This topic is a tender subject. Not everyone wants to talk about it…
But, let’s be real…..
It’s estimated that 25% of menstruating women suffer from heavy periods (aka menorrhagia). That is a lot of women suffering through heavy periods each month. These women might wonder how they can fix it, what they can do, and what’s causing the heaviness.
It’s not only the heavy flow each month and dealing with that. Embarrassment, inconvenience, tiredness and fatigue can accompany this time each month. But most importantly, it also can indicate a deeper underlying imbalance or disease condition.
So, if you suffer heavy periods, don’t just sweep it under the rug and think it’s normal.
What are heavy periods?
How do you determine whether your period is heavy or not?
Well, a heavy period is defined as:
- A loss of 80ml or more of blood for the whole period
- if the period continues for more than seven days
- needing to change your feminine hygiene product within 2 hours
To put this into terms of feminine hygiene products……… that equates to 16 soaked super tampons or more each period. If you use a menstrual cup, you can measure the loss.
Causes
One thing I wish to express is that women are not meant to suffer from heavy periods. It is not what nature intends for us.
Some reasons contributing to heavy flow can include:
- Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS),
- Endometriosis,
- Adenomyosis,
- Fibroids,
- Obesity,
- Insulin resistance (where the body stops responding to insulin)
- Excess estrogen or low progesterone (there may be an imbalance between both or just one hormone)
- Perimenopause – Some women may start to see changes to their periods when they reach their 40s.
- Infection of uterus
- Low iron – It’s interesting because heavy periods can create anemia, but low iron can also be one of the symptoms that creates heavy periods.
Another underlying condition that could be causing heavy periods:
Thyroid conditions, whether underactive thyroid or Hashimoto’s thyroiditis. Thyroid imbalance can contribute to heavy periods.
Thyroid imbalance can be seriously overlooked as a factor. It is important to find out if the thyroid has any role in heavy periods.
Because when the thyroid is underactive, it can lower your progesterone levels or decrease the coagulation factors in the body, contributing to heavy bleeding.
Treatment:
Treatment for heavy periods depends on what the cause is.
There’s no one treatment for heavy periods. There’s no one magic supplement, potion or medical intervention that treats the cause of all heavy periods.
It’s about identifying the cause.
So how do you do that…..
Start with testing
- Test hormonal levels of estrogen and progesterone throughout the whole month. Don’t do a one-day test, usually requested by GPs. It is not enough to identify the full picture. Instead, knowing the fluctuation of hormones throughout the month will give you a more comprehensive viewpoint on your estrogen and progesterone levels and the ratio between them.
- Testing Thyroid hormones is essential. If your TSH is above 3, then do some more investigation. Even though the standard pathology tests suggest anything above 4 – 6 needs attention. If the TSH is 3 or above, request tests for T4 and T3 for subclinical hypothyroidism.
If there is a family history of autoimmune disease or thyroid disorders, then test for thyroid antibodies to identify if Hashimotos’ thyroiditis is a factor.
- Struggling with weight issues, or are overweight? Check blood sugar parameters and test for insulin resistance.
- Check Iron Status. Check circulating iron in the body, as well as the stores.
- Test clotting factors: There is a genetic condition called Von Willebrand disease. This is a condition whereby the blood does not clot properly.
It’s really important that we discover the cause as to what’s going on.
When you do that, you can deal with the cause and eradicate the heavy bleeding to get back to a normal life.
Because remember, you don’t have to live with these heavy periods. You don’t have to suffer in silence and embarrassment.
We can definitely turn this around and getting to the core of it quickly will help you regain your energy, vitality and zest for the rest of the month.
Want help in discovering your causes?
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Here’s to conquering health together!!
Teressa Todd