For a lot of women across the globe, going through our monthly periods is such a miserable experience.
Dealing with the usual period symptoms such as cramps only leave you lying up in bed all day. Throughout the experience, you will only start believing that all other symptoms are “normal.”
Well, "abnormal" symptoms during a period also exist and they may be indications that your reproductive system is not performing the “SOP.”
However, as much as women want to live-by the symptoms as much as they can, it is still better to bring up the issues with your doctor when things go out of hand.
Diarrhea and cramps are the most common. They are brought about by the hormone-like compound prostaglandins, which are useful in sloughing-off the uterine lining during menstruation.
The overabundance of prostaglandins may lead the uterus to strongly cramp.
The hormone-like compound may also travel along the bloodstream to surrounding organs that are made up of smooth muscles, causing contraction as well.
The contractions outside the uterus are the exact reason why a number of women experience diarrhea also.
It is also prostaglandins that are the reason why some women feel nauseous during periods.
Heavy menstrual periods may be unpleasant, messy, and may even disrupt your daily routine.
In many cases, they are not always a positive sign of a complex health issue. However, set an appointment with your doctor because he is the best person to suggest treatments to alleviate your period symptoms.
The experience that women go through during their periods vary from one woman to another, and so are the physical characteristics that come with it.
Therefore, when your flow appears to be heavier than many others, probably, there is nothing wrong. However, in some cases, heavy flows are a signal for underlying conditions.
According to Jane Frederick, M.D. a reproductive endocrinologist, a period is abnormally heavy when you fill two or more pads in two hours.
Medically termed as menorrhagia, the heavy flow is often caused by an imbalance in hormones. While the case can be corrected with birth control pills, it may also indicate more serious conditions.
Experiencing a heavy period may be a probable sign of polyps in either the cervix or uterus. The small cervical growths are often caused by infections or extremely high levels of estrogen within the system. Polyps can be removed via a minor surgery.
Heavy periods may also mean endometriosis. It occurs when the growth of uterine tissues happen in the pelvic cavity.
Some other common endometriosis symptoms include severely painful menstrual cramps, lower back pains during menstruation, pain sexual experience, and difficult bowel movements.
While endometriosis is difficult for doctors to diagnose, its identification is vital because it causes infertility.
PID is a reproductive organ infection. If untreated, it may also lead to infertility. Other common signs that you may be suffering from PID are pain in either the lower abdomen or stomach, vomiting, nausea, fever, painful urination, and intercourse.
Different kinds of hormonal imbalances may also lead women to irregular ovulation. Normally, progesterone is released during ovulation to prevent the uterine lining from thickening.
The built-up lining sloughs off during menstruation. One of the most possible causes of hormonal imbalances is PCOS or polycystic ovarian syndrome.
It affects 5-10 percent of the population of women in their childbearing years. When the period is both irregular and heavy with high BMI, set an appointment with an endocrinologist.
During periods of severe cramping, take a NSAID like naproxen or ibuprofen. A NSAID actually works best if you take it two days prior to your expected first day of menstruation.
When your period is irregular, take the first dose as soon as possible. Heavy periods often make women feel weak.
At times, it may even progress to anemia. When this happens, the doctor may recommend an iron supplement, especially when the iron levels are too low.
However, you may prevent anemia if iron is incorporated in the diet. Foods items that are rich in iron are red meat, eggs, shellfish, and beans.
