condition-guides

Menorrhagia (Heavy Periods): Causes, Diagnosis, and What to

Menorrhagia — clinically heavy periods — affects up to 1 in 3 people with periods at some point. Here's how it's defined, its treatable causes, and what cycle

Heavy periods are one of the most commonly undertreated gynecological conditions. The reasons are cultural — period severity is often normalized as "just how it is" — and practical: heavy bleeding has historically been difficult to measure objectively, making the subjective experience easy to dismiss. The clinical reality: menorrhagia has identifiable causes in the majority of cases, and those causes are treatable. "It's just your heavy flow" is not a complete evaluation. How to Define and Measure Heavy Bleeding Clinical definition: Blood loss exceeding 80mL per cycle, or bleeding lasting more than 7 days with functional impairment (missing work, restricting activities). The measurement problem: Most people can't measure 80mL directly. Here are practical proxies: Volume indicators suggesting menorrhagia: Soaking a full size pad or regular tampon completely in under an hour — for 2 or more consecutive hours Filling a 30mL menstrual cup more than twice in a day on your heaviest days Passing clots larger than a quarter (25mm) — large clots indicate blood pooling faster than it can clot normally Needing to double up (pad + tampon simultaneously) Bleeding through clothing or bedding Wak