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Symptom Guide · Heavy Bleeding
Many women think heavy periods are just how their body is, and quietly plan their life around it. But heavy bleeding (doctors call it menorrhagia) is a medical problem with real causes — and almost all of them can be treated.
Short answer
Your period is heavy if you soak a pad or tampon every 1–2 hours, pass clots bigger than a 1-rupee coin, bleed for more than 7 days, or feel tired all the time. The most common causes are fibroids, hormone imbalance, and adenomyosis (when the womb lining grows into the womb wall) — nearly all are treatable.
Medically reviewed by Dr. Madhumita Das Mazumdar, MBBS, MD (OBG)
Reg. No. 10385, Assam Medical Council · Last reviewed
A simple rule: soaking a pad or tampon every 1–2 hours, needing to change protection at night, passing clots bigger than a 1-rupee coin, bleeding for more than 7 days, or periods so bad you cancel work or plans. Feeling worn out is another sign — heavy bleeding often causes low iron (anaemia).
Common causes are fibroids (growths in the womb), hormone imbalance (common around puberty and perimenopause), adenomyosis, polyps, thyroid problems, and some birth control like the copper IUD. An ultrasound and a few blood tests usually find the cause.
Not always, but fibroids are a common cause, especially for women in their 30s and 40s. Fibroids are non-cancerous growths in the womb. Many need no treatment at all. Others can be treated with medicine, or removed with keyhole surgery, depending on their size, location, and your symptoms.
Treatment depends on the cause, your age, and whether you want children later. Options range from simple medicine that reduces bleeding, to hormone treatment, to procedures for fibroids or polyps. You'll often need iron pills too, to fix low iron. The right plan starts with finding the real cause.
Periods often get heavier and less predictable in perimenopause. This is usually just hormones. But new heavy or long bleeding after 40 — and any bleeding after menopause — should be checked. This rules out thickening of the womb lining and other problems. It's a quick check that gives real peace of mind.
At the Clinic
Heavy bleeding is worked up much like irregular periods — history, examination, blood tests and a scan — with one difference in the order things happen.
How many days you bleed for and how much blood you are losing, how long it has been like this, and whether there is pain with it.
Blood pressure, pulse and weight, then a pelvic examination to assess the size of the uterus and ovaries.
Where the blood loss is excessive, Dr. Mazumdar orders the ultrasound immediately rather than starting with medicine, so the cause of the bleeding is identified first.
A complete blood count, thyroid hormone levels and blood sugar levels — the CBC also shows whether the bleeding has left you anaemic.
Finding the cause first is what makes the treatment work. Heavy bleeding from a fibroid is a different problem from heavy bleeding caused by hormones, and they are not treated the same way.
This page is general information, not a diagnosis. Only a consultation and examination can tell you what is causing your symptoms.
Your Doctor
Dr. Madhumita Das Mazumdar — MBBS, MD (Obstetrics & Gynecology), FOGSI member, 30+ years in practice. She runs Aries Obgyn Clinic single-handedly, so every consultation, in clinic or on WhatsApp, is with her — never a junior or an assistant.
30+
Years in practice
MD (OBG)
Qualification
4.9★
Google rating
FOGSI
Member
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Consult Dr. Madhumita Das Mazumdar — MD (OBG), 30+ years of experience — at the clinic in Beltola, Guwahati, or on WhatsApp from anywhere.