How much blood do you lose during your period?

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asked Jan 10 in Womans Health by MattGomko (2,150 points)
How much blood do you lose during your period?

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answered Jan 12 by Chasedheat (27,110 points)
The amount of blood that you lose during your period is between 20 ml to 90 ml or around 1 to 5 tablespoons which is normal.

When your period is heaviest the period blood will be red and on lighter period days the blood can be brown or pink.

If your period looks like jelly it's because of blood clots that are passing through the body which is normal during any part of your period although in some cases it can indicate a serious health issue.

Big blood clots in a period means that you could have a serious medical issue or mean you have a uterine obstruction such as a fibroid or you have uterine polyps growing on the cervix or in the lining of your uterus.

Huge blood clots coming out on your period can be caused by polyps, fibroids, ovaries that fail to release eggs, bleeding disorders, thyroid disorders.

In rare cases uterine, cervical or endometrial cancer can cause huge blood clots to come out on your period.

The vitamins that a woman with heavy periods should take are vitamin C, vitamin B-12 and folic acid to help build red blood cells.

Feeling weak and shaky on your period is a sign of low iron which can result from losing the iron through heavy bleeding.

You can eat foods high in iron and or take some iron supplements to help stop the shaky and weak feeling while on your period.

A period blood clot looks like pieces of mashed up red fruit which can be bright red or burgundy and can vary in size and they are most often mixed in with liquid blood.

The hormone imbalance that causes heavy periods is an imbalance in estrogen and progesterone levels.

Women who have elevated estrogen levels and low progesterone levels can lead to a thickening of the uterine lining that often results in heavy bleeding.

The best position to sleep during heavy periods is to sleep on your side, back or fetal position which can reduce discomfort and improve your sleep quality.

Free bleeding can sometimes make your period end faster but not always.

Free bleeding does however reduce cramps and fatigue during your period.

Period flooding is a condition in which higher than normal volume of blood is passed and most times it also occurs with heavy blood clots.

Period flooding is common among women aged 14 to 21 years of age and 40 to 50 years of age and women who have had a miscarriage.

You can make your period end faster naturally by having sex, taking vitamin C supplements or eating foods with vitamin C and exercising regularly.

The age that periods stop is between the ages of 51 to 58 although the periods may stop sooner by age 45 to 50.

Things that worsens period cramps are alcohol, milk, coffee, sugary drinks, trans fats, dairy, processed and red meat and refined grains.

Period cramps are worse on some months than others due to changes in the estrogen hormone levels which can fluctuate and your periods can change as you get older as well.

It's natural and normal for period pain to vary from one cycle to the next cycle.

Period pain that lasts longer than 3 days or lasts the entire time of the period are too much period pain and is not normal.

The cramps should not continue or last all the way to the end of your period and they usually start the day of or the day just before your bleeding starts.

Most periods in women stop by age 50 to 51 although it can vary from women to women.

Your menstrual periods usually become shorter or longer in your 40s and may be heavier or lighter and more or less frequent.

Then on average by age 51 your ovaries should stop releasing eggs and you should have nor more periods.

Your period can become so heavy and clotty due to high levels of estrogen and low levels of progesterone.

The high levels of estrogen and low levels of progesterone can cause the uterine lining to thicken and when the thick uterine lining sheds during menstruation you can experience heavier and clotty blood flows.

You can stop a heavy period by drinking some water, ginger, increasing your iron intake or drinking shots, using pills, skin patches, Intrauterine device or a vaginal ring.

Drinking water does help your period end faster and drinking 8 glasses or 64 ounces of water per day really works great at stopping your period and making your period end faster.

You can drink ginger water or shots to stop your periods or use birth control pills or Intrauterine devices.

Your period will gush when you stand up because the gravity helps the blood flow easier out of the vagina.

When you're lying down the blood does not flow out as easily, especially when you're on lighter flow days.

A period is considered too heavy when you have to change your pad or tampon within 2 hours or less or if you pass clots the size of a quarter or larger.

If you have heavy bleeding then you should see a doctor.

Things that causes a period to be so heavy are low iron, fibroids, polycystic ovary syndrome, pelvic inflammatory disease, endometriosis.

Certain medications and treatments such as anticoagulant medicines, stress and chemotherapy medicines can also cause heavy periods.

An iron deficiency can cause heavy periods and if there's low levels of ferritin then the body's storage repository of iron menstruation can be prolonged.

Over time, low hemoglobin means your blood doesn't have enough oxygen to carry around your body, affecting your body's overall blood flow.

This can result in irregular periods.

You should go to the hospital for a heavy period if the period flow increases more than normal and does not stop or if you experience an increased heart rate, chest pain or shortness of breath.

When you're on your period the amount of period pads per day that is normal is 4 to 5 pads per day or around 20 to 23 pads per menstrual cycle.

Heavy periods are not healthy and also not normal.

Heavy periods and heavy menstrual bleeding can be a sign of other health issues such as non bleeding disorders and bleeding disorders.

Some of the common medical conditions and health issues that can cause heavy periods include liver disease and Von Willebrand disease.

If a hormone imbalance occurs, the endometrium develops in excess and eventually sheds by way of heavy menstrual bleeding.

A number of conditions can cause hormone imbalances, including polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), obesity, insulin resistance and thyroid problems.

Dysfunction of the ovaries.

Across the length of your period, it's typical for between 5 to 80 ml (that's up to 6 tablespoons) of menstrual fluid to leave your body.

The heaviest days of menstrual bleeding are usually at the beginning of the menstrual cycle (around the first and second day).

If you notice on heavy days of your period that blood seems extra-thick, and can sometimes form a jelly-like glob, these are menstrual clots, a mix of blood and tissue released from your uterus during your period.

They can vary in size and color, and usually, they are nothing to worry about.

Foods that can cause heavy periods are.

Beetroot - causes improved blood circulation as it raises haemoglobin levels.
Honey - increases body temperature which increases blood flow.
Jaggery (natural brown sugar) - another heat inducing food.
Coffee - caffeine stimulates the gut and uterus.

If regular menstruation occurs, we can assume that ovulation takes place regularly as well.

However, the assumption that heavier periods lead to higher fertility is not correct.

In this context, it is much more important that periods are as regular and healthy as possible.

Periods can get heavier and more painful for some women after the age of 40.

Sometimes it is a nuisance and sometimes it is a cause for concern.

Some women experience high levels of estrogen and low levels of progesterone.

This can cause the uterine lining to thicken.

When a thick uterine lining sheds during menstruation, women might experience heavier blood flows and larger blood clots.

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