Understanding Heavy Menstruation: Signs and Treatments

Menorrhagia — the medical term for heavy bleeding — can bring a host of problems in terms of comfort and quality of life. If you dread your period each month because of heavy and/or prolonged bleeding, we urge you to seek our help.

At Women’s Health Services, our team of experienced and compassionate gynecology experts understands the hassle and discomfort that come with heavy menstrual bleeding, and we’re here to help.

In this blog, we take a look at what qualifies as menorrhagia, what may be causing the heavy bleeding, and, most importantly, how we can remedy the problem.

Defining heavy bleeding

While the term “heavy bleeding” may seem self-explanatory, let’s take a closer look at what defines menorrhagia. Generally, heavy bleeding comes with key characteristics, including:

• Soaking through your tampons or sanitary napkins every hour or two
• Soaking through your tampons or sanitary napkins at night
• Needing to use both tampons and sanitary napkins at the same time
• Periods that last for seven or more days
• Blood clots in your periods that are larger than a quarter
• Abdominal pain

Another, more serious result of heavy bleeding is experiencing fatigue, which may signal anemia.

The most common causes heavy bleeding

There are many different reproductive issues that can lead to heavy bleeding, chief among them:

• Uterine fibroids or polyps
• An intrauterine device (IUD)
• Hormone imbalances, such as those that stem from polycystic ovary syndrome or thyroid disease
• Adenomyosis — your endometrium becomes embedded in your uterus
• Certain cancers, such as uterine or cervical cancer
• Certain sexually transmitted infections
• Pregnancy complications
• Bleeding disorders

As you can see from this list, the causes of menorrhagia are wide-ranging, which is why it’s important to seek a diagnosis with us.

Solutions for heavy bleeding

Since there are many different causes of heavy bleeding, there’s no one-size-fits all solution for the condition. Our first step is to perform a thorough evaluation of your symptoms, your health, and your medical history.

We’re also equipped with an advanced hysteroscopy technology called Endosee®, which allows us to examine the interior of your uterus, if need be.

Once we identify the underlying cause of your heavy bleeding, we can take the steps necessary to remedy the issue. For example, if your heavy bleeding is caused by an IUD, we can simply remove the IUD. 

Unfortunately, unlike this fairly simple fix, most solutions are a little more complicated. For example, if we find that uterine fibroids are behind your heavy bleeding, we first suggest that you take hormonal medications to address the fibroids. But if you want to get pregnant, this isn’t the best solution, so we might recommend removing the fibroids surgically. 

Regardless of what’s causing your heavy bleeding, your first step is simple: Contact one of our two offices in Arlington, Texas, for expert diagnosis of your heavy bleeding.