For quite a number of women, heavy periods are a major inconvenience, sometimes accompanied by pain and discomfort that disrupts daily life.
Fortunately, there are several strategies you can try to either lessen the flow or manage the symptoms more effectively. In this article, I’ll explore eight tricks to help you say goodbye to the stress and discomfort of heavy periods.
Whether you want to reduce the heaviness of your flow or just cope better with the symptoms, these strategies are exactly what you need.
What Is Considered A Heavy Period?
Also known as menorrhagia, heavy periods are characterized by the loss of extra blood during menstruation. Typically, the average female loses 2 to 3 tablespoons of blood over 4 to 5 days during periods. This amount is more with heavy periods.
According to Pubmed, Heavy periods last more than 7 days, losing between 5 and 8 tablespoons of blood, and sometimes, more.
If you’re passing large blood clots or changing your tampon or pad consistently (perhaps every 2 hours), your situation can undoubtedly be considered as one.
Your healthcare provider can help determine if you have heavy menstrual bleeding and if you might need testing for a possible bleeding disorder. There are many treatments available to manage this.
Common symptoms and discomforts
Most women suffering from heavy periods experience at least two or more of these symptoms:
- Frequent Changes: You will probably find yourself needing to change your tampon, pad, or menstrual cup repeatedly, typically every two or three hours or even more.
- Clotting: It’s common to pass blood clots, which can be large.
- Longer Periods: This condition usually lasts over seven days, extending the duration of a typical cycle.
- Fatigue or Weakness: Losing a lot of blood can be tiring. It can make you weak or even increase your susceptibility to anemia.
- Pain: Because you bleed more, the chances of experiencing intense cramping and pelvic pain are high.
- Nighttime Bleeding: Bleeding continues through the night. You may need to wake up to change your sanitary protection during the night, which is another indicator of heavy bleeding.
- Restrictions on Daily Activities: Some women(especially adolescents) may find it scary to leak out. Coupled with the need for frequent bathroom visits, their abilities to go about their normal activities may be limited.
- Mood Changes: Heavy bleeding impacts stress levels, which can cause mood spikes, including extreme sadness.
It can really be tough to deal with these symptoms. However, there are ways to manage or even reduce the flow. Below are my tried-and-true techniques.
What are 8 ways to stop or manage heavy periods?
It can be a hassle if you’re dealing with heavy periods, but there are ways to manage or even reduce the flow. Here are eight strategies:
1. Medication
Medication is one way to help manage or reduce the flow and discomfort that comes with heavy bleeding.
Research reveals that medicines like ibuprofen, diclofenac, and naproxen, all of which you can easily get at the pharmacy, can help not only with the bad cramps but might also lessen how much you bleed. Always go by the prescription; if unsure, ask your doctor how to use it.
Another kind of medicine that can be that helpful is hormonal birth control. This could be an everyday pill, a patch you stick on your skin. A small ring that you place inside your vagina, a shot from your doctor, or an IUD device(Mirena), which is a tiny device doctors put into the uterus.
These medicine types control your cycle and usually lighten your periods. There’s also a specific medication a doctor can prescribe if you prefer not to use hormones.
This medicine can help your blood to clot more, which might shrink bleeding during your period. If you’d like to try medications to manage heavy periods, talk it out with your doctor first.
They can help you determine which type might work best for you. Sometimes, you might already be popping in some other meds, and doctors would help avoid interactions.
2. Checking your diet
What you eat can really make a difference. Your body uses certain vitamins and minerals to handle and regulate the menstrual cycle. So, if you’re facing heavy periods, looking at your diet might help manage them better.
Firstly, eating iron-rich foods can be fantastic. While you have heavy periods, you lose a lot of blood, meaning losing iron, too. And it becomes important to have them replaced.
Getting enough iron back through your diet is essential to avoid feeling tired and weak. Foods like red meat, chicken, green veggies(leafy), nuts and beans are good sources of iron.
You also want to include Vitamin-C-rich foods in your meals as the C vitamin helps your body absorb iron better. Think about kiwi, oranges, bell peppers and tomatoes on your plate.
Another helpful tip is to eat foods that have lots of fiber. Fiber can help your body manage hormones better. Foods like whole grains, fruits, vegetables, and nuts are all high in fiber.
Getting enough magnesium in your diet is another good move. Magnesium has long been known for helping cramps and can be found in foods like almonds, spinach, and whole wheat bread.
Water has always been part of the equation. Staying hydrated helps everything in your body work better, including managing those heavy periods.
While rechecking your diet isn’t a direct cure for heavy periods, it can definitely help manage the symptoms and make you feel a bit better.
3. Avoid certain foods
When your periods feel heavier than normal, there are certain foods you might think about eating less of or even avoid thoroughly because they can make things feel worse.
Salt is the first on my list. Eating too much salt can make your body hold on to water, which can make you feel puffy and uncomfortable.
If you love your morning coffee or enjoy soda, the caffeine in it can sometimes make your tummy hurt more and make you feel tense. Also, caffeine might make your breasts sore.
Having drinks like beer, wine, or spirits might make your body lose water, making any aches and pains feel stronger. Stay hydrated with water instead.
Foods with a lot of fat in them could mess with the natural balance of your body’s hormones, which might lead to stronger cramps. And let’s not forget about sweets—too much sugar can lead to ups and downs in your energy and mood.
If you can eat less of these things, your heavy period might not feel as bad because you may have fewer cramps and less bloating. That way, you can go on with your day feeling a bit more like yourself.
4. Iron supplements
Eating iron-fortified foods can be okay, but iron supplements can be even more helpful. These supplements help your body get back the iron it’s missing, helping you feel less tired and worn out.
If you think heavy periods are making you feel weak, you could talk to your doctor about iron supplements. Your doctor will check if you really are low on iron and tell you exactly how much you should take to get back to feeling good.
Some women might need to pop in a pill daily, while others might not need as much. But remember, taking iron supplements isn’t going to stop the heavy periods directly. They’re there to get you feeling better if your heavy bleeding is causing an iron shortage.
5. Heat Therapy
Placing a heating pad, hot water bottle, or warm towel on your lower belly can work magic. The warmth won’t directly stop the bleeding, but it’ll make you feel much better, at least.
Here’s why it works: the heat helps relax the muscles in your pelvis. When these muscles are relaxed, it lessens the intensity of the pain and cramps you might feel during a heavy period.
The cozy feeling of heat can be really soothing. It’s like giving yourself a gentle hug where you need it most. Plus, it’s easy to do it almost everywhere, perhaps while you’re sitting down and relaxing, watching TV, or even doing some work.
I call this a simple, drug-free method to help manage some of those not-so-fun symptoms. Just be sure not to have it too hot to avoid burning your skin, and take breaks now and then.
6. Exercising
In fact, exercise might not be the first solution to come to mind when dealing with heavy periods, but it can be quite a quick fix. First up, exercise is great because it helps reduce stress.
When you’re stressed, your body’s hormone levels can be affected. And these hormones also play a role in controlling your menstrual cycle. So, by reducing stress through exercise, you might find your periods become a bit more manageable.
Exercises, especially low-impact ones like walking, yoga and swimming, can help with cramps, too. These can increase blood circulation in your body, easing the pain of menstrual cramps often accompanying heavy periods.
You’d eventually benefit from a more regular menstrual cycle with regular exercise. By reducing body fat (if needed) and maintaining a healthy weight, you help your body regulate hormones more effectively.
This can help reduce the heaviness of periods. Another benefit is the boost in your overall health. With exercise, your cardiovascular system gets strengthened.
It boosts your mood and increases your energy levels as well. All of these benefits are especially important if heavy periods leave you feeling tired or down. However, be kind to yourself.
During the heaviest days of your period, you might not feel like doing intense workouts, and that’s perfectly okay. Gentle exercises or even just a short walk can be worthwhile.
7. Stress management techniques
When you’re under a lot of stress, your body produces more cortisol, which can throw off the balance of estrogen and progesterone(two hormones responsible for your period). This imbalance can lead to heavier and sometimes more painful periods.
Finding ways to manage stress can make a huge difference. Deep breathing and meditation can be perfect for checking stress. These two can calm your mind and reduce stress drastically.
Even taking a few minutes each day to focus on your breathing can have a big impact. As discussed initially, exercises can be helpful. Picking up your hobbies and doing stuff you enjoy can help you avoid stress, too.
It can be reading, painting, or spending time outdoors. Moreover, the power of talking about your stress should not be underestimated. Problems shared with friends, family, or professionals can be assuaging.
While checking stress might not stop heavy periods overnight, it can be a huge step towards a more regular, healthier cycle.
8. Surgical Procedures
Let’s start with endometrial ablation, a procedure aimed at reducing period flow or, in some cases, stopping them altogether. It’s simple, and doctors don’t remove any organ except scraping off the uterus lining. It’s not creepy at all, and the recovery time is usually quick.
Another method specifically for those whose heavy periods are caused by fibroids (which are noncancerous growths in the uterus) is uterine artery embolization.
With this, doctors cut off the blood supply to the fibroids, causing them to shrink and eventually decrease menstrual bleeding. For women who also have fibroids but wish to preserve their uterus, a myomectomy might be considered.
This surgery involves the surgeon physically removing the fibroids from the uterus. This stops heavy bleeding while keeping the uterus intact, which is important for looking to bear children in the future.
The most definitive surgical option is a hysterectomy—the removal of the uterus. This surgery completely stops menstrual periods and is the only sure way to cease menstrual bleeding entirely; especially important for women who might want to become pregnant, as it makes pregnancy impossible.
Deciding to tackle heavy periods with surgery is something to rethink. It’s not merely about stopping the inconvenience of heavy bleeding; it’s also about considering the potential changes to your body and life.
For example, a hysterectomy prevents you from having kids in the future and may have long-term effects on your health. Before choosing surgery, it’s crucial to have thorough discussions with your doctor.
You will need to reconsider what might be causing your heavy periods, assess treatments you’ve already tried and consider all available surgical options.
Factors like recovery time, possible risks and complications, and how the procedures might affect your fertility are important, too.
Ways To Stop or Manage Heavy Periods: This is a wrap
Heavy periods, to a significant extent, disrupt daily life, but thankfully there are a few effective strategies to help it. Lifestyle adjustments like diet and exercise and medical interventions (medication or surgery) can be super helpful.
Remember, while home remedies and lifestyle changes can offer be soothing, it’s important to talk to your doctor for a proper diagnosis. Doctors would also recommend what method best suits your situation.
Our bodies work slightly differently. Thus, finding the right techniques and treatment methods tailored to your needs is indispensable.
