Unusually Heavy Period

Yesterday we talked about having a period twice in a month.  But, what about if you have an unusually heavy period.  Is this cause for concern?

Normal periods

What’s normal?  Everyone is different so defining normal can be hard.  Just like few people have “normal skin”, few people might actually have normal periods.  I once read that you should have less than 2 fluid ounces of blood loss.  That doesn’t sound like a lot of blood, does it?  When I found this out myself, I thought “there is no way!”.   Who is lucky enough to have a period like that?  Not me!

For me, my periods have always been much heavier than that.  If that’s normal, that’s definitely not me.  I only wish that I could have a normal period – and I’ve been working towards fixing some things so that my body works better – and my unusually heavy periods become a thing of the past.

So, what does that mean?

It may be hard to visualize how much you are bleeding by ounces.  Here’s a reference that might help you:

If you’re using a regular pad or tampon and if you soak about 8 during your period, this is normal since each regular menstrual products hold about 1 tsp of blood, which is about .17 ounces.  If your periods show more blood than this, you might have an unusually heavy period and I hope you will come with me on this journey to find out how to make things better.

Let me stress regular menstrual product.  If you are using Super, Super Plus, or (gasp!) Ultra tampons, you are bleeding too much.  Or, if you have to use ‘nighttime’ maxi-pads, there’s something wrong and you are bleeding way more than you should be.

Excessive heavy flow

Menorrhagia, or excessive heavy flow, is when you are soaking Super Plus or even Ultra tampons much more quickly – vs. the regular pads or regular tampons.  You’ll know if your flow is heavier than normal (for you).  In addition, if your periods are lasting more than 7 days or if you are flooding.  Flooding is when you are soaking your menstrual care product in 15-30 minutes – this is especially bad if it’s an Ultra tampon.  (Sadly, I will admit, that this has happened to me and it is disturbing to say the least!)

If you are looking for an organic pad, try this one by tampontribe.com.

Symptoms of Unusually Heavy Period

Not only is it unnerving but here are some other issues with having menorrhagia:

• Fatigue
• Anemia
• Pain
• It’s definitely traumatic
• Bloating
• Disengagement from the world
• Not feeling yourself
• Generally feeling unwell.
• Depression

Anemia during period

Anemia during period is very common, especially for women with unusually heavy periods.  It causes us to feel tired ALL the time.  And, this causes us to not be fully ourselves and to live in the world, which causes depression.  Sure, there are iron pills you can take (note:  only take on doctor’s advice as you don’t want iron poisoning).  But, stay with me on this journey – let’s see if we can make some lifestyle changes together to make some improvements in our lives to help our anemia during our periods!

Nutt So Ruff is supported by our audience.  When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission; however, there is no cost to you.