Heavy periods (menorrhagia) 

Heavy periods are when you have excessive menstrual blood loss, which affects your physical, emotional and social quality of life. It’s a common problem for teenagers and people aged between 30 and 50.

The amount of blood loss can change at different life stages. For example, in teenage years or in the lead-up to menopause.

Signs of heavy periods include:

• needing to change a period product (e.g. pad or tampon) every one to 2 hours
• needing to change a period product overnight
• blood clots that are bigger than a 50-cent coin
• bleeding through clothing
• periods lasting longer than 8 days
• periods impacting your quality of life.

Some period products, such as menstrual cups or high-absorbency pads, hold more blood than others. It’s helpful to tell your doctor about the period products you use so they can better understand your bleeding.

If you have heavy periods, you might also:

• have low iron levels, which can make you feel very tired or dizzy and look pale
• have cramps or pain in your lower belly (abdomen).

Heavy periods can happen for many reasons, including:

• hormonal changes that make the lining of the uterus grow too thick
• conditions such as:
  • endometriosis
  • endometrial polyps
  • endometrial hyperplasia
  • fibroids
  • adenomyosis
  • bleeding disorders (e.g. Von Willebrand’s disease).

The use of blood thinners, which stop the blood clotting, can also result in heavy menstrual bleeding.

It’s important to see your doctor if you have heavy periods and symptoms are impacting your daily life.

It’s helpful to record information about your periods and take it with you to discuss at your appointment. You can record:

• when you get your periods
• the length and heaviness of your periods
• how your periods impact your life.

Your doctor may ask about your periods, review your medical history and do a physical examination to check your uterus and ovaries.

They might do tests to find out what’s causing the problem. For example, a pregnancy test or blood tests.

Your doctor may also organise an ultrasound to check your pelvic organs. This can be done on your abdomen or inside your vagina. You can tell your doctor if you’re not comfortable having an internal ultrasound.

For more information about the care you should expect if you have heavy periods, visit the Australian Commission of Safety and Quality in Health Care website.