Heavy Menstrual Flow - Tips To Deal With It!

Heavy menstrual flow also known as Menorrhagia is one of the most common forms of abnormal uterine bleeding. Everyone has different periods, some might not even notice that time of the month, while others might suffer from heavy bleeding, feeling miserable and a constant worry of leaks and stains leading to embarrassing situations. Periods are considered to be heavy if a pad or tampon is soaked in blood every hour.

Other symptoms of heavy bleeding could be:

• Passing of large clots
• Bleeding at night which requires to get up to change a pad
• Any period that lasts for more than seven days

The causes of heavy bleeding during periods are polyps, fibroids, adenomyosis, cancer of the uterus and cervix and sometimes certain medications.

If you are one of those women who suffer from heavy menstrual flow and are quite hassled by the same then worry not here are some tips to deal your problem.

1. Keep a track of the periods as in when they start and the days with heavy bleeding. This helps you to track your next period and prepare yourself well for the same
2. Eating green leafy vegetables and taking multivitamins helps to maintain the iron levels
3. Eat fruit and food with starch to maintain a good sugar level
4. Hydrate yourself as it makes you feel less grumpy and miserable
5. In case of severe cramps take some pain relievers. Even a hot water bottle is a great way to chase the blues and the cramps
6. Get some sleep as one feels tired before the period and the days of the period. Listen to your body and don't push yourselves. Use extra protection in case you are worried about leakage
7. Don't feel shy or embarrassed to talk about your condition
8. You might need professional help and want to consult a doctor. Keeping a track of your period is good as doctors usually ask for the duration of the period and how heavy were they.

If you do not feel better with these tips a meeting with the doctor can predict the cause of the heavy flow and accordingly a medical treatment can be planned.

Medication for heavy bleeding might include any one or more of the following:

• Use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs like ibuprofen.
• Hormone Therapy for stabilizing the endometrium.
• Tranexamic acid to promote blood clotting.
• Dilation and curettage - scraping of the uterus is done.
• Hysteroscopy - Hysteroscopy is done to look into the womb to find if anything wrong with the lining and D&C done to send material for testing. If you wish to discuss about any specific problem, you can consult a Gynaecologist.