Heavy menstrual bleeding (HMB), or menorrhagia, is when your periods are heavier or last longer than normal. It can affect your quality of life and may lead to symptoms like fatigue or iron deficiency.
Symptoms that suggest your period is heavier than normal include
- Soaking through a pad or tampon every 1–2 hours
- Needing to use double protection (e.g. pad and tampon together)
- Passing large blood clots more than a grape in size
- Periods lasting longer than 7 days
- Feeling tired, dizzy, or short of breath (due to low iron levels)
Heavy bleeding can be due to a number of reasons, including hormonal imbalance, irregular length of cycle, uterine fibroids, adenomyosis, bleeding disorders such as Von Willebrand disease, thyroid problems, and some medications.
Treatments are targeted at the underlying cause, severity, and your preferences, including whether you're trying to become pregnant. Medication therapies including Iron replacement, anti-inflammatories and Tranexamic acid to reduce bleeding, hormonal options like the contraceptive pill {link}, progesterone only tablets {link}, or Mirena {link}. Surgical options may include removal of fibroids {link to procedures}, endometrial ablation, and hysterectomy.
You should consider seeing a doctor if your bleeding causes anxiety of affects your daily activities, you need to change protection very frequently, or you feel weak or dizzy.
