When to Seek Help for Heavy Periods

If you struggle with heavy periods, you know how much it can interfere with your daily life. While having a heavy period from time to time can be normal, always having a heavy period can be an indicator of an underlying health condition. 

Because heavy periods can affect your quality of life, it’s important to know when it’s time to see a professional for it. At the Center for Women’s Health Richmond in Sugar Land and Richmond, Texas, our team wants you to learn when it’s time to seek help for your heavy periods.

Signs your heavy period requires treatment

While some women can have heavy periods right from the start, others may not start getting heavy periods until later in life. Heavy periods can lead to anemia which can leave you feeling especially weak and tired. 

Your heavy periods could require professional medical treatment if you have some of the following symptoms:

• Bleeding longer than seven days
• Changing your tampon or pad every hour for several hours
• Needing to get up in the night to change your pad or tampon
• Having blood clots larger than a quarter 

You may also feel the need to skip out on daily activities due to heavy flow or excruciatingly painful cramps. All of these symptoms indicate that you might have an underlying health condition. If so, it’s important to have it diagnosed so it can be properly treated.

Possible causes of heavy periods

There can be a lot of factors that can cause heavy periods. Some possible causes include:

• Hormone imbalances
• Non-cancerous growths like polyps or fibroids
• Some IUDs
• Cancers of the uterus, ovaries, or cervix
• Bleeding disorders
• Certain medications such as blood thinners

Other health conditions like endometriosis, thyroid problems, pelvic inflammatory disease, or kidney and liver problems can all lead to heavy periods.

Diagnosing and treating heavy periods

No matter what the underlying cause is of your heavy periods, it’s essential to seek medical attention to discover what the root problem is. Our team at the Center for Women’s Health Richmond has many years of experience diagnosing and treating heavy periods. 

We start by reviewing things like your health history, symptoms, and menstrual cycles before we order procedures like a pelvic exam and labs to rule out STDs or pregnancy as the cause of your heavy bleeding.

Your provider may also order certain diagnostic testing such as an ultrasound, hysteroscopy, endometrial biopsy, sonohysterography, or an MRI to determine what’s causing your heavy periods.

Once we figure out the root cause of your heavy periods, we can discuss all your treatment options and determine which one works best for you. Your age, overall health, and other individualized factors will go into that decision. 

Some of the treatments we offer include hormonal birth control, hormone therapy, prescription medication, or endometrial ablation. Surgical options may be needed to remove polyps or fibroids. 

To be evaluated for your heavy periods, contact our team to set up an appointment over the phone or online today.