Novasure Polycystic Ovaries

What's A Common Condition You Haven't Heard About But May Be ...

What is Heavy Menstrual Bleeding?

Heavy menstrual bleeding is defined as periods that occur at regular monthly intervals, with blood loss that is greater than 80mL or bleeding for > 7 days.  As a point of reference ½ cup = 60mL.

I counsel my patients to call me if they are soaking a pad and/or a tampon in less than 1 hour for more than 1 day. Many of my patients don’t realize that the period they’ve been putting up with month after month and year after year is not normal; it’s not just their bad luck and something with which they have to deal with, it is a medical condition called heavy menstrual bleeding.

Great question! The amount of blood lost each month shouldn’t exceed 80 ml. I know, this is not pleasant to think about, and most of us would rather not. That’s why few women talk about heavy or heavy periods. If you’re concerned though, here’s how to do the math.

If a woman is changing a tampon and a pad every 1-2 hours for 1-2 days, that’s too much bleeding, i.e. heavy menstrual bleeding.

What Causes Heavy Periods?

While there are many causes for heavy menstrual bleeding including hormonal imbalances, fibroids, cancer in the lining of the uterus (endometrial hyperplasia and endometrial carcinoma) Polycystic Ovarian Dysfunction, polyps, thyroid disorders, coagulation disorders, and a few others, the most common reason is that ovulation hasn’t occurred during the menstrual cycle. 

Regular menstrual cycles depend upon many intricate and complex pathways that affect and influence each other. You can read more here . Here’s a quick and concise explanation:  There are two major hormones in the menstrual cycle: estrogen . If these are out of balance for any reason, a woman might not ovulate and she is likely to have irregular or heavy bleeding.