Menstruation is uncomfortable for many women, but if you have it very strong, it can have a negative impact on your lifestyle, your love life, and your wallet. The good news is that heavy menstruation can usually be alleviated through dietary changes, regular exercise, and hormonal contraception. If none of this helps you, see a doctor who will find out if your severe period is caused by an illness that needs to be treated. If you want to find out how to have a weaker period, you will learn in this article.
Relieving menstruation through exercise and dietary changes
Avoid white flour, sugar and processed foods. These foods appear to worsen the symptoms of PMS and cause severe and painful menstruation. It is not proven that if you avoid sugar and carbohydrates, you will have shorter and weaker periods, but you will definitely get rid of the feeling of bloating and cramps. Many women claim that when they care about healthy eating, they tend to have a weaker period. You will probably like ice cream or potato chips during your period, but if you avoid them, your period will be much less unpleasant.
White bread, pasta, crackers, pretzels, fries, biscuits, cakes and other pastries and sweets are foods you should avoid. Give them fruit instead and use natural sweeteners such as agave or honey.
If you avoid these foods for a whole month, you will have a weaker and less painful period. If you think you can’t do your PMS without chocolate ice cream, you should eat healthy for at least the remaining weeks before menstruation.
Try the Mediterranean food. Some women have found that when they eat more fruits and vegetables, fish, lean meats and whole grains, their periods decrease. The Mediterranean diet contains small amounts of salt, saturated fats and processed carbohydrates, which are substances that retain water in the body and cause it to swell, so it can also help alleviate the symptoms of PMS.
Eat mainly fruits and vegetables, beans and other legumes, olive oil and whole grains such as quinoa or farro.
You can apply a cold compress to your lower abdomen to reduce the flow of menstrual blood.
Eat eggs, meat and dairy products only rarely.
Eat foods high in potassium. When you have a lack of potassium in your body, you will have irregular and heavy periods and you will also suffer from stronger cramps and other unpleasant symptoms. During your entire cycle, and especially in the weeks before menstruation (if you want, feel free to drink during all three weeks) foods that are high in potassium will help you regulate your period.
These foods include bananas, sweet potatoes, lentils, yogurt, salmon and raisins.
Some foods lose a lot of potassium during cooking. So you should steam them or eat them raw. If you want, you can buy potassium in tablet form.
Increase your intake of other essential nutrients and maintain it. Foods that contain essential fatty acids, calcium, magnesium, zinc and vitamins B, C and E are ideal for relieving menstruation. Focus especially on strengthening the blood vessel walls – vitamin C, flavonoids and iron. Iron is also important for restoring blood after very heavy menstrual bleeding, during which the body loses a large amount of blood.
Exercise regularly. If you exercise regularly, you will have weaker and more regular periods. Regular exercise will keep your body healthy and allow you to maintain the right weight. When your body fat percentage fluctuates, you will have heavy and irregular periods.
Some women claim that light sports, such as swimming, running and brisk walking, tend to have shorter and weaker periods. Try to exercise 5-6 times a week, always at least 30 minutes.
If you exercise too hard, for example when training for a marathon or another race, your period may disappear completely. Intense exercise causes a drop in estrogen levels because your body has lost so much fat that it would not be able to sustain the pregnancy.
Regulation of menstruation by hormonal contraception
Talk to your gynecologist and start using contraception. Hormonal contraceptives contain progesterone and estrogen, which are hormones that regulate the menstrual cycle and are responsible for how strong your period will be. When you take hormonal contraceptives, you will probably have shorter and weaker periods. If you have an extremely heavy period and you want to solve this problem with medication, hormonal contraception is one of the options.
Ask your doctor for a prescription for hormonal contraception. Everyone has a different body and there are plenty of pills that meet different needs. See a doctor and get prescribed pills that will be suitable for you.
Take hormonal contraceptives according to your doctor’s instructions. If you miss a few days, you could have heavy or irregular periods again, not to mention that contraception would not work for you. If you want the pills to work properly, you must take them every day, ideally at the same time each day.
Try other methods of hormonal contraception. Pills are not the only method of contraception that can help you regulate your period. If you don’t want to take pills every day, try one of the following options, which have the same benefits as standard hormonal contraceptives:
Contraceptive patch. The patch usually sticks to the arm, back, or thigh. It contains the same hormones as the pills, but in this case they are absorbed through the skin. The patch must always be changed after a few weeks.
Contraceptive ring. This small ring is inserted into the vagina and changed once a month. It works by releasing hormones into the bloodstream.
Hormonal intrauterine device (IUD). This small metal device is inserted into the patient’s uterus on an outpatient basis. It releases hormones directly into the uterus and can function for up to 12 years. In some women, menstruation does not appear at all after the introduction of the body, while other women have very weak menstruation. The downside is that some women may suffer from irregular bleeding.
Try hormonal contraception, which is taken without a break. If you want to get rid of your period completely, there are several options that will allow you to eliminate it. Several pharmaceutical companies produce pills that cause the complete or almost complete disappearance of menstruation. These pills are similar to conventional hormonal contraceptives, but contain a type of hormone that regulates menstruation even more effectively.
How to manage heavy menstruation
Find out what are the common causes of heavy menstruation. At some stages in life, menstruation increases and sometimes it is even a genetic problem. Heavy menstruation can be caused by changes in the body or lifestyle changes. Review the following possible reasons for an unusually heavy period:
If you are going through puberty, your period may be heavier until your hormone levels have adjusted – an imbalance in progesterone and estrogen levels can cause heavy menstruation.
If you have just stopped taking hormonal contraceptives, it is possible that you will have a stronger period because contraception weakens your period.
If you have just had an IUD, you will probably have more menstruation for several months. The body takes the body as a foreign object and responds to it with stronger menstruation. If you do not get rid of this problem within 3-6 months, consult your gynecologist and change the method of contraception if necessary.
If you have just given birth and have a heavy period, you will have to wait. Menstruation after childbirth is very strong, especially if you are not breastfeeding. However, within two to three cycles, your classic menstruation should return.
Try aromatherapy, which can relieve the stress associated with heavy menstruation. If you trust aromatherapy as a method of treatment, it can help you (if you can combine it with other methods). Try a mixture of two drops of rose oil, chamomile oil and sage oil with four drops of marjoram oil and two tablespoons of almond or olive oil. Apply this mixture on your stomach every night during menstruation, or ask your partner to do it for you.
Always have menstrual pain medications and herbal remedies on hand. If, in addition to heavy menstruation, you also suffer from pain, you can at least get rid of that pain and alleviate the discomfort. If you do not have medication for menstrual pain, you can take some over-the-counter pain medication, such as ibuprofen, to relieve your cramps. You don’t have to suffer in silence – get rid of menstrual pain! Check with your doctor if you are not sure which medication is right for you.
Always have hygiene items at hand. Don’t skimp on yourself – buy tampons or pads from your favorite brand and make sure you never run out during menstruation. Buy enough of these supplies in the right size and get both tampons and pads ready. Prepare strong night pads for the night because you should not sleep with a tampon.
You don’t have to be ashamed that you need the biggest and most absorbent pads and tampons – so what? It says nothing about your body or you.
If you are afraid that the liner will see through the clothes, look in front of a large mirror and ask a friend to make sure that everything is fine. It is often a matter of feeling rather than reality, but you should still avoid wearing clothes that are too tight during menstruation.
Some women are not comfortable with tampons during heavy menstruation, so be prepared for the fact that you will have to try various hygiene items, including pads, menstrual cups and more.
How to deal with past menstruation. Women who have heavy periods sometimes have to deal with blood flowing to their clothes. If you are worried about this, take two pads to be sure. It is also a good idea to have spare underwear and pants with you (for example, in a school locker or at a desk in the office). Friends, teachers, colleagues and perhaps good strangers will be happy to let you know what has happened to you. Ignore everyone who doesn’t treat you properly. There is nothing to be ashamed of and anyone who laughs at you is reckless.
Cover things so you don’t get blood on them. Cover the bed, couch, or chair with a towel or something similar that can be easily washed. It is much easier to wash a few towels than to clean a mattress or couch.
If you have extremely heavy menstruation, consult a doctor. In some cases, heavy menstruation is a symptom of a health problem. Some blood loss is perfectly normal during menstruation, but if you lose too much blood, you could start to suffer from anemia and weaken. If your period lasts more than a week, you have large blood clots and you feel weak and tired, you should see a doctor as soon as possible to find out what is causing your problem.
Write down a description of your normal period and other symptoms you suffer from during your period.
Ask your doctor to find out if you have any illness that normally causes heavy menstruation. Hormonal imbalances, fibroids, polyps, but also more serious diseases can be to blame.
Your doctor will perform a pelvic examination and may want to have a vaginal biopsy, ultrasound, blood test, cervical smear, or cervical biopsy.
