Abnormal Periods? What Your Menstrual Flow Says About Your Health

Maybe you’ve compared notes with some of your friends, and you’ve noticed that you have heavy bleeding from periods, compared to your friends who only experience light spotting.

Are you concerned that your period is not normal? Perhaps you’re wondering: “What is an abnormal period?”

The truth is, your period holds the key to your gynecological health, and understanding what constitutes an abnormal period enables you to accurately evaluate your menstrual health.

“It’s important that you are familiar with your own period, including the regularity of your cycle as well as the color of your blood, in order for us to help you safeguard your reproductive health,” said Dr. Ann Miller.

Too many women accept that troublesome periods are “just the way things are” or they try to “tough it out.” We want you to know that there is relief. We also want to emphasize that your periods provide important diagnostic information, and if you have difficult periods, we encourage you to schedule an appointment so we can safeguard your wellness. 

In this article, we’ll talk about reasons why your period may be abnormal, as well as some solutions for painful periods.

Your Period: What Are Abnormal Periods?

A girl’s first period can start as early as 9 years old or as late as 16 years old. It’s not unusual for these periods to be irregular for the first 3 years.

How Long Does a Period Last?

A typical period comes every 24 to 38 days. It can last up to 8 days.

Perimenopause is another point in life when the time between periods may be irregular. Perimenopause typically begins in the late 40s; it is the time immediately before periods stop altogether.

Your Period: When Bleeding is Not Normal

If you are bleeding between periods or after sex, schedule an appointment with us so we can determine the cause.

Obviously, any signs of bleeding while you are pregnant should be taken very seriously—schedule an appointment with us immediately.

What Do the Different Colors of Menstrual Blood Mean?

There’s usually some variation in the color of blood leaving your body, and for the most part, this shouldn’t cause any alarm.

Black or Brown Blood

Black or brown blood indicates that it’s taken this blood more time to leave the body. It’s not unusual to have brown blood at the end or even the beginning of your period. It generally indicates a slow flow.

If you’ve had a baby, you may experience brown blood the first four to six weeks after delivery. This is called lochia. It may start heavy and later change to a pinkish color.

Pink Blood

This frequently occurs if the blood from your period mixes with cervical fluid. It’s most likely seen at the beginning or end of the period.

Bright Red Blood

This indicates a heavy flow of fresh blood, and there may be various shades and variations of the color as your period progresses.

Gray Discharge

If you’re experiencing gray discharge, please contact us as this can be a sign of a vaginal infection.

What Is Considered an Abnormally Heavy Period?

Granted, some women have heavier periods than others, but there are still some important health indicators you should watch for.

Your flow is too heavy if you bleed through one or more pads or tampons every one to two hours.

Your period should never be so heavy that it interferes with your ability to do daily activities. Many women with menorrhagia, the medical term for abnormally heavy periods, may actually feel lightheaded or dizzy.

Other indicators of menorrhagia include:

• Feeling tired or faint—these could be signs of anemia
• Periods that last longer than eight days
• Passing menstrual blood clots larger than 50 cent pieces
• Having difficulty breathing during or after your period

What Causes Heavy, Abnormal Periods?

Menorrhagia may be caused by:

• Hormone imbalances
• Polycystic ovary syndrome
• Uterine fibroids
• Polyps
• Uterine Cancer
• Certain Medications
• IUDs

Another possible cause is adenomyosis. In this condition, endometrial glands are embedded in your uterine muscle. This can cause excessive bleeding and very painful periods.

What Causes Irregular Periods?

Irregular or abnormal periods are very common, and if you have them, you should keep a record of when it occurs, along with details about the flow. This helps us during your appointment, as it will enable us to find the underlying cause.

Causes can include:

• Polyps
• Fibroids
• Cysts
• Some antidepressants
• IUDs
• Cancer
• Hormone imbalances
• Pregnancy
• Weight changes (from surgery, change in diet or exercise, or hormonal)

In addition, you may be surprised to learn that stress is often a cause of irregular or even skipped periods. 

However, if you are skipping periods and are not pregnant you should schedule an appointment with us.

Why Is My Period So Painful? Reasons and Solutions

How to Get Rid of Period Cramps

The medical term for painful periods is dysmenorrhea, and for millions of women, it turns their life upside down for several days every month.

For many, it’s an annoying inconvenience. For others, the pain develops to a point where it makes day-to-day life difficult at best. It’s more often found in women who have heavy periods.

“While periods are often uncomfortable, the pain should be manageable,” said Dr. Anne Martinelli. “If you are having menstrual cramps that are extremely painful despite taking over-the-counter medication, you should speak with us. Often, extreme menstrual pain is the result of some other complication, and it’s important that we evaluate your individual situation to find a solution.”

Primary and Secondary Dysmenorrhea

There are two types of dysmenorrhea: primary and secondary.

• Primary dysmenorrhea means that there is no underlying cause of menstrual pain outside of the normal uterine contractions.
• Secondary dysmenorrhea means that the pain is caused by another condition, such as endometriosis.

The Best Ways to Ease Painful Periods

For many women, some helpful home care techniques are all that is needed to ease cramping. You may find relief in:

• Taking over-the-counter pain medications such as Motrin.
• Holding a hot water bottle over your abdomen
• Taking a hot bath
• Avoiding alcohol (alcohol can make cramps worse)
• Finding ways to reduce stress
• Exercising
• Taking hormonal medications such as birth control pills

Some patients get relief via therapies like acupuncture or herbal remedies. Many of these treatments are incompletely understood, and so we use caution when considering them as part of a treatment plan.

If you do decide to take herbal remedies or participate in alternative medicine, please let us know.

We respect your right to make decisions about your health care, and it is important that we know what supplements you are taking because it is possible that these could interact with other medications you may be taking.

When period pain goes beyond these treatments, we consider the pain excessive.

What Can Cause Excessively Painful Periods?

If you have cramps that interfere with your ability to function, it’s extremely important that you speak to us. This can be a sign of an underlying cause of a disease or other condition.

Some of the conditions that cause extremely painful periods include:

Endometriosis

This occurs when your uterine lining grows outside the uterus. In these cases, the lining is most frequently found on the fallopian tubes or ovaries. However, in some cases, the lining may also grow on your bladder or other pelvic tissues.

This can lead to adhesions. As a result, your organs stick together, causing pain.

There are several non-surgical treatments available for endometriosis, and these can include:

• Contraceptives such as vaginal rings or birth control pills.
• Gonadotropin-releasing hormones (Gn-RH) – these lower your estrogen level and as a result, endometrial tissue shrinks. However, this is often taken along with a low dose of estrogen to avoid menopause-like side effects that may result from using Gn-RH
• Progestin therapy
• Aromatase inhibitors– these reduce your estrogen levels

Uterine Fibroids

These tumors affect between 20 to 80 percent of women, and they can be one of the causes of infertility. These growths are found in the walls of the uterus and they are almost always benign.

Adenomyosis

In this condition, your uterine tissue grows into the uterine walls.

Pelvic Inflammatory Disease

This infection is caused by sexually transmitted bacteria.

Sometimes, it may not produce any symptoms, but other times it may cause pelvic pain and abnormal bleeding, particularly after sex.

Cervical Stenosis

This occurs when the cervical opening is so small that it blocks menstrual flow. The increased pressure inside the uterus causes excessive pain.

We Offer Care and Treatment for Painful and Heavy Periods

Your menstrual cycle is an indicator of your overall reproductive health.

If you have heavy periods, irregular bleeding or other problems, we want to know. We encourage you to speak with us about your periods so we can help you find relief. Contact us for more information.

We’ve covered a lot of physical symptoms that can cause excessive period pain, but what about conditions like PMS or PMDD? These can make periods equally difficult. 

Do you know the difference between PMS and PMDD? We’ll explore these facets, causes and what treatments are available.

PMS and PMDD

PMS can complicate matters, making your period even more miserable. However, some women actually have PMDD, which stands for premenstrual dysphoric disorder. This is much more severe than PMS, and can dramatically affect quality of life.

We’ll take a look at the causes of painful periods, how to relieve them, and some useful information on PMS vs. PMDD and how you can tell the difference.

What’s the Difference Between PMS and PMDD?

Almost all women are familiar with the symptoms of PMS, which causes cramps, bloating and tender breasts. However, an estimated 3% to 5% percent of menstruating women have PMDD (premenstrual dysphoric disorder). Those with a family history of disorders such as depression and postpartum depression are at a greater risk.

What is Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder (PMDD)?

This is an often-debilitating condition that you could think of as an extreme case of PMS. While there are several similarities between PMS and PMDD, there are some dramatic differences, and understanding these differences is the key to receiving effective, timely treatment.

PMDD includes emotional symptoms such as:

• Extreme anxiety
• Hopelessness
• Extensive moodiness
• Marked sadness
• Irritability
• Anger

PMDD involves having at least one of the above in addition to the symptoms of PMS. 

“Some women may think that they are just having a really bad case of PMS when there are actually more extensive underlying causes. We’ve successfully treated patients for PMDD, and it’s important for women to realize they do have options, and they do not have to endure the discomfort and anxiety of this condition.” – Dr. Joshua Hardison

What is the Difference Between PMS and PMDD?

The main difference between PMS and PMDD is that PMDD involves much more extreme symptoms which can include extensive mood swings, hopelessness and even serious depression. 

Women with PMDD not only have extreme versions of PMS symptoms, but they also demonstrate extensive behavioral and emotional issues that make it difficult for them to function in day-to-day life.

What Causes PMDD?

It’s not clear what the exact cause of PMDD is, but researchers believe that the hormonal changes involved in menstruation may contribute to the symptoms of mood disorders. In some people, these hormone changes can cause a deficiency in serotonin, a substance found in the brain that affects mood. 

In addition, PMDD tends to run in families, so there may be a genetic component.

How Can I Tell If I Have PMS or PMDD?

Ask yourself the following questions:

• Is my period so bad that it interferes with my daily life?
• Do I have depression severe enough that it makes it difficult to accomplish everyday tasks?
• Am I more argumentative than usual?
• Am I so irritable that it causes extensive conflict with my friends, family or partner?
• Do these symptoms tend to get worse when I consume alcohol or caffeine?

If you answered yes to any of these, it’s important for you to schedule an appointment to speak with us so we can help you find answers and provide the quality treatment you need.

How is PMDD Treated?

Before we diagnose you with PMDD, it’s important to make sure these symptoms are caused by the hormonal fluctuations of the period and not by an underlying condition such as depression. We’ll also evaluate you to ensure that your symptoms aren’t caused by other issues such as fibroids or endometriosis.

If you’re diagnosed with PMDD, there are several treatment options, including:

• Regulating emotional symptoms with antidepressants. A class of antidepressants called selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) can be particularly effective in treating PMDD symptoms. Examples of SSRIs include Zoloft and Prozac.
• Taking birth control pills
• Limiting caffeine
• Avoiding alcohol
• Participating in stress management techniques
• Getting regular exercise
• Practicing meditation and yoga

While herbal remedies may help, we want to provide a word of caution: Herbal remedies are not regulated by the FDA. In addition, they may interact with other medicines you’re already taking. Before you start any herbal remedy, please speak with us.

PMDD Can Dramatically Affect Your Quality of Life

PMDD may be more common than you realize. The good news is we can help you. We’ve served thousands of patients of all ages and at all stages of their lives, helping them find solutions carefully tailored to fit their health care needs. Contact us today to schedule an appointment.

You Don’t Have to Deal with Menstruation Problems or Abnormal Periods

In many cases, treating menstrual problems is very straightforward. You should not have to consistently deal with flow that is so heavy it interrupts your day-to-day life, or cramps so bad that you’re unable to work.

If you’re seeing us for menstruation problems, it helps to keep track of your period, how long it lasts, and the type of flow you have. This will help us treat you and create an individual treatment plan tailored for you.

Our health care team has decades of experience helping women throughout Raleigh, Chapel Hill and the Triangle area. See why we were chosen as one of the INDY! Picks for Best Practice in the Triangle.

Usually, we can easily schedule an appointment for you within a week or two weeks. Contact us. We welcome the opportunity to serve you.

 

For more than 40 years, Chapel Hill OBGYN has served patients in the Triangle area, sharing the joy of little miracles and supporting them during challenges. Our board-certified physicians and certified nurse midwives bring together the personal experience and convenience of a private practice with the state-of-the-art resources found at larger organizations. To schedule an appointment, please contact us for more information.