For women living with irregular, heavy menstrual cycles, it can drastically impact their quality of life through intense pain, cramping, and heavy blood loss. However, our May-Grant OB/GYN team can diagnose and treat the causes of your heavy menstrual bleeding and help you find relief from your symptoms.
What is Heavy Menstrual Bleeding?
Heavy menstrual bleeding, referred to medically as menorrhagia, occurs when menstrual periods have abnormally heavy and prolonged bleeding. The prolonged severity of bleeding can lead to severe cramps, longer menstrual cycles, and restrictions of daily activities due to heavy menstrual flow. In severe cases, menstrual bleeding can occur with one pad or tampon an hour over the course of two hours, and in these cases, these symptoms require treatment as they can lead to amenia and severe cramps that require medical attention.
Various conditions can cause heavy menstrual bleeding. Some conditions that can cause this condition include:
- Hormone Imbalances: Hormone imbalance can cause issues between estrogen and progesterone levels, leading to excessive buildups of the uterine lining from the endometrium.
- Ovary Dysfunction: Ovary dysfunction can cause various issues with how the ovaries release eggs. This condition can arise from hormonal imbalances, as they’re often not enough progesterone to release the egg.
- Uterine Fibroids: While most uterine fibroids are noncancerous and painless, some fibroids can cause heavier than regular periods due to their location within the uterine wall.
- Intrauterine Devices: Heavy, irregular periods are often a well-known side effect of intrauterine devices for birth control.
- Bleeding Disorders: Some bleeding disorders can contribute to heavy periods, such as von Willebrand’s disease, which impacts the blood clotting factor of your blood.
- Medications: Some anti-inflammatory medications, hormone medications, and anticoagulants can cause heavy and prolonged periods.
Treatments For Heavy Menstrual Bleeding at May-Grant OB/GYN
At May-Grant OB/GYN, we can provide a selection of treatment options for your heavy menstrual bleeding, which include:
- Hormonal Contraceptives: Some contraceptives can help regulate heavy menstrual cycles and reduce episodes of prolonged bleeding. Other forms of contraception, such as hormonal IUDs, can release specific progestin types to thin out the uterine lining and decrease menstrual blood flow.
- Hormonal Therapy: Hormonal therapy, such as progesterone therapy, can help correct hormonal imbalances contributing to heavy menstrual bleeding.
- Surgery Recommendations: In cases where heavy menstrual blood flow can not be treated nonsurgically, our team can recommend surgical options for managing your condition, which include:
- Myomectomy: Myomectomies remove the uterine fibroids and can be helpful for those experiencing heavy, irregular menstruation caused by fibroids.
- Endometrial Ablation: This procedure destroys the endometrium lining through laser, heat, or radiofrequency and can help women experience lighter periods but may cause problems with pregnancy later on.
Other forms of surgery, including hysterectomies, endometrial resectioning, and uterine artery embolizations, can also provide successful treatment for heavy menstrual bleeding but can also lead to permanent results that impact your pregnancy outlook and future menopause. For more information about our surgical options, please schedule an appointment with May-Grant OB/GYN to learn more about our services.
At May-Grant OB/GYN, our team can help you manage your heavy menstruation symptoms and provide long-lasting relief through treatments available at our office. As Lancaster County’s number one OB/GYN practice, we are here to care for your needs. Contact May-Grant OB/GYN today to schedule an appointment in person or online.
