• Blood flow during periods requires frequent change of sanitary pad – one every hour for a number of hours together.
• Requiring change of pad in the night
• Use of two sanitary pads at a time to manage blood flow
• Inability to carry on with routine activities
• Anaemia, tiredness and breathlessness
• Blood clots during periods are bigger than usual

• Hormonal imbalance due to various conditions like PCOS, thyroid dysfunction, obesity, etc.
• Non-production of eggs by ovaries
• Fibroids/polyps in uterus walls
• Birth control devices like IUD
• Uterine/cervical cancer
• Other problems with endometrium like adenomyosis

• The heavy bleeding may be accompanied by painful cramps in the abdomen
• Patients may become anaemic due to loss of blood

• Detailed medical history of periods
• Blood tests
• Pap smear
• Biopsy of endometrium
• Ultrasound of abdomen
• Hysteroscopy

Initially the doctor will treat the condition with medicines – NSAIDs, birth control pills, etc. The medicine will depend on the patient’s unique condition.

Surgical procedures include:

• laparoscopic myomectomy
• Endometrial Ablation (using LASERs on the endometrium)
• Endometrial Resection (instead of LASER, an electrosurgical wire loop is used to remove the endometrium)
• Hysterectomy – removal of uterus and cervix

Menorrhagia can be prevented by eating healthy food – especially food rich in iron and vitamins. Regular exercise also goes a long way toward prevention.