Having a heavy period like Carrie at the prom is troublesome,messy and just downright inconvenient. No one wants a blood bath every month! You might be wondering, is there a natural way to stop the crime scene in your pants?


Where is the blood coming from?

Every month, the uterus builds up the lining in its walls in order to prepare the womb for a baby in case the woman gets pregnant. When pregnancy does not occur, the uterine lining along with the unfertilized egg sheds.

uterus

This thick, bloody lining that sheds goes out of the body through the vagina, and hence, your period.

 

What qualifies as a heavy period?

A normal amount of menstrual bleeding is about 80 mL of blood over the entire period. 80 mL is about 8 fully soaked super-tampons.

An abnormally heavy period means more than 80mL and up to 500mL or 2 cups of blood.  Menorrhagia or heavy period is an abnormal uterine bleeding that could cause you to have anemia, fatigue and shortness of breath.

 

menstruation

 

 

Other symptoms of menorrhagia include passing large clots of blood and a period that lasts longer than 7 days.

 

What causes heavy periods?

Fibroids in the uterus. Those are benign or noncancerous growths in the uterus or just outside the womb. These growths causes heavy or prolonged period.

Dysfunction of the ovaries. The ovaries are the part of the reproductive system that is responsible for the production and release of eggs every month. They are also the ones regulates the estrogen and progesterone in the body. When there is a dysfunction in the ovaries, there will also be hormonal imbalance which causes abnormally heavy periods.

Hormonal imbalance. Hormones like estrogen and progesterone are the ones that regulate the amount of uterine lining and they body’s fertility. When a hormonal imbalance occurs, there will also be an excessive amount of uterine lining build up that also causes heavy periods.

Uterine polyps. They are small noncancerous growths in the uterine lining which results from high amounts of hormones in the body.

IUD or intrauterine devices. Heavy period is one of the side effects of UID. When this happens, you should have your doctor remove it.

Bleeding disorders. Some blood disorders such as haemophilia or von Willebrand’s disease causes a body’s clotting factor to completely stop working.

Also read: Heavy Bleeding Before Menopause: What Can You Do To Treat It?

Natural treatment for Menorrhagia or heavy periods

Natural is always the best way to go when it comes to treating conditions. It is safe for the body and has no harmful side effects. Here are the natural treatments for heavy periods.

 

Over the counter anti-inflammatory

Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs such as Advil or Nurofen reduces the menstrual flow by half because it blocks the prostaglandin which is something that promotes uterine contractions. Not only does it reduce the amount of blood flow, it also helps reduce the pain caused by your period.

The recommended dose is 200mg every 6 hours for the first 2 days of your period.

 

Turmeric

Turmeric works as a natural anti-inflammatory agent and reduces bleeding. To reduce your heavy period, just take turmeric by mouth, throughout the month.

 

Increase in iron

Heavy menstrual bleeding could cause an iron deficiency which also causes a heavier period. Iron is an important supplement to avoid iron deficiency anemia and reduce your likelihood of having Menorrhagia. The recommended dose is 15-50 mg in the evening after dinner.

 

Phytoestrogen treatments

Phytoestrogen reduces the amount of uterine lining build up. They also decrease your risk for having intra uterine tumors and reduce the size of fibroid and polyps. Phytoestrogen regulates the amount of estrogen in the body, since too much or too little estrogen causes menorrhagia.

kacip
Herbs such as Kacip Fatimah contains high quality phytoestrogen that normalizes the level of estrogen in the body, helping you treat heavy periods.

 

Decrease sugar intake

Studies show that women who are overweight or have insulin resistance have higher risks to having heavy periods than those who are not. The more sugar you take, the more insulin the body naturally produces in order to regulate your blood sugar levels. Insulin causes a thickening of the uterine lining causing heavy periods.

Another reason to decrease your sugar intake is because an increase in the amount of fats in the body also increases the estrone, which is estrogen made by body fat. An increase in estrone would also mean that the body will have an abnormal thickening of the uterine lining.

Also Read: How Phytoestrogen Helps You Lose Weight

 

Conclusion

There’s nothing appealing in having a heavy flow every month. It’s messy, painful and it’s like you are pouring out blood through your pants. There are a wide range of causes for menorrhagia or heavy periods, but the good thing is that you can treat them with natural treatments.