Period Got You Down?

First off I know this may TMI (too much information) or a sensitive topic, but did you know that millions of women deal with the challenges of heavy periods, also know as menorrhagia?  I know my period used to be so bad that I was put on birth control pills to regulate and control it, which back then helped – that was my only option then.  Nowadays women can talk with their doctors about other treatment options as they learn to understand the condition and its impact on women’s bodies.  A monthly period shouldn’t interfere with everyday life but yet millions of women suffer.

Some statistics to think about:

• Nearly 40% of women actually say they feel trapped between experiencing heavy periods and settling for treatment options that are what they want.
• 92% of women say the condition frustrates them and 68$ of them say their periods control them.
• Half of women with heavy periods change their tampons or pads 7-9 times a day and 76% have to wake up 1-3 times a night to change it.
• 78% of women said they have to replace soiled clothing or bedding due to heavy bleeding.
• 18% have actually had to miss work due to heavy periods.

Some ways to treat heavy periods:

• Place an ice pack on your abdomen for 20 minutes at a time when bleeding is especially heavy.
• Take vitamin C supplements to help your body absorb iron and possibly strengthen blood vessels.
• Take an Iron supplement since some research shows low iron can increase bleeding.

Since no two periods are created equal it is definitely easy to feel like you are alone with your problems “down there” but your not.  You shouldn’t suffer through a period and miss out on daily activities because of something that a health care professional may help you work through.  I know for me I never new how much heavy, normal or light was as far as periods go but a heavy period can be the result of uterus conditions, hormonal imbalance, cervical or vaginal cancer, kidney/liver/thyroid conditions or medicines – so when in doubt definitely talk to a doctor about your concerns before it is too late.

VISIT:  Check out Healthy Women to check out great resources and articles on everything from conditions & treatments to healthy living and pregnancy.  It is a website for women of all ages and has so much great information on it!

Mom and More Disclosure:  I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour campaign by Mom Central Consulting on behalf of Ferring Pharmaceuticals and received a promotional item to facilitate my review.