Periods or menstrual flow is a natural phenomenon where a woman’s body signals the loss of the uterus lining upon not conceiving that particular month. Having a regular menstrual cycle is a sign of a healthy body. Abnormal periods are defined as having menstrual flow either too heavy or too low. It could also be the absence of a period.
Managing a heavy period may be taxing and requires additional support, such as using pain pills and heavier sanitary napkins like the Rio heavy flow pads. These heavy flow pads help prevent leakage and staining while in use and help manage periods that are too heavy for normal sanitary pads.
Abnormal periods may be a concern and should be referred to a gynecologist for examination. Proper treatment courses can help in managing heavy periods in women.
What causes a Heavy Period?
The menstrual cycle is a part of a woman’s reproductive functions. A healthy menstrual cycle denotes the overall fertility of a woman. Ovulation is a natural process that signals the body to prepare a follicle in the ovary that gives rise to an egg.
During this process, the uterus prepares a lining of blood vessels and tissues to receive the egg after conception (fertilized by a sperm), which then becomes an embryo in the uterus.
When the egg is not fertilized, the hormones signal to the uterus to lose the uterine lining, which was prepared to receive the embryo for its implantation. This loss of blood and tissues is denoted by a woman’s menstrual flow.
Most women have a cycle that varies between 28 days and 35 days. Each cycle can last about a week or less. During this period, all the blood and the tissues that make up the lining of the uterus are lost and the cycle repeats itself every month.
When there is a heavy period, it means that the body is under some type of strain or stress resulting from improper functioning in the reproductive system. Use of some specific kinds of medicines, undergoing medical treatments, abnormalities in the reproductive organs or hormonal changes and fluctuations can cause abnormally heavy periods.
Treating a Heavy Period
Treating a heavy period requires consultation with a gynecologist. A medical professional can help evaluate the health conditions and determine why one suffers from heavy menstrual periods. There are some methods to manage a heavy period which are mentioned below:
- Using Heavy Flow Pads
There are some heavy flow pads in the market that help in managing heavy menstrual flow in women. The best heavy flow pads in the market such as Rio, are made with Japanese polymer technology that helps absorb excess flow and lock them in for longer periods of time so that the user does not have to worry about leakage and staining. This is one of the best ways to manage heavier than usual periods as most women restrict themselves to home due to the lack of a good sanitary pad that can help in managing the heavy flow.
- Medical treatments
Medical treatments involving hormone supplements, oral contraceptive pills etc can help treat excessive menstrual flow due to hormone imbalance in the body. A doctor specializing in gynecology can examine the patient and prescribe the right drugs to treat such a disorder.. In many women, hormone fluctuations can cause extremely heavy flow either due to excessive hormones or lack thereof. In either cases, treatments such as hormone supplements or oral contraceptive tablets are proven to be effective in regularizing the amount of hormones that are produced in the body, thereby managing the flow of the blood and the pain associated with it.
- Hormone Releasing IUD
IUD is IntraUterine Device that is used as a contraceptive method to prevent pregnancies in sexually active women. IUD can cause excessive bleeding and menstrual cramps in women. Many women fear having IUD placed inside them because of these factors. Some women experience Menorrhagia because of IUDs. As an alternative to IUD, Hormone Releasing IUD can be placed. These IUDs are better as they have the tendency to release hormones such as Estrogen and Progesterone that are known for easing the flow of periods, relaxing the muscles of the uterus and the fallopian tubes so that the bleeding is less and the pain is manageable.
- Surgery for Abnormalities
Some women experience extreme heavy flow during the menstrual cycle because of some abnormalities in the reproductive organs such as the uterus, the fallopian tubes or the cervix. In such cases, the gynecologists first examine the issue and then provide options based on the growth of the abnormality such as polyps, tumors or cysts in these organs. If the formations are too big that medication will not suffice for a treatment, then surgery is the only method to deal with such issues. Surgery helps in removing such obstructions and easing the flow of blood and making the pain manageable for the patient.