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Heavy Periods? You’re Not Alone!

A woman holds a marker while marking her menstrual cycle on a calendar, she looks away in thought.

Heavy Periods? You Are Not Alone!

When it comes to heavy periods, I always thought of them as part and parcel of being a woman. I thought that when that time of the month came around, the debilitating pain that radiated from my back down my legs and wrapped around my abdomen was normal. Not to mention, I believed that the very heavy bleeding and overall feeling of unwellness just came along with womanhood.

Let’s be real, heavy periods suck, and ladies–you don’t have to suffer alone!

I never had to worry about heavy periods until after my second daughter was born. I started to realize that my periods got heavier and heavier. I began suffering from pain and these heavy periods really impact my daily life. I noticed more clots and the overall pain and feeling of malaise increased dramatically. I found that I needed to change more frequently, and the first two days of my cycle became almost always unbearable.

This became my new normal.

I get really bad cramps and heavy bleeding on top of that. On these days, I just don’t want to leave the house. One thing is for sure, if I feel that my period too heavy, I always make it a point to go to the doctor to get checked out. Though, it wasn’t always this way.

Bottom line, there is no reason anyone should have to suffer alone with heavy periods. Let’s keep this conversation open enough that we can talk to each other about it.

A woman holds her stomach painfully while holding her menstrual cycle marked on a calendar.

It Isn’t Easy.

In fact, one in five women experience heavy blood loss, pain, and exhaustion each month. Many of us feel like we’re trapped at home the week we are on our period. At times, it can have us frequently rushing to the bathroom to deal with a gush or to prevent a leak. It is definitely not ideal.

However, HeavyPeriodTalk.ca is the perfect place for people like you and me. It’s a place we can talk and get to the bottom of our heavy periods. Heck, it’s a place to relate to other women going through the same thing.

How to Understand Heavy Periods

In 2018, it’s important to know that you don’t have to continue to live with having heavy periods. The first step to getting help is understanding the role of heavy periods in your life and what you can do about them. I lived with heavy periods for way too long before I got help! I contributed it to womanhood and age too. Not anymore though, I go to my doctor whenever I feel I need to. It helped me discover that I had hypothyroidism and learn how it can affect my menstrual cycle.

You’re Not Alone

I think the biggest misconception is that you’re dealing with a heavy period by yourself. You’re not alone and that’s important to remember. As I mentioned earlier, one in five women deal with heavy periods. Although heavy periods impact women differently, there is a solution for everyone. You may not even know that having heavy periods is a treatable medical condition. Why continue to suffer when you can get the help you need?

Heavy Periods Have Lasting Effects

Some people may think that a heavy period just means they have heavy bleeding. Not true, heavy periods can cause much more than heavy bleeding. You can experience pain and discomfort on so many levels. It’s also important to understand that heavy periods can be caused by several factors, such as hormonal imbalance, infections, fibroids, polyps, and bleeding deviations. If you find yourself changing your tampon frequently (every 1-2 hours), you might want to schedule a visit with your doctor.

Woman holds her menstrual cycle on a calendar in front of her face.

The Struggle is Real!

Get this: 80% of women who have heavy periods say that they experience anxiety during their period and 65% say they deal with depression. Those are big numbers! Heavy periods can fall into two categories, hormonal or non-hormonal.

Which one are you?

Talking to your doctor about your heavy periods can really help you find a solution and can help you stop suffering in silence.

For me, I know that I feel a bit melancholy when on my cycle. I can never explain it but, I just feel down for no particular reason. That’s why I try to make my period suck a little less. I do this by tracking my cycle on an app and it allows me to list my symptoms, from discharge to mood. This helps to have a record to share with my doctor and the symptoms are as accurate as the time they happened.

A few tips that help:
  • Get up and get moving. Even if you’re tired, a small walk can release endorphins and make you feel better.
  • Try to avoid the sugar cravings. You may experience a dip in serotonin and crave not-so-healthy food but, it’s temporary. Indulge a little though, because YOLO.
  • Enjoy a couple squares of dark chocolate or a cup of joe. Make sure you drink plenty of H20 though!
  • Have a hot water bottle or heat bag nearby, they can do wonders.
  • Treat yourself: Use that time of month as an excuse to do something for yourself. Get a mani/pedi, get your hair done, get a workout in, read a new book or buy a little something you’ve been wanting.

Don’t ever think that your heavy period story doesn’t matter because it does. Sometimes your period can be so bad you almost have to laugh so you don’t cry about it. I know I do!

Guess what? There are treatment options out there to help you, so don’t despair. You no longer must bear the pain alone or hide out in your house because you’re embarrassed.

Make sure you head to HeavyPeriodTalk.ca to share your story and know you’re not alone. For every story that is shared, $5 will be donated to the Canadian Foundation for Women’s Health to support vital research.

Remember that getting help for your heavy bleeding is important. It’s time to have this conversation with your GP. So, start the conversation and keep it going.

Let 2018 be the year you really start living.

Do you suffer from heavy periods?

Let me know, til then–cheers m’deres!

 
 
 
 

Note: This post is sponsored by Hologic. All thoughts and opinions are my own, please refer to our privacy policy for details.

 

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Let's be real, heavy periods suck, I always thought of them as part & parcel of being a woman. They're not.  Ladies, the reality is that you don't have to suffer alone! Read on to discover why! #tips #HeavyPeriodTalk

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50 Comments

  1. My bleeding isn’t too heavy but my other symptoms are killer like this! Cramps have always been a problem for me, so much so that I’ve dealt with vomiting and fainting many times. Ugh! Glad to see there’s a forum for discussion about this.

  2. As a guy, I can’t really relate to this topic. But I will say, I didn’t realize it can get this bad! Awareness always helps and gives me a new perspective.

  3. Very helpful! I haven’t had my period in so long, because I’ve been pregnant or breastfeeding, since mid-2014. It came once before I got pregnant with my daughter who I am currently breastfeeding and it was NOT light. So I’m sure I’m in for it again whenever it decides to come back. :S

  4. These open conversations are so necessary to help those who need help with certain issues. Good to see this post.

  5. It’s very nice of you Nancy. This is such a great post and very informative. This will surely help girls with also this kind of condition while they have their monthly period.

  6. Excellent conversation – one that definitely should be out there! It’s nice to hear there are ways to help women experiencing this. I have never been very regular and definitely not heavy but I imagine being a challenge every month.

  7. there were some complication few months ago, i got so worried, i visited the GP to get the scans to see if everything was okayyy !!!!!!

  8. I’ve had the worst heavy periods. I suffer a lot from fibroids and polyps and it’s crazy how bad it can get. It’s been better since I started using an IUD.

  9. I had the worst cycles until they finally had to do a hysterectomy on me. I didn’t realize at the time that there were so many others who have them too. I agree that getting help is very important.

  10. Great post! We need to talk more about this because so many women think that the pain in pain we suffer is in our heads.But it is rel and so is the heavy bleeding and clots. Thank you so much for sharing.

  11. I remember my friend had a heavy periods, unfortunately it has something to do with her ovaries, and found some cysts. Another friend of mine is experiencing this too, will share this info to her 🙂

  12. Heavy periods are the worst. In a strange way, I’m looking forward to menopause. Though I’m sure there are all kinds of fun things that come along with that as well.

  13. That’s quite a helpful article for me and many others. Thanks for sharing this information.

  14. Heavy periods are the worst. My periods are usually terrible the first two days and then seem to calm down. These are great tips.

  15. After I had two kids and before reaching my 40’s I noticed that my period became heavy more than the normal. I guess the hormones and aging play a lot.

  16. I suffered almost all my life with this. Turns our I had hypothyroidism and PCOS. I found spicy cheesy foods helped my cramping. Definitely get to a doctor…and find one that will listen. Don’t suffer any more than you need to.

  17. I’m one of the lucky ones and don’t suffer from that, but I do know other women who do. And that time of month is terrible. Thank you for sharing this information.

  18. Thanks for sharing info about this website – I hadn’t heard of it before! Heavy periods can really affect some of us.

  19. oh man i couldnt even imagine. The first two days it is really heavy and I am crampy but then it tends to slow down the 3rd – 5th day. I had a baby a few weeks ago so I am interested to see if my period will go back to how it was or my patterns will change. Right now i have been dealing with bleeding since she was born so cant wait for the day i dont have to wear a pad

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