Periods: The heavy curse

Why things get heavy

For many women there’s no obvious cause but a number of contributing factors:

• A change in hormonal balance: ‘For some women it can be explained by months when they don’t ovulate,’ says Prentice. ‘They don’t produce normal levels of progesterone, which changes the lining of the womb. They have irregular heavy periods.’
• Stress and upset can unsettle your hormone balance and cause a temporary change in your menstrual blood flow. This is particularly true amongst teenage girls who have immature pituitary and ovary glands.
• A hormonal imbalance can also be caused by problems in the ovary, thyroid and adrenal glands.

Polyps may have formed in the lining of the womb. Or there may be fibroids (benign lumps), which produce symptoms in at least 20% of premenopausal women.

Endometriosis - a disease where the lining of the womb grows outside of the cavity of the uterus.

Pelvic infection which in the long term affects periods in the same way as endometriosis. Intrauterine Contraceptive Devices (IUCDs): Having a coil fitted changes the environment of the uterus and may make periods heavier. In most cases the blood flow eventually returns to normal.

Dysfunctional uterine bleeding

If there are no hormonal imbalances or structural reasons for the blood loss, dysfunctional uterine bleeding may be diagnosed, often referred to as DUB. The probable cause lies within the womb lining, due to the production of abnormal amounts of the chemicals that control blood loss are produced.