The amount of blood loss in a menstrual cycle may be different from woman to woman. Some women have a light to medium flow and others have a heavy flow. It is not uncommon for women to have a heavy flow at some point in their reproductive years. Menstrual bleeding is considered heavy if it lasts more than eight days, is heavy enough to disrupt a woman's daily life, is continuous, comes on suddenly and can be described as a 'flooding' or causes anemia.
Causes
Although heavy bleeding can happen in any month of a woman's menstrual cycle, there are conditions that can cause this type of bleeding. Heavy menstrual cycles are normal when a girl first begins menstruating---menarche---or when a woman is in perimenopause---the stage leading up to menopause. These two situations are usually due to an imbalance in the hormones estrogen and progesterone. Other causes of heavy menstrual bleeding are uterine fibroids, endometriosis, pelvic inflammatory disease and uterine polyps.
Medication
For extremely heavy bleeding, a physician may prescribe the oral medication Cyklokapron. Side effects of this medication are diarrhea, vomiting, nausea, dizziness and color vision disturbance. Heavy blood loss can result in anemia, so if a physician suspects the woman is suffering from iron-deficient anemia, he may suggest she take iron tablets, prenatal vitamins or multivitamins.
Surgery
One surgical option for women to reduce their bleeding may be to remove any abnormal uterine or ovarian growths that may be causing it, such as ovarian cysts or uterine fibroids. Endometrial ablation is another option for women with heavy prolonged bleeding. This surgery destroys the lining of the uterus through radiofrequency, freezing, a heated balloon, microwave energy or electrosurgery. In serious cases, a doctor may recommend a hysterectomy---complete removal of the uterus.
Hormone Therapy
To treat heavy bleeding due to hormonal imbalances, physicians may prescribe either birth control or Danol. Danol is mainly used in women with endometriosis. This medication works by manipulating hormone production in the brain. Oral contraceptives are used once a day for 21 to 28 days to stop ovulation and correct imbalances in the hormones estrogen and progesterone. The doctor will decide how many packs a woman will need to correct heavy bleeding. Women taking oral contraceptives may experience irregular bleeding for the first few months.
Warnings
Heavy bleeding that soaks more than one pad an hour or that contains blood clots larger than a quarter should be reported to a physician immediately.
