What is considered menorrhagia?

Menorrhagia is menstrual bleeding that lasts more than 7 days. It can also be bleeding that is very heavy. How do you know if you have heavy bleeding? If you need to change your tampon or pad after less than 2 hours or you pass clots the size of a quarter or larger, that is heavy bleeding.

What are the signs and symptoms of menorrhagia?

Signs and symptoms of menorrhagia may include:

• Soaking through one or more sanitary pads or tampons every hour for several consecutive hours.
• Needing to use double sanitary protection to control your menstrual flow.
• Needing to wake up to change sanitary protection during the night.
• Bleeding for longer than a week.

How do you investigate menorrhagia?

Modern investigation of the patient with heavy periods, after a full history and examination, should include full blood count and serum ferritin level, thyroid function tests where required, menstrual blood loss assessment and a hysteroscopy with directed endometrial biopsy.

How heavy is a menorrhagia?

Average blood loss during menstruation is about 2–3 tablespoons , equating to 30–45 milliliters, over 4–5 days. However, a person with menorrhagia may experience bleeding that lasts longer than 7 days or heavy bleeding that causes them to soak through one or more tampons or pads every hour for several hours in a row.

How much period blood is an emergency?

When Menstrual Bleeding Is an Emergency. Go to the nearest emergency room if you experience severe, acute bleeding in which you soak through four or more pads or tampons in a two-hour period. 1 If you are pregnant, seek immediate medical care if you have any menstrual bleeding.

What is the difference between menorrhagia and metrorrhagia?

Menorrhagia is heavy bleeding, including prolonged menstrual periods or excessive bleeding during a normal-length period. Metrorrhagia is bleeding at irregular intervals, particularly between expected menstrual periods.

When should you go to the ER for a heavy period?

What is the first line treatment for menorrhagia?

The two main first-line treatments for menorrhagia associated with ovulatory cycles are nonhormonal: the antifibrinolytic tranexamic acid and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (see box). The effectiveness of these treatments has been shown in randomized trials20,21,22 and reported in systematic reviews of treatment.

What is the best treatment for menorrhagia?

Medical therapy for menorrhagia may include:

• Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). NSAIDs, such as ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin IB, others) or naproxen sodium (Aleve), help reduce menstrual blood loss.
• Tranexamic acid.
• Oral contraceptives.
• Oral progesterone.
• Hormonal IUD (Liletta, Mirena).

Is it normal to have golf ball sized blood clots during period?

Passing blood clots during your period can be alarming. Experts at Cleveland Clinic say it’s normal. But if you experience golf-ball-sized clots, it may be time to see a doctor.