Think you are having a heavy period, but don't know how to confirm it? In fact, it is not easy to tell how much blood is lost during menstruation. However, there are some ways you can tell if you are having a heavy or normal period.

Heavy periodsmake life difficult and are often painful. Worse,heavy bleedingcan have unpleasant he alth consequences. Although in most cases you can help a woman with heavy periods, it still happens that doctors ignore patients' complaints.

Heavy periods: when you lose too much blood

It's not at all easy to tell if your periods are heavy because your judgment is subjective. Blood loss during menstruation should not exceed 80 ml. Research has shown that 30 percent. women with a higher value rate their bleeding as mild to moderate.

Heavy periods: how to measure your blood loss?

Count the used tampons and sanitary napkins. The former absorb approx. 3 ml of blood, the latter - 5 ml. But this method can be unreliable because some women change hygiene products more often, others less frequently. Therefore, in doubtful cases, blood hemoglobin tests can be performed before and after menstruation. If the difference is greater than 1 g / dL, your periods are too heavy.

Heavy periods and what's next

If you are actually losing too much blood, see a specialist. The gynecologist, first of all, conducts a thorough medical history, which will allow him to find out whether you are really having heavy periods and how long they are bothering you. He will also perform a gynecological examination (the causes of heavy bleeding may concern the vagina) and gynecological ultrasound to detect, among others, abnormalities in the anatomy of the uterus, fibroids, polyps, endometrial hyperplasia. If an ultrasound scan is not sufficient to make a diagnosis, it will check your hormone profile and order your thyroid hormones and blood clotting to be tested. If necessary, it will also include other tests for diagnostics.

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