Medical Condition

You may call heavy periods a lot of things.
The medical term is menorrhagia.

A dictionary will tell you it means excessive or prolonged menstrual bleeding. A doctor will tell you it’s a medical condition that can have a number of causes.

Generally, menstrual bleeding lasts 4–6 days and totals about 5-6 tablespoons (80 ml).

Signs of menorrhagia include:

• Bleeding that lasts a long time and/or interferes with normal activities.
• Having to use double protection (a tampon and a pad).
• Having to change protection more than every 1-2 hours.
• Blood clots in the menstrual flow or constant pain in the lower abdomen.
• Getting periods more often than every 21 days.

Some potential causes of menorrhagia:

• Hormonal imbalances — in many cases, heavy menstrual bleeding is related to imbalanced production of estrogen and progesterone when ovulation does not occur.

  Ordinarily, the ovaries produce estrogen prior to ovulation, which causes the lining of the uterus to thicken. With ovulation, progesterone is produced, which makes the uterine lining stop thickening and become spongy in preparation for receiving an egg. If ovulation does not occur, the ovaries will continue making estrogen and the lining will keep thickening more than usual.

  Cycles without ovulation happen more frequently as women approach menopause, and can also occur due to stress, illness and other factors.

• Fibroids & polyps — these are tumors and growths in the lining of the uterus that are usually benign and can contribute to heavy menstrual bleeding. Fibroid tumors are fairly common, occurring in about 30% of women.

• Infections — of the uterus, cervix or pelvis.

• Thyroid and bleeding disorders — in some cases, heavy menstrual bleeding can be a result of overproduction or underproduction of thyroid hormone, as well as disorders that impair blood clotting.

• Endometriosis — although not common, this is a condition in which tissue that lines the uterus grows outside of the uterus.

  Other reasons for menorrhagia may be some dysfunction of the ovaries or some larger health problem.

  The important point is that heavy or prolonged periods should not be ignored, and should be evaluated by a health care professional to determine the cause and possible treatment options.

Additional information about the medical condition can be found at aboutheavyperiods.com and novasure.com.