This is How You Know Your Period is Too Heavy

These signs likely mean your period is too heavy, we’d like you to call to discuss. In fact, with the right management, some providers argue you shouldn’t need a period at all, but that’s up to a personal consultation.

The first step would be to have a consultation regarding the reason for the heavy bleeding. The reason is often uterine fibroids or hormonal imbalance.

The formal definition means you bleed over 80 cc, but exactly how much blood you lose, which is very difficult for a patient to evaluate.

1. Do you ever, on any of the days of your period have a need for double protection to manage menstrual bleeding?

2. Does your menstrual cycle flow cause you a sensation of “gushing” or “flooding”?

3. Do you ever thoroughly soak one pad and/or tampon or more per hour for three or more consecutive hours?

4. Do you need to arise at night regularly during your menstrual period needing to change the tampon or sanitary pad at night or do you regularly soil your bedding?

5. Does your menstrual bleeding ever get so heavy that it affects your work, school, or social activities?

6. Are you seeing or passing large clots during your period?

7. Is the blood you lose during your menstrual period bright red?The blood lost during a normal menstrual cycle is venous blood, it can clot, and usually appears dark in color.

8. Are your menstrual periods extremely crampy or painful? The amount of clotting may not be a very accurate sign of the amount of bleeding, but clotting can definitely cause pain as the clots passing the cervix cause the cervix to stretch and this stretch is what is hurting. Painful periods do not always have the same underlying cause as periods that are heavy.

For women who have heavy menstrual bleeding, you may be interested in screening for one of the Clinical Research Trials at Women’s Health Practice. These signs likely mean your period is too heavy, we’d like you to call to discuss. In fact, with the right management, some providers argue you shouldn’t need a period at all, but that’s up to a personal consultation.