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Menorrhagia Can Take Away from Quality of Life

Menorrhagia describes menstrual bleeding that lasts longer than seven days. The bleeding can also be very heavy.

If you are having heavy, prolonged bleeding – bleeding that causes you to change a tampon or pad in less than two hours or causes the passing of clots the size of a quarter or larger – it’s time to visit your doctor.

Other symptoms of menorrhagia include:

• Being excessively tired, having a lack of energy
• Being short of breath
• Bleeding that lasts more than seven days
• Constant pain in the lower stomach during periods
• So much blood that you are kept from doing things you want or need to do

The conditions can be caused by a variety of issues:

• Hormone-related problems
• Other illnesses – These include bleeding disorders, such as platelet function disorder, and non-bleeding disorders, such as a cancer or inflammatory diseases.
• Uterine-related problems – These include non-cancerous tumors or other growths, such as fibroids or polyps in the uterus; uterine or cervical cancer; a birth control issue; or pregnancy-related problems, such as miscarriage or an ectopic pregnancy.

If you have heavy bleeding and the symptoms above, plan a visit with your doctor to determine what the best treatment plan would be for you. There are a variety of treatment options available that range from prescription hormones to surgery.

Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention