Heavy Periods
-
- Tweet
Umaima Jamaluddin, MD, FACOG
Gynecologist & Obstetrician located in Bakersfield, CA
Although menstruating is unpleasant for every woman, it shouldn’t interfere with your everyday life. But if you have heavy bleeding, just leaving the house during your period becomes a source of anxiety. However, you don’t have to double up on your sanitary products or avoid your normal activities when Dr. Umaima Jamaluddin in Bakersfield, California can help you use birth control or other noninvasive measures. Use the online booking form or call her office today to schedule an appointment to reduce or eliminate your heavy periods.
Heavy Periods Q & A
What is a heavy period?
Heavy periods occur when you have excess or prolonged bleeding, even if it isn’t during every menstrual cycle.
If you’re wondering if you have a heavy period, think about how many times you change your pad or tampon. Your period shouldn’t require you to change your tampon once every one to two hours for several hours in a row. Passing blood clots bigger than a quarter also indicate a heavy period.
Other signs you suffer from heavy periods include:
- Missing work or usual activities
- Bleeding for more than seven days
- Needing to change your pad or tampon overnight
- Using more than one sanitary product at a time
What causes heavy periods?
In most cases, a heavy period stems from a hormonal imbalance, fibroid, or polyp.
A hormonal imbalance results in heavy periods because your hormones regulate your cycle, and if they’re not within the normal range, it causes irregularities. Polyps are abnormal, flat bumps or mushroom-like stalks that develop on your uterus or cervix. Fibroids are growths on the uterus or cervix that can cause heavy periods, frequent urination, or pelvic pain.
The following factors put you at a greater risk of having heavy periods:
- Being age 35 or older
- Being overweight
- Having never been pregnant
How does a gynecologist treat heavy periods?
Dr. Jamaluddin discusses your options with you for reducing the occurrence of heavy periods. If you plan on having children anytime soon, she might prescribe tranexamic acid, which is only taken during your period to reduce blood flow.
Oral contraceptives work by regulating your menstrual cycle and reducing menstrual bleeding. Oral progesterone is useful at correcting hormonal imbalances, which reduces heavy blood flow during menstruation. Hormonal intrauterine devices (IUDs) thin the uterine lining through the hormone progestin, which reduces both heavy bleeding and cramping.
Get to the bottom of why you have heavy periods and find relief by calling Dr. Jamaluddin’s office or using the online booking form to schedule an appointment today. She discusses your options with you based on your preferences and health.
