Are Your Periods Playing Hide and Seek?

Heavy or irregular periods can stem from multiple sources, such as:

• Medications: Certain drugs, including anti-inflammatories, anticoagulants, or hormones, can impact your period.
• IUDs: Birth control devices like IUDs might cause heavier bleeding.
•  Hormone Imbalances: Too much estrogen and progesterone can lead to heavy bleeding. This is common in girls new to menstruating and women nearing menopause. 
• Medical Conditions: 
  • Pelvic Inflammatory Disease (PID) and other infections can disrupt your cycle. 
  • Endometriosis can make periods irregular and painful. 
  • Blood Disorders: Some inherited clotting issues can cause heavy bleeding. 
  • Growths or Cancers: While rare, cancers of the reproductive organs, or benign growths like polyps or fibroids in the uterus, can lead to heavy or long periods.

Reach out for professional help when: Your periods last more than a week You're using more than one tampon or pad per hour for several hours. You have severe pain, fever, abnormal discharge or smell, unexplained weight changes, unusual hair growth, new acne, or nipple discharge.

Keep a record of your menstrual cycle details, like the duration of your period and the number of tampons or pads you use. This info is useful for your doctor's visits.