If you have abnormally heavy or prolonged bleeding during your menstrual period, you may have what’s called menorrhagia.
Menorrhagia causes such severe cramping and blood loss that you’re unable to participate in your usual activities. When you have such heavy menstrual bleeding, you can become anemic and find it difficult to cope with your period.
Dr. Walid Elkhalili, Dr. Basel Batarseh, and our team at Apex Medical Professionals provide customized treatment plans for women dealing with anemia due to menorrhagia.
We may recommend dietary changes and supplements to increase iron and B12 levels for iron or vitamin deficiency. We also offer infusions of vitamins that may help relieve anemia and its symptoms.
Heavy bleeding means something different to each woman. A healthy period lasts 4-5 days, and blood loss doesn’t exceed 2-3 tablespoons.
If you do, in fact, have menorrhagia, that means your period lasts longer than seven days each month, and your blood loss is twice as much as an average period.
If you need to change your tampon or pad every two hours or less, your period is considered heavy. And if you’re passing blood clots larger than a quarter, you probably have menorrhagia, which can cause anemia.
When your body is lacking in healthy red blood cells, all your organs and tissues don’t get adequate oxygen. That’s why you feel weak and fatigued. There are many different kinds of anemia.
A heavy menstrual flow can cause iron or vitamin deficiency anemia, which ranges from mild to severe and may last a long or short time.
If a heavy flow is causing anemia, you may not notice it at first. Some more serious symptoms include:
Some women have developed good strategies to cope with their heavy bleeding. But when the bleeding becomes too heavy or leads to an iron deficiency, we can order a complete blood test to check your red blood cell count.
With this blood test, we also check for signs of other diseases or deficiencies that might be causing your symptoms.
At Apex Medical Professionals, we can ease symptoms of menorrhagia and anemia. Contact our Fair Lawn, New Jersey, office today to request an appointment.
