Heavy Periods: Causes, Concerns, and Treatment Options

Women may dread the week of their period for many reasons. It's especially true when you have extremely heavy menstrual bleeding with cramping and other symptoms.

But heavy menstrual bleeding isn't always a common sign of a period. In fact, sometimes it signals a more significant problem in the reproductive system.

At OB-GYN of North Dallas, our team of experienced OB-GYN doctors provides treatments for issues like endometriosis, fibroids, and sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) that could be causing irregular or heavy bleeding.

Causes of heavy menstrual bleeding

Heavy menstrual bleeding occurs when you bleed heavily for more than seven days. You have heavy bleeding if you're changing a pad or tampon every hour or passing large clots.

Period bleeding varies among women, but generally doesn't interfere with everyday activities. If it does, you should seek treatment to get to the bottom of the problem. We look for the following causes of heavy menstruation at your appointment:

Hormonal problems

Estrogen and progesterone are the primary hormones responsible for menstruation. Hormonal imbalances like polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) and perimenopause may cause heavier-than-normal periods.

Uterine issues

Conditions inside the uterus may lead to irregular or heavy bleeding. If you have uterine fibroids or endometriosis, you're more likely to have irregular or heavy periods. With adenomyosis or other polyps, you may also have heavy bleeding during or between periods.

Medications

Medications are a major cause of irregular bleeding, especially hormonal birth control. Some forms of birth control cause hormonal shifts that lead to temporarily heavy periods.

Stress

Stress does a number on the body and can take a toll on your periods. It can either stop periods altogether or cause hormonal imbalances that lead to heavier-than-normal periods.

Other conditions

Bleeding disorders, age, and obesity all play into your menstrual cycles. Young women just starting their periods and women nearing menopause are more likely to experience heavy menstrual bleeding.

Complications of abnormal vaginal bleeding

The most significant complication of heavy vaginal bleeding is anemia. It happens when you bleed so much you deplete your body's iron stores, which leads to various symptoms. You may have iron-deficiency anemia if you experience any of these symptoms:

• Fatigue
• Dizziness
• Fainting
• Shortness of breath
• Pale skin

Severe anemia may cause severe complications like heart arrhythmias and injury from falls or fainting.

Heavy vaginal bleeding takes a toll on your body and could signal something severe like uterine or cervical cancer. It may also be a sign of a miscarriage or other pregnancy concerns.

What are my treatment options?

The treatment for heavy periods depends on the root cause. We determine the cause through blood tests, transvaginal ultrasounds, and other imaging studies.

We offer a number of treatments for heavy menstrual bleeding, including hormonal birth control, iron supplements for anemia, and hormone replacement therapy.

If conservative measures aren't enough to control heavy bleeding, we offer several surgical options, including dilation and curettage, endometrial ablation, and a hysterectomy, if warranted.

The goal is to make you comfortable while treating the underlying cause of heavy bleeding. But we do take your age and whether you still want to have kids into consideration before recommending a treatment.

We offer many options to help make your periods more comfortable. Call us at our office in Plano, Texas, today to schedule a visit, or use our convenient online booking tool.