Do you ever start your period and have this massive dark blood clots in them? The best way I used to describe them was this massive dark circles that would fall into the toilet or be leaking through the pad. I want to make it clear that massive clotting throughout your entire periods is NOT NORMAL! Sure, sometimes we get small clotting within our period which is considered to be entirely normal.
What is considered a heavy period though? A heavy period is one that lasts more than 7 days, having to change menstrual products every 2 hours, needing to double up on menstrual products, waking to change menstrual products at night, or clots that are larger than quarter (USD) or 20 cent coin (AUS).
Here are several causes of heavy bleeding and these include:
Hormonal Imbalance
Hypothyroidism
Bleeding Disorders
Fibroids
Ovulatory Dysfunction
Endometrial Polyps
Certain birth controls
Child birth
Livery & Kidney disease
Adenomyosis
Endometriosis
Perimenopause
Iron Deficiency
Pelvic Inflammatory disease
Cancer
I have endometriosis and fibroids (which is also a hormonal imbalance) so my period are typically pretty heavy. Ever since making changes in what I eat, the supplements that I've added to my diet, and acupuncture my periods have become much lighter. But as you can all see that there are a variety of reasons that could be affecting your period and causing heavy periods and bleeding. Some are simple, if you have started a certain birth control and see a major change in the heaviness than discussing with your doctor other options is a simple task. Or iron deficiency, you can add more iron into your diet with either red meat or more dark green vegetables. You could also take an iron supplement which I do because I am also iron deficient. I am not 100% that this is offered in other countries, but in Australia they have iron infusions that can be done but is not covered my medicare. My mother, aunt, and sister also dealt with anaemia after giving birth. They bled between 30-60 days straight before a doctor said that they were anaemic and needed to make a change.
As someone with oestrogen dominant issues, I can see how it has played out for the rest of the females in my family. But hormonal issues is one of the other factors that can contribute to heavy bleeding. For me, I have decided to ensure that all chemicals within my house are from plants and natural sources. From my laundry detergent, to my lotion, to my body wash, hair shampoo, to what I clean the floor with, etc. I no longer allow chemicals in the house that can cause oestrogen disrupting issues for me. Furthermore, other things that can affect your oestrogen levels are refined carbs, non-organic meat, caffeine, stress, alcohol, sugar, even constipation. This is just a few of them but these are the ones that affect me heavily. With endometriosis growing along my bowel, I have so many troubles getting poo out so I spend a lot of time drinking lots of water, eating tons of finer, and adding in herbs to make sure that I am passing constant bowel movements and keeping those excess toxins out of my body.
Then there are the more complicated ones such as liver & kidney disease, hypothyroidism, and even cancer that are harder to address. Finding the right healthcare professional that gives you all of the options for how to deal with your heavy menstrual bleeding is essential.
Thanks for visiting lovely. Other great resources are Dr. Jolene Brighten from Washington who has written a whole article on heavy menstrual bleeding.
Xoxo,
Moonli
Brighten, Dr. J (n.d.) What Causes Heavy Periods & How to Treat Them Naturally. Dr. Brighten. <https://drbrighten.com/what-causes-heavy-periods-how-to-treat-them-naturally/>