounces per cycle. On the other hand, if you suffer from heavy periods you may bleed as much as 10 to 25 times that amount each month (Source: National Women's Health Resource Center). And if you do, you probably know what it's like to experience one or more of these difficult and disruptive symptoms:
- Menstrual flow that interferes with your regular activities or lifestyle and causes anxiety about embarrassing accidents
- Periods that last longer than seven days
- Menstrual flow that soaks through one or more tampons or napkins every hour for several consecutive hours
- Menstrual flow that includes large blood clots
- Fatigue or shortness of breath (which are symptoms of anemia caused by blood loss)
If you're not sure whether your menstrual bleeding is excessive, take the "Do I Have Heavy Periods?" Self-Quiz.
The information in this area of womenshealthsolutions.co.uk will provide you with basic facts and tools to help you understand heavy periods, consider your treatment options, and talk with your healthcare professional about the choice that's right for you.
Learn what heavy periods are and how the condition is diagnosed.
Learn more about treatment options for heavy periods.
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