My menstrual cycle is quite heavy. What does this mean?
The menstrual cycle is not the same for every woman. On average, menstrual flow occurs every 28-32 days and lasts about 4 days. Even if there are some variations of timing and duration, your period can still be considered normal.
Some areas of concern that we often address are:
- Very heavy periods where a sanitary pad or tampon is saturated every hour for 2-3 consecutive hours
- Prolonged periods lasting longer than 7-10 days
- Bleeding between periods
- Postmenopausal periods
If you feel you fit into the abnormal cycle category – you should see your gynecologist. There are many factors involved in determining an irregular period including your medical history, a physical exam and laboratory testing.
For more information, see this Mayo Clinic article or read Dr. Deeley’s Endometrial Ablation article.