Best Ways To Get Rid Of Heavy Menstruation

Experiencing heavy menstruation is an uncomfortable experience for any girl. Heavy menstruation, may also be a symptom of some other underlying problem that you need to get treated.

How Heavy is Heavy?

How does one tell if you're having an excessively heavy menstrual period? An average menstrual period should last an average of five days, yielding a blood flow that measures between 25 and 80 mL. Should you have a blood loss greater than that (80 mL) or should you have a menstrual period longer than seven days, then you have menorrhagia.

Another way to measure is by counting how many tampons you use up during your menstrual period. Each tampon can absorb around five mL of menstrual blood, which can be the basis of your measurement.

It's also possible that you shed smaller amounts of blood over a longer period of time. Should you consider yourself having a very heavy menstrual flow, see an ob gyne first before taking any course of action to correct this.

Here are the various ways how to get rid of heavy menstruation.

Visit an Ob Gyne

Menorraghia is a term used for very heavy menstrual bleeding on regular cycles. Metrorraghia is a term used for heavy menstrual bleeding on irregular intervals. Again, heavy menstrual bleeding is a symptom for other underlying problems in your system, and not a condition by itself. If the cause of the heavy menstrual flow is not treated immediately, you may experience all the side effects of anemia, not to mention other symptoms of the underlying cause of your heavy menstrual flow.

When experiencing heavy menstrual flow, your best bet is to visit a doctor. Be prepared to answer the following questions:

Age when you started your period
Average number of days your period usually lasts
Average number of days in between periods
Whether you have regular or irregular menstrual periods
Changes in monthly schedule of menstrual periods
If you are sexually active
Date of last pelvic exam
If you have been pregnant or if you have been recently pregnant or given birth
If you are on birth control pills or any other form of chemical birth control method, how long you have been on that method and what kind of pills you have been taking

You may also be taking ultrasound test called the sonohysterogram. This procedure will check your uterine walls for any structural abnormalities that may be causing your heavy menstrual flow. You may also have to undergo a pap smear and a hysteroscopy.

Depending on the test results, you may be diagnosed with any of these:

Uterine fibroids
Endometrial hyperplasia
Hormonal imbalance
Polyp growth on your uterine walls

Other causes could be:

Von Willebrand disease
Pelvic inflammatory disease
Lupus
Liver cirrhosis
IUD birth control
Diabetes
Hyperthyroidism
Miscarriage
Anticoagulants
Anti-inflammatory drugs
Cervical cancer
Thyroid problems
Liver disease
Kidney disease

If any of these have been diagnosed as the cause of your heavy menstruation, your doctor can recommend medication and other steps to help recover. This will help with your heavy menstrual flow as well.

Vitamin K Deficiency

Vitamin K deficiency is another non-typical cause of heavy menstruation periods. Bleeding disorders, as well as abnormal uterine bleeding can result from this deficiency.

The best way to battle Vitamin K deficiency is to eat lots of green leafy vegetables. Lessen Vitamin K antagonists Vitamin E and Vitamin A in your diet for the meantime. Taking anticoagulants, long-term antibiotics and salicylates can also lead to Vitamin K deficiency.

While you can take Vitamin K supplements, doing it the organic way (ie, eating your vegetables) is still the best, as having too much Vitamin K in your system may cause your blood to clot.

Regular Menstrual Periods

Women with irregular menstrual periods are more likely to have heavy period flow, especially for women who are aging and reaching towards their menopause. Ovulation gets delayed and the ovaries become more resistant to FSH, which in turn prevents the production of progesterone. Without progesterone, estrogen keeps having the uterine wall lined up more thickly. When it does get the signal to shed the uterine lining, the menstrual bleed becomes heavier due to the thicker lining.

A solution to this is helping your body have regular menstrual cycles. The best way to do it is to take hormone pills or birth control pills, which will help regulate your hormones, and in turn, your menstrual cycles.

Preventing uterine lining to shed more regularly also helps prevent fibroids from building up in your uterus, which is another cause of heavy bleeding.

Endometrial Ablation

A medical procedure done to destroy the endometrial lining of a uterus. This is an alternative to hysterectomy, done for women who experience heavy menstrual bleeding or prolonged menstrual periods. This procedure is not recommended for those who still wish to get pregnant.

Remember, heavy menstrual bleeding is usually a symptom of another problem. It's best to consult an ob gyne first before taking any actions in solving this problem.