Menorrhagia – All You Need to Know

Shark week, chums, mother nature week, aunt Flo and other cute euphemisms are quite a misnomer for the agony that some menstruators go through during their periods.

Rushali says, “I didn’t even know I had so much blood in my body. Aata kahan se hai itna!? That is the biggest mystery to me. It feels like somebody has turned on a tap. I was stacking pads to control the flow. That was before I knew about RIO Pads. Other problems still remain the same, but at least now I’m not worried about staining.”

What is Menorrhagia?

Menorrhagia, meaning heavy flow periods in simpler terms is a menstrual condition. Menorrhagia causes you to soak through multiple pads within an hour or bleed more than 40 ml of blood during a single period which is not normal. Women are often told to toughen up and bear every inconvenience, kyunki ‘manage’ toh karna hi padta hai.

Stacking pads, staying at home, avoiding physical activities, and social distancing for a week is part of the package of being a heavy flow menstruator. Not with RIO!

RIO Heavy Duty Pads are made for women who bleed heavier than the rest, who deserve more than just regular sanitary pads. RIO Pads:

• are 3X more absorbent than regular pads
• are shaped like an hourglass to catch any outflow of blood from the front or the back
• contain side leak guards to prevent side leak action
• contain Japanese SAP, that instantly locks liquid in gel form
• contain an anti-bacterial layer
• are treated with aloe and jojoba extracts to keep your skin soft and free of rashes and irritation

So, how to stop overflow of periods in your underwear? Wear a RIO Pad.

With RIO, better your periods!

What causes menorrhagia?

Here are a few common causes of heavy periods:

Lifestyle changes

Changes in your lifestyle can cause you to have heavy periods. A change in your diet, a new workout routine, your stress levels, medications for other illnesses, all affect your periods. You might be experiencing a heavier flow because of these.

Changes to your medications or birth control

If you were on birth control and stopped taking them you might experience heavy flow periods. A birth control pill alters the hormones a little. This alteration causes you to experience lighter periods. This will happen for a while before finally things settle down and you are back to your ‘normal.’ Birth control pills are often prescribed by doctors to manage heavy flow periods.

Hormonal imbalance

Changes in your hormonal levels is one of the most common reasons for menorrhagia. Higher levels of estrogen in the body as compared to the hormone progesterone can thicken the uterine lining. Your period becomes heavy or prolonged when there is more tissue to shed.

Uterine fibroids

Uterine fibroids are non-cancerous growths on the ovaries and the
uterus. Women between 14- 44 years of age often have to deal with them. Uterine fibroids are generally harmless but can cause menorrhagia and painful periods.

What is Menorrhagia at Puberty?

Menstrual cycles and ovulation are often irregular the first few years after menarche, the first occurrence of periods. Your periods take a few cycles to figure things out and set a proper working schedule for menstrual cycles. So, if you have just started your periods and are experiencing a little heavier flow, don’t stress it!

Menorrhagia & Endometriosis

A common request we receive is to explain why menorrhagia is a symptom of Endometriosis. Endometriosis is a condition in which the uterine tissue starts growing outside the uterus, instead of inside the uterine walls. It can cause painful swelling, inflammation along with extremely heavy periods or menorrhagia.

Can Menorrhagia happen in regular cycle?

There are women who go through menorrhagia with regular cycle, too. This is because they suffer from heavy flow periods. It’s fine as long as you’re not losing too much blood as it can lead to anemia. It is a condition which occurs due to severe loss of blood in the body and can even be fatal.

Visit a doctor immediately if:

• You are bleeding for more than 7 days.
• You are soaking pads within an hour for a few consecutive hours.
• You are passing abnormally large blood clots in your periods.
• You feel fatigued because of heavy flow periods.
• You are feeling light headed or short of breath.

Can Menorrhagia happen in irregular cycle?

Menorrhagia with irregular cycle could be because of perimenopause. Perimenopause is the transitional stage before menopause finally hits and your periods bid you farewell forever. This is the stage when your menstrual cycle goes a little nuts. If you are going through it right now then don’t worry about irregularities in your menstrual cycle, be it the flow, the color and consistency of the blood, the duration between two periods or something else. Your hormones are just trying to get comfortable with their new normal one step at a time.

What is the Treatment for Menorrhagia?

“When does menorrhagia stop?” and “Will menorrhagia stop on its own?” are questions every woman with a heavy flow has asked at some point in their lives.

Menorrhagia treatment especially at puberty menorrhagia treatment should be sought from a medical professional.

Menorrhagia can be managed with proper treatment.

Your doctor might ask for your menstrual history, ask you to keep a diary to take down details of a menstrual cycle.

Your doctor might recommend the following to treat menorrhagia:

• Tranexamic acid
• Oral contraceptives
• Oral progesterone
• Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs)
• Hormonal IUD

If these medications don’t work you can discuss surgery procedures with your doctor too.