Reasons for Heavy Menstrual Bleeding

Heavy menstrual periods not only take a toll on your physical health, but can disrupt your life. When a woman is bleeding excessively, this is called menorrhagia. There are numerous factors and conditions that can cause a woman to bleed too much. According to Healthywomen.org, one in five women suffer from excessive menstrual bleeding.

Medications

• The Mayo Clinic advises that certain medications and result in excess bleeding including anti-coagulants that prevent blood clots and anti-inflammatory medicines. Not only can these medications result in heavy bleeding but they can also prolong your bleeding. If you are improperly taking hormone medication, this can also result in menorrhagia.

Hormones

• If a woman's hormones are out of sync, this can cause extreme bleeding. Women who are peri-menopausal frequently face this problem. When the hormones are working as they should be, estrogen and progesterone are in balance and the lining of the endometrium (the uterus) sheds as it is supposed to, resulting in a normal menstrual period. If the hormones are out of kilter, the endometrium develops excessively and heavy menstrual bleeding results.

Polyps, Coagulation Disorder

• Polyps can result due to heavy bleeding. Polyps are benign growths that are attached to the uterine wall lining. Polyps, which are small, are usually the result of high hormone levels.

  A condition called von Willebrand's disease can cause heavy bleeding. When a person has this condition, her blood's ability to clot is impaired. This is a blood coagulation disorder and is inherited or genetic.

Anovulation, Fibroids

• When a woman fails to ovulate, this is called anovulation. You can have a menstrual period but not ovulate. When this happens, the hormones may become unbalanced, resulting in excess bleeding.

  Uterine fibroids are tumors that are benign (non-cancerous). These usually crop up during a woman's child-bearing uses. Fibroids can cause prolonged and heavy bleeding.

IUD, Adenomyosis

• One of the frequently documented side effects of using a non-hormonal IUD (intrauterine device) as a mean of birth control if menorrhagia, according to the Mayo Clinic. If you believe an IUD is the cause your excess bleeding perhaps you should switch to a different form of birth control.

  Middle-aged women who have had a lot of children may develop a condition called adenomyosis. When this happens, the endometrium glands get embedded in the uterine muscle. This can cause pain and heavy bleeding.

Pregnancy, Cancer

• You may not even realize it until after the fact but you could be a few weeks pregnant and then miscarry, which will result in heavy bleeding. An ectopic pregnancy, where the fertilized egg is implanted in the fallopian tubes instead of in the uterus, can also cause extreme bleeding.

  Ovarian cancer, cervical cancer and uterine cancer can cause a woman to bleed heavily.

Symptoms

• Symptoms of extreme menstrual bleeding include periods that last longer than seven days or that arrive less than three weeks apart; severe cramping; fatigue; saturating a pad or tampon in less than an hour for several hours in succession; wearing a pad and a tampon; heavy clots and shortness of breath, which is a sign of anemia (iron-poor blood that is caused by excessive bleeding), according to Healthywomen.org.