Heavy Menstrual Bleeding: When is it Too Much?

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All menstrual periods contain blood, along with uterine lining, mucus and other tissues that are shed from the uterus when a pregnancy doesn't occur.  As women, we often just normalize whatever we see when we change pads or tampons, but how do you really know if what you're losing constitutes "normal" or "emergency"?  

Here are some things to watch for to know if your flow is too heavy:

• You are soaking through your pad and/or tampon within 30-60 minutes. This is even worse if you're wearing the Super Plus absorbency.
• The blood is bright red and quite watery - this can indicate that it's direct from an artery in your uterus, and is often caused by a leaking fibroid.
• You cannot wear a pad without a tampon and vice versa. Too much flow otherwise.
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• Sheets and PJs are stained when you wake up in the morning, even while wearing double protection.
• You've used an adult diaper at least once in your life, due to your flow.
• It's difficult to use a menstrual cup because there's just too much blood flow. 
• The toilet paper is soaked red with blood just from having a quick pee, and the toilet water is red, brown or orange with blood. 
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• And most importantly: You've had to go to the ER because of these symptoms:  Dizziness, chest pains, shortness of breath, shaking/feeling chills, blurred vision, confusion, lightheadedness and/or headache. 

The above has happened to me, and sadly many women bleed much too heavily (a condition called Menorrhagia) which can lead to serious health concerns - most commonly, anemia (low iron in the blood which reeks havoc on the health).  This can be caused by a number of factors, most commonly either endometriosis or fibroids.  No matter the cause, you will require medical intervention and cannot leave heavy bleeding untreated!