Question: I am 17 years old, and sometimes my period can last anywhere up to 2 weeks. I have just got the period and everyday there is a blood clot that keeps getting bigger each time, is this normal?
Answer: The best way to know if you are having menorrhagia / profuse bleeding is to observe how often you have to change your pad or tampon. If the bleeding is heavy enough to necessitate changing every hour or two hours, or if your period that lasts more than 7 days, then, you may be experiencing heavy menstrual bleeding.
In normal menstrual cycle the blood loss is around 80 to 100 ml. It is normal amount of blood a woman loses every month in her monthly menstrual cycle. If the loss is more than 100 ml in several consecutive cycles than the woman may be suffering from heavy menses.
Other symptoms of heavy menstrual bleeding are: Simultaneous use of tampon and pad, profuse flow of blood while standing or walking, passage of big blood clots frequently, frequent menses in a month. Because of heavy blood loss in each menstrual cycle, there is risk for patient suffering from anemia.
What Are The Causes Of Menorrhagia?
- Hormonal imbalance is the commonest cause of profuse bleeding. After the onset of first period, and for several years before menopause, the hormones tend to fluctuate, often leading to heavy bleeding.
- Occasionally, contraceptives / birth control pills / other hormone therapy cause excessive menstrual bleeding.
- Uterine fibroids also result in menorrhagia. It’s important to know that uterine fibroid tumors are, by and large benign (non cancerous), and often occur in the uterus.
- Cervical polyps are another cause. Polyps are small growths that occur in the lining of the cervix, or in the endo-cervical canal and project through the opening of the cervix.
- Endometrial polyps are non malignant growths that stick out from the uterus lining.
Natural Remedies For Excessive Menstrual Bleeding
Clearly, the causes are many, thus, identifying the cause and treating it appropriately is important. A visit to the gynecologist for a thorough examination and investigation is a must. There are several home remedies that can be tried to curtail heavy bleeding.
- Ginger is a natural herb which helps to reduce heavy menstrual blood flow. Make a pot of tea using grated ginger root. Fresh ginger is preferred. Soak the roots for 10 minutes in hot water. Cool and strain the content and add one to two teaspoon of honey. Drink one glass of ginger tea.
- Eat banana flower daily during periods. Eat boiled banana flower with curd. Banana flower contains natural properties of progesterone, a female hormone associated in regulation of menstruation.
- Eat daily dry pumpkin pulp. All you have to do is dry the pulp at room temperature and mix it with sugar. Store it in a jar. Now daily eat on teaspoon of dried pulp with milk or yogurt. Pumpkin is rich source of manganese. Manganese deficiency is believed to trigger heavy menses. Therefore eating foods such as pumpkin, watermelon, squash oats which are good source of manganese may help to reduce excessive flow.
- Drink one glass of orange juice daily. Orange juice contain vitamin C. This vitamin is beneficial in controlling excessive menstrual flow.
- Drink one glass of curd mixed with 1 teaspoon of Indian gooseberry juice and 1 teaspoon of mint juice two to three times in a day. It is an effective home remedy in reducing excessive menstrual flow.