Let's talk heavy bleeding!

If talking about periods makes you uneasy, well, this blog isn't for you.

Let's talk truth with Dr. Taryn!

Don't let anyone tell you that you must just accept that you have an illness and learn to live with it. ​

Ladies- let’s talk about heavy bleeding!

This statistic really spoke to me- 1 in 20 women consult their primary care physician every year about this problem! Menorrhagia is the medical term defined as abnormally heavy or prolonged menstrual bleeding. This is most often due to anovulatory cycles. The anovulatory cycle is a menstrual cycle with the absence of ovulation. This means, without ovulation, there is no chance of becoming pregnant. From collected research, adolescent girls and women nearing menopause are at greatest risk for menorrhagia. BUT- that is not always the case. 

Here are some of the primary causes of heavy bleeding:
• Can be caused by excessive overbuilding of the uterine lining
• Ovarian dysfunction (not ovulating)
• Uterine fibroids
• Uterine polyps due to elevated hormone levels
• Adenomyosis (endometrial glands become embedded in uterine muscle)
• IUD use
• Pregnancy complications

With heavy, unusual periods some complications can include:
– Iron deficiency anemia
– Severe menstrual cramps or abdominal pain
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​Here are some of the primary signs and symptoms of heavy bleeding:
• Soaking through one or more tampons or pads for several consecutive hours
• Needing to use double sanitary protection to control menstrual flow
• Need to wake up to change menstrual pad at night
• Bleeding for longer than one week
• Passing large blood clots
• Restricted activities
• Anemia or excessive fatigue

To “help” these symptoms, the typical conventional treatments are as follows:
• Birth control of some kind (for suppression of ovulation)
• Uterine ablation (a procedure that surgically destroys the lining of your uterus)
• Partial hysterectomy (removes the uterus and the cervix is left intact)

Yikes, controlling heavy menstrual bleeding by an invasive surgery that comes with a grocery list of potential complications and/or side effects or taking a synthetic hormonal supplement that comes with a grocery list of potential complications and/or side effects! How are those our typical options in 2019?! Taking birth control to symptomatically treat heavy menstruation is like putting a rug over cracked foundation to keep it from spreading. Getting to the root cause of why these symptoms are present is what needs to happen! Our women deserve better. Please contact Stittleburg Restorative Health Care to see how Functional Medicine can help resolve your heavy bleeding!

Let's get back to health,
Dr. Taryn

Contact us today!

Information provided by Dr. Ronda Nelson, PhD, MH