Every day, women all over America deal with their once-a-month menstrual period. For some women, the flow of blood can become very heavy and is referred to as menorrhagia. According to the website Women to Women, menorrhagia is defined as a period that soaks a pad or tampon every hour for several hours or a period that lasts for a week and a half or more. For many women, this excessive bleeding can become very disruptive to their daily routine. Vitamin K and the food sources it is found in can provide relief and reduce the bleeding; however, discuss any dietary changes with your physician.
Vitamin K
Vitamin K is a fat-soluble vitamin known as the clotting vitamin. Without vitamin K, your blood would not be able to clot. Vitamin K can be found in various food sources such as green leafy vegetables, broccoli, cabbage and certain meats. The Institute of Medicine's Food and Nutrition Board recommends that an adult woman have a daily dietary allowance of 90mcg per day; however, there are some precautions to think about with vitamin K. If you take blood thinners like Coumadin, your intake of vitamin K will need to be monitored to make sure your medication works as prescribed.
Menstrual Periods
Your menstrual cycle, or period, begins when you reach puberty and your body begins to ovulate. The period, or flow of blood, occurs when the non-fertilized egg travels down the Fallopian tube and the endometrium, or the lining of the uterus, is shed. The average menstrual cycle lasts 28 days and the period, or bleeding cycle, usually lasts around six days. While 28 days is the norm, many women's menstrual cycles vary and can be as short as 23 days or as long as 35. If your cycle varies outside of that range, consult with your physician.
Vitamin K and Periods
When you experience a heavy period, or menorrhagia, it can become a disruption to normal daily routines and many women will look for a possible way to lessen the flow. While there are different reasons for excessive or heavy flow such as diet, lifestyle, hormones or stress, other more complicated reasons can be fibroids, an IUD, uterine or cervical cancer, ectopic pregnancy, a thyroid problem or pelvic inflammatory disease. If these have been ruled out, a physician will sometimes test for a vitamin K deficiency. If deficiency is the cause, changing diet or adding vitamin K supplements can reduce the heavy flow.
Precautions
Before increasing your vitamin K intake in hopes of reducing your heavy period, consult with your physician and make sure all other causes have been ruled out. If a vitamin K deficiency is to blame for the heavy flow, your doctor can advise you on the addition of dietary changes and possible supplements that can treat the deficiency and reduce the bleeding. If you take medications like Coumadin for blood thinning, increasing your vitamin K levels through dietary supplements can result in your medication not achieving the desired results. Consult with your physician regarding any medications you may be taking.
