Heavy periods
Overview
Many women have heavy periods (also called menorrhagia) and they may be normal for you. They can affect anyone who has periods. Treatment can help if they're affecting your daily life.
Causes
It can be normal to have heavy periods. They can sometimes be heavy at different times, like when you first start your periods, after pregnancy or approachingmenopause. Sometimes heavy periods can be caused by: conditions affecting your womb or ovaries, such aspolycystic ovary syndrome,fibroids,endometriosis,adenomyosisandpelvic inflammatory diseaseconditions that can make you bleed more easily, such asVon Willebrand diseasesome medicines and treatments, including someanticoagulant medicinesand chemotherapy medicines Rarely, heavy periods can be a sign ofwomb cancer.
Treatment
Heavy periods do not always need to be treated. But there are treatments that can help if they’re affecting your daily life. Treatments from a GP include: some types of contraception, such as anintrauterine system (IUS)or thecombined contraceptive pillmedicine to help reduce the bleeding, such astranexamic acidprescription-only anti-inflammatory painkillers, such as mefenamic acid ornaproxen If these treatments do not work or a GP thinks a condition may be causing your heavy periods, they’ll usually refer you for tests or to see a specialist. Specialist treatments for heavy periods include: removing the lining of the womb (endometrial ablation)removing fibroids if it’s thought they’re causing your heavy periodstotal or partial removal of the womb (hysterectomy) You may have a series of blood tests to check if you have any underlying conditions, such as iron deficiency anaemia.