Every woman is different, which means the amount of blood lost during a period differs from woman to woman. A large loss of blood can affect women physically and emotionally, and can be a very distressing time.

Heavy periods (or menorrhagia) are hard to define, but if you feel you are using more tampons or sanitary towels than usual, or blood is leaking through to your clothes and bedding, this usually means your period is heavy. Heavy periods can also mean you need to change a pad overnight, you’re passing clots larger than a 50 cent piece, or you bleed for more than 7-8 days.

You should visit your doctor if heavy periods are disrupting your everyday life. Your doctor may want to investigate the possible causes of heavy bleeding to rule out any other health conditions which may be causing it.

Blood is full of iron, which helps red blood cells carry oxygen around the body. Heavy blood loss month after month can lead to a loss of iron resulting in iron deficiency or, if the iron deficiency is prolonged or severe, iron deficiency anaemia (low haemoglobin).

Anaemia symptoms

The most common symptoms of anaemia include:

• tiredness
• shortness of breath
• palpitations (irregular heart beat).

Some people also experience:

• headaches
• altered sense of taste
• ringing in their ears (tinnitus)
• a sore tongue.

If you are concerned about this, you should visit your doctor.

Looking after yourself

Here is some self-care advice for coping with heavy periods:

• Make sure you change your tampon or sanitary towel at regular intervals. The recommended time frame is every four to eight hours for a tampon, and every four to five hours for a sanitary towel.
• You should never leave a tampon in for longer than eight hours. You could try using a higher absorbency tampon and consider using sanitary towels as well.
• You may need to use more tampons or towels on the heavier days of your period. However, if you are changing your towel every one to two hours due to heavy blood loss, you should visit your GP for advice.

Hygiene

Hygiene is very important when changing sanitary products.

Always wash your hands before using a new tampon or sanitary towel, and always wash your hands well afterwards too.

Sleeping

You can sleep with a tampon or sanitary towel in place; but it should be changed immediately before bedtime and first thing in the morning. Keeping a tampon in place for longer than the recommended time frame increases your risk of toxic shock syndrome (TSS). You can get more advice about toxic shock syndrome by visiting healthdirect.

Get some rest

Getting plenty of rest may help ease any discomfort caused by your heavy period.

Drink water

Drink plenty of clear fluid a day (water is best) unless you have an existing medical condition which means this is not possible.

If you are in pain, get advice on medicines you can take.