From fibroids to cervical cancer… what it means if your periods won’t stop
EVERYONE'S period is different.
Some of us produce a thimble's worth of blood and that's it for another month, while others are heavier and seem to last forever.
We all have different experiences of flows and cycle lengths, cravings and cramp intensities.
When it comes to working out what a normal period looks and feels like, it's a bit like asking how long is a length of string.
But what about the length of your actual bleeding window?
The says that while the length of a cycle varies from woman to woman, the average is around 28 days - although anything from 21 to 40 days is normal.
"The menstrual cycle is the time from the first day of a woman's period to the day before her next period," says Toni Belfield, a specialist in sexual health information, and a trained fertility awareness teacher.
"Periods last around two to seven days, and women lose about three to five tablespoons of blood in a period."
“There’s no single likely cause for lengthy periods and every woman’s menstrual cycle is different, Dr Vanessa MacKay, Consultant Gynaecologist and Spokesperson for the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists told The Sun.
“If a woman has a heavy period and/or her periods lasts longer than seven days, she should speak to her healthcare professional. There might not be anything wrong, but it is worth seeking guidance from a healthcare professional to see what the cause might be.”
If your period regularly lasts over a week...
You could have anaemia - an iron deficiency.
That could be particularly the case if you also find yourself struggling with dizziness, chest pain or shortness of breath.
“Heavy periods are often a cause of iron-deficiency anaemia so it’s likely that if a woman is anaemic, she is likely to experience heavier and potentially longer periods," said Dr MacKay.
It's easily rectified but it's definitely worth going to your GP who can run some blood tests to confirm the fact and rule out anything more sinister.
Pregnancy may also cause abnormally long stints of bleeding. Although a lack of period tends to be the telltale sign that we're pregnant, that's not always the case.
If your period doesn't stop...
Dr Kristyn Brandi, an OB/GYN at Rutgers University New Jersey Medical School told Refinery29 that overlong period can be "a sign of a miscarriage where the pregnancy was never diagnosed".
Up to 20 per cent of known-about pregnancies end in miscarriage, but Dr Brandi says the overall figure is much higher.
"The actual number is likely higher because many miscarriages occur so early in pregnancy that a woman doesn't realise she's pregnant."
Extra-long period could also be a sign of a blood disorder like hemophilia or Von Willebrand disease (these are pretty rare). Because they're genetic, you'll probably already know if you've got them but it's always worth being tested anyway.
If your period suddenly becomes a lot heavier...
As with everything health-related, it'sd all about what's normal for you.
If you find that suddenly your period become way heavier than usual, that could be caused by a number of things.
Most of the time, it'll be down to things like fibroids - non-cancerous growths that develop in or around the womb, which can be treated with medication.
Polyps and fibroids sound scary, but they're pretty common—up to 80 percent of women will have at least one before they're 50.
But suddenly heavy periods can also be a sign of conditions like adenomyosis, cervical cancer and kidney disease.
If your period suddenly comes longer...
Certain contraceptives like the IUD and injection can make your periods longer and heavier in the first few months.
The morning after pill can also make your first period last a little longer than usual.
Your first period after having an abortion may also be longer.
But in many cases, no underlying issue is to blame.
Dr Mackay pointed out: "In about half of women with heavy menstrual bleeding, no underlying reason is found. But there are several conditions that can cause heavy menstrual bleeding.
"These include conditions like fibroids, endometriosis, pelvic inflammatory disease, polyps, cancer of the womb and polycystic ovary syndrome. Heavy bleeding can also be as a result of blood clotting disorders, an underactive thyroid gland and diabetes and use of the IUD (the coil)."
Although heavy periods can be normal, the NHS advises women to seek help if they're so heavy that they start to impact on your life.
Your GP can get blood tests and scans to see why you're bleeding so much, and they can offer a number of treatments to control the cycle - such as the contraceptive pill.
If your period is shorter than usual...
The general rule of thumb is to seek medical advice if there are any dramatic changes to your cycle.
But periods can change over the course of our fertile lives.
Dr Mackay said: "For example, a woman will have irregular and shorter periods as she approaches the menopause.
";If a woman has had a shorter period that is significantly different to what is normal for her, she should speak to her healthcare professional.”
MORE ON WOMEN'S HEALTH
It's a good idea to keep a track of your period so that you have a record of how long your cycles have been, how long your bleeding lasts for and how heavy it's been.
That way, you'll be able to see easily if there have been any changes to your cycle and you'll be able to present you GP with the full array of info they may need to make a diagnosis.
And if you're approaching the menopause, remember that your cycle could become increasingly random - longer or shorter, heavier or lighter.
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