Heavy periods, also called menorrhagia, are when a woman loses an excessive amount of blood during several consecutive periods.
A period is part of a woman's menstrual cycle. The menstrual cycle is the time from the first day of a woman’s period to the day before her next period. A period is a bleed from the womb (uterus) that is released through the vagina. It happens approximately every 28 days, although anywhere between 24 and 35 days is common.
Periods can begin when girls are between eight and 16 years of age, but they usually start around 12 years of age. They continue every month until the menopause (when a woman’s periods stop), which usually occurs between 45 and 55 years of age.
Menorrhagia
Menorrhagia is the medical name for heavy periods. Menorrhagia can occur by itself or in combination with other symptoms, such as menstrual pain (dysmenorrhoea).
Heavy bleeding does not necessarily mean there is anything seriously wrong, but it can affect a woman physically, emotionally and socially, and can cause disruption to everyday life.
How much is heavy bleeding?
It is difficult to define exactly what a heavy period is because the amount of blood that is lost during a period can vary considerably between women.
Doctors can measure blood loss during a period and heavy menstrual bleeding is considered to be 60-80ml (millilitres) or more in each cycle. The average amount of blood that is lost during a period is 30-40ml, with 9 out of 10 women losing less than 80ml. However, it is rarely necessary to measure the blood loss so accurately.
Most women have a good idea about how much bleeding is normal for them during their period and can tell when this amount increases or decreases.
Visit your GP if your periods are heavier than usual, or if they are disrupting everyday life. A good indication that your blood loss is excessive is if:
- you feel that you are using an unusually high number of tampons or pads
- you experience flooding (heavy bleeding) through to your clothes or bedding
- you need to use tampons and towels together
How common are heavy periods?
It is difficult to measure exactly how many women have heavy periods. This is because different women have different ideas of what ‘heavy’ bleeding is. However, some estimates suggest that one woman in ten has heavy periods.
Outlook
There are several different medications that can be used to treat heavy periods. Surgery may also be an option. See Heavy periods - treatment for more information.
