• If you use double protection with tampons and pads
• If you often leak through your protection
• If you have blood floods onto your clothing or bedding
• If you pass large clots
• If your blood loss is making you exhausted and weak
• If you are anaemic- which may make you pale and breathless and can cause hair loss
• If you plan your activities around your periods
• If your periods are making you miss work
• If your periods are negatively impacting your life
• If you have to get up during the night to change your pad, tampon or bedding
• If your periods last for more than seven days

Heavy periods can be uncomfortable, upsetting and occasionally embarrassing. However, there are excellent treatments available that can ease the bleeding and soothe any associated pain. You don't have to suffer in silence; make an appointment at The Amara Clinic and take the first steps to controlling your periods instead of them controlling you.

• Hormonal Bleeding: When your oestrogen levels are higher than your progesterone levels, the lining of your womb thickens more than usual. The result is heavier, more prolonged periods. Hormonal bleeding can run in families, come on after childbirth and is common in women who are going through perimenopause or menopause. And remember that you should seek help if your periods affect your physical or mental health and how you live your life.
• Polyps: Soft, non-cancerous growths in the womb or cervix.
• Endometriosis: A common condition in which patches of the womb lining are found outside the uterus. Endo affects around two million women in the UK, but many women suffer for years before getting diagnosed. Endometriosis can affect the ovaries, the tubes, the pelvis lining and the bladder or bowel. It characteristically causes severe pelvic pain, but it can also cause heavy periods in some women. Statistics have shown that endometriosis care is woefully inadequate in the UK. It can take seven years or more for women to get an objective, accurate diagnosis.
• Fibroids: Non-cancerous growths in the womb that can cause discomfort, pain and very heavy periods.
• Adenomyosis: In this uncomfortable condition, glands from the womb lining become embedded in the uterus muscle. This results in severe pelvic pain and heavy bleeding.
• Cancer: Cancer of the womb is thankfully uncommon but is a potential cause of heavy bleeding, especially if it occurs after the menopause or in between periods.
• Underactive thyroid: Thyroid disease can affect your whole body. An underactive thyroid can cause tiredness, weight gain, changes in your hair and skin quality and heavy periods.
• Clotting problems: If you have issues with blood clotting, your periods will be heavier. Diseases like Von Willebrand’s, platelet problems and liver disorders can all increase your monthly bleed.
• Medical treatments: Some medications can trigger heavy bleeding. These include the contraceptive coil, anticoagulants and some anti-cancer drugs.