Going through pregnancy and delivery is a big deal for your body and your mind. Getting excellent postpartum care helps you recover well and catches any health issues that may arise.
Most of us have probably experienced heavy periods some time in our lives. Some months may be normal, and other months make us feel like we live in diapers. When we are soaking through a tampon or a pad an hour, that’s probably too heavy. And certainly, if we’re soaking through a tampon AND a pad an hour, that’s definitely too heavy and medical attention is probably warranted.
Heavy periods can be caused by a variety of reasons. We have to consider 3 main categories of reasons that can cause heavy periods: systemic disease vs. anatomic disease vs. hypothalamic-pituitary-ovarian axis (H-P-O axis for short…we’ll explain below)
Systemic diseases, meaning diseases that are not part of the reproductive system, can impact how heavy or irregular periods can be. These can include thyroid dysfunction, high levels of prolactin, liver disease or kidney disease.
Anatomic diseases pertain to things that actually arise from the reproductive system like ovarian cysts, uterine polyps or uterine fibroids.
Finally, H-P-O axis refers to the complex set of signals coming from the hypothalamus (a small gland in our heads)to the ovary and vice versa. A normally-functioning H-P-O axis means that every month, the hypothalamus sends down a signal to the ovary. The ovary then produces hormones and matures an egg. (That’s right ladies, our bodies get ready for pregnancy EVERY month). If we don’t get pregnant, the egg dies off, the uterine lining is shed as a period, and the hormonal levels drop. This drop in hormonal levels signals back to the hypothalamus to send down another signal for the next month.
Many things can derail this complex orchestration of events. These can include physical or emotional stressors like a car accident, major surgery, staying up all night to study for midterms,etc.
We can check bloods tests to rule out the systemic diseases. Ultrasounds can be done in our office to check for ovarian cysts or fibroids.
Once heavy periods are determined to not be caused by any of these things, then we can talk about treatment.
Treatment can include birth control pills. Mirena IUD’s (intra-uterine device), uterine ablation procedures, or hysterectomy.
You Might Also Enjoy...
Going through pregnancy and delivery is a big deal for your body and your mind. Getting excellent postpartum care helps you recover well and catches any health issues that may arise.
Hepatitis B can harm your health and the long-term health of your baby. But by taking some important steps, you can protect yourself and your baby from infection with the hepatitis B virus.
The HPV vaccine is an excellent way to protect people from viruses that can cause a range of cancers. But it’s not recommended for everyone. Learn whether you should roll up your sleeve for an HPV shot.
Are your periods too long? Too short? Do they come too frequently or not often enough? Is your bleeding very heavy or very light? Find out whether your irregular periods merit evaluation by a health care provider.
Are you noticing changes in your urinary or bowel habits? Are you experiencing unexplained pain? You may have pelvic floor dysfunction. Learn the signs of this common women’s health condition.
Infertility has a variety of different causes. Fortunately, many of them can be successfully treated. We work with you to evaluate your reproductive health and create a personalized infertility treatment plan.