TMI TOTM question ladies only

[pinkmint]

Soo...

 

How do you know how much bleeding is normal?

 

I know Aunt Flo is just a part of life for most of us and some have it worse than others but I've had some cycles lately where it's kind of hard to believe this amount of gushing and clots is normal. How do you ever know though?

 

Have you ever had heavy flow turn out to be something not normal?

Edited November 11, 2016 by pinkmint

[JumpyTheFrog]

Menstrual cups make it easy to measure. Then you can google the total normal amount.

[Guest]

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Edited September 10, 2020 by Æthelthryth the Texan

[ILiveInFlipFlops]

How old are you? I did find that my periods changed over time through my 30s, and the changes kind of went in phases.

 

However, if it's really unusual for you, I do recommend seeing a doctor if you can. I'm 42 now, and I've been having wonkiness (skipped periods, spotting, VERY heavy periods, short and long cycles) for awhile, and I'm very resistant to going to the doctor, so I chalked it up to age. But between the irregularity and the change in flow, I finally decided it was time. It turns out my thyroid numbers are off, and unusual cycles can be a result of this as well as other things (some benign and easily fixed, some less so). 

 

 

Edited November 11, 2016 by ILiveInFlipFlops

[zoobie]

I had a horrible day the month before I found out I was pregnant with my last child. I thought I was having a miscarriage and actually called my OB/GYN emergency line. She laughed and said there was no way I could be pregnant and to take it easy, take some Advil, and call if XYZ. Then the next month when I finally took a test and the ultrasound showed I was 10 weeks pregnant, she said it could have been a subchorionic bleed or a miscarried twin.

[prairiewindmomma]

If you soak more than one super absorbent pad an hour, I was told to call in.

 

Typically, they will run a CBC to check for anemia, run hormone tests to check for signs of menopause, check your thyroid, do an ultrasound to check for pregnancy/ fibroids, and go from there.

 

 

[SparklyUnicorn]

Mine are crazy bad.  It never turned out to be anything.  But I have no clue what is normal either.  Nobody talks about these sorts of things.  I've been told all of the above and told if I have clots over a certain size to call or go to the ER.  I've done so and nothing ever came of it.  So I don't bother calling or going to the doctor anymore for it. 

 

There are procedures they can do to lighten it.  I just haven't bothered and it is possible I'm nearing menopause so I probably won't get to it.

 

I've read sometimes it's from fibroids (common) which are generally harmless and they usually don't do anything about them unless they get huge. 

 

 

[HeWillSoar]

Yes, I had heavy bleeding and periods every 20 days along with low iron stores.   I thought it might be the beginnings of menopause but they found a polyp and suspect adenomyosis. 

[trulycrabby]

Yes, it is possible to bleed too much. Here's my gynecologist's recipe for heavy bleeding:

 

800 mg ibuprofen every eight hours starting three days before period is due

 

Iron supplement: Floridex liquid iron

 

I also had provera for when the bleeding was very bad; your doc might prescribe it or birth control pills. I had fewer side effects from provera than bc pills.

 

If the doc cannot get it under control, then she will likely do an endometrial biopsy or hysteroscopy/d&c to see what's going on.

 

This condition is very common in perimenopause and is usually caused by estrogen dominance.

[Slache]

I had a horrible day the month before I found out I was pregnant with my last child. I thought I was having a miscarriage and actually called my OB/GYN emergency line. She laughed and said there was no way I could be pregnant and to take it easy, take some Advil, and call if XYZ. Then the next month when I finally took a test and the ultrasound showed I was 10 weeks pregnant, she said it could have been a subchorionic bleed or a miscarried twin.

Feel free to not answer but why was there no way you could be pregnant?

[zoobie]

Feel free to not answer but why was there no way you could be pregnant?

Complications during my third c-section. She was the surgeon. Lots of scar tissue and fusing things to places they shouldn't be. It appeared that only one tube had been viable, and it had to be removed during the surgery. Not some type of alien conception or anything. ;)

[ILiveInFlipFlops]

Complications during my third c-section. She was the surgeon. Lots of scar tissue and fusing things to places they shouldn't be. It appeared that only one tube had been viable, and it had to be removed during the surgery. Not some type of alien conception or anything. ;)

 

I guess the joke was on her! I bet all of that made your last pregnancy very interesting  :grouphug:

Edited November 11, 2016 by ILiveInFlipFlops