Go With The Flow: What Your Period Symptoms Mean

 woman who is adjusted to her cycle will probably notice her periods lasting between three and seven days. During those regular cycles, it’s normal to see one or two days of a heavier flow, and then see it tapering off toward the end. Light flows and heavy flows are subjective to every woman, so it’s important that you are in tune with what is normal for your cycle. Heavier periods may not be cause for concern, but period problems can interfere with daily activities and can lead to anemia and fatigue. Let’s break down the flow.

Light flow: 

For most women, a light flow comes toward the end of her period. There will be very little blood in your sanitary products, and you won’t have to change them as often.Depending on age and weight, some women have lighter periods in general. They won’t need to change the pad or tampon every four hours, but should still change them to keep clean and ward off infections. The usual amount of blood loss during a normal period is 10 to 35 milliliters. A normal-sized tampon or pad will hold about 5 milliliters of blood. It is important to know that the range of blood loss during a cycle can vary greatly; what’s normal for one woman might not be normal for another!

Heavy flow: This type of bleeding usually soaks through one or more sanitary products every hour for several hours. During the entire period cycle, a woman with a heavier flow could bleed out about 80 milliliters, and her period can last for longer than nine days. The medical term for this type of heavy bleeding is menorrhagia. During early teenage years and pre menopause, women tend to have higher estrogen levels which influence this heavy bleeding. About one in every five women deal with menorrhagia. Estrogen makes the uterine lining thicker and more likely to shed. Your body relies on a balance between progesterone and estrogen; too much of one can increase how much you bleed and how many clots you see in the menstrual blood. (via WebMD)

Calculate your flow: The easiest way to know if your bleeding is on the heavier side is to keep track of have many sanitary products you go through. During your period, if you find that you’ve soaked more than 12 regular sized sanitary products, it can be said that you were experiencing a heavy flow. Keeping a record each day throughout your cycle will allow you to see when your flow is fluctuating abnormally. If it ever gets to the point where you feel dizzy when you stand up or notice excessive clots larger than a quarter, it might be time totalk with your doctor. Again, it might not be cause for concern, but better safe than sorry!

Manage your symptoms: Excess bleeding in the case of menorrhagia can be worrisome, but is more likely to be annoyingly inconvenient. Cramps so painful that it is nearly impossible to focus on anything else, worrying about blood soaking through your sanitary products, and all-around havoc imposed on your life. To take back control you must prepare for your period. Ask your doctor about taking ibuprofen a day or two before your period starts. Use ice packs on your abdomen when bleeding is especially heavy. Supplement your body with iron because iron strengthens blood vessels and can help reduce menstrual bleeding. Check out this article by Livestrong about foods that are bad for menstrual cramps.