relief for heavy periods

Heavy Periods Treatment

Heavy periods can be a terrible burden to carry.

“Menorrhagia” is the medical term for heavy, prolonged periods with an increased flow.

This problem can have significant social and psychological consequences since most women with heavy periods report occasionally missing work or social events as a result of their heavy flow.

If you are struggling to manage your heavy periods, the specialists at Kenya Laparoscopic Surgery Services (KLASS) encourage you to come in for a consultation.

Our experienced team will provide support, an accurate diagnosis, and effective treatment options to help renew your quality of life.

How much is heavy bleeding?

Suffering from heavy periods?

For all those women suffering silently from menorrhagia, heavy periods, we at KLASS feel your pain and have solutions.

Abnormally heavy bleeding can pose an enormous obstacle to quality living. Many women find that their schedule becomes dictated by their period. It is more appealing to simply forego social events than to face potential embarrassment if bleeding becomes excessive at an inopportune time.

Our doctors at KLASS have a wealth of knowledge and practical experience handling a variety of reproductive issues.

We, therefore, encourage patients to schedule a consultation with our top gynecologic surgeon in Nairobi, Kenya before attempting to treat heavy menses on their own.

How do you know if your menstrual flow is too heavy?

The following signs may indicate you are experiencing heavy bleeding:

• Soaking through pads/tampons quickly.
• Bleeding or ‘flooding’ that is not contained within a pad/tampon (are bleeding through to your clothes or bedding).
• Changing a pad/tampon every hour or less.
• Clots that are as big as a quarter or larger.
• Bleeding for more than 7-8 days.

What causes heavy periods?

Heavy flow is most common in the teens and perimenopause—both are times of the life cycle when estrogen levels tend to be higher and progesterone levels to be lower.

In about half of women with heavy menstrual bleeding, no underlying reason is found. But there are several conditions and some treatments that can cause heavy menstrual bleeding. 

These conditions include: 

• Hormone imbalances like polycystic ovarian syndrome.
• Uterine fibroids and endometriosis.
• Adenomyosis – when tissue from the womb lining becomes embedded in the wall of the womb.
• Endometrial polyps – non-cancerous growths in the lining of the womb or cervix.
• Malignancy – cervix, uterus, ovary.

Some treatments that may lead to heavy periods are:

• An IUD (intrauterine contraceptive device, or “the coil”) – this can make your periods heavier for the first 3 to 6 months after insertion.
• Anticoagulant medication – taken to prevent blood clots.
• Some medicines used for chemotherapy.
• Some herbal supplements, which can affect your hormones and may affect your periods – such as soya.

How is heavy bleeding & heavy periods diagnosed?

After a thorough history and clinical examination (including a pap smear and swabs), your doctor may order blood tests to test for iron deficiency and/or pelvic ultrasound to eliminate some of the possible causes listed earlier.

The gold standard is to perform hysteroscopy in all women over 35 years of age who have heavy menstrual bleeding to rule out endometrial hyperplasia or cancer.

This is where the lining of the womb is looked at with a telescope, the hysteroscope, and is then lightly scraped away and a biopsy (a sample of cells) is taken for examination.

How are heavy periods treated?

Prof. Rafique Parkar of KLASS typically seeks to remedy this problem in the most conservative manner, using medical therapies before considering surgical intervention.

Depending on the cause of your heavy periods, your specialist may offer various treatment options to help reduce bleeding and pain such as:

1. Progesterone therapy,  heavy flow is associated with too much estrogen for the amount of progesterone. Progesterone is used to make the endometrium thin and mature. It antagonizes estrogen’s action that makes it thick and fragile.
2. Birth control pills can control hormones to make periods lighter, or even stop them altogether.
3. Certain IUDs can control heavy periods by releasing a small amount of hormone which keeps the inner lining thin.

Your doctor may recommend the following minimally invasive treatments if medications fail to reduce bleeding, there are other symptoms such as pain and if you discuss the options with your doctor and you both feel it is the most appropriate treatment.

• Endometrial ablation to permanently inactivate the lining of the uterus (endometrium).
• Uterine artery embolisation – a procedure to shrink fibroids provided one has completed their family and do not desire any more children
• Myomectomy to remove uterine fibroids that cause heavy periods.
• Hysterectomy to remove the uterus. Your period stops after hysterectomy, but the removal of the uterus does not cause menopause.

These minimally invasive procedures offered at KLASS allow for a faster recovery with less scarring than traditional approaches.

Whether your period is profoundly heavy or just heavy enough to be a nuisance, we invite you to request an appointment to see us in consultation.

Our top-level expertise laparoscopic surgeon in Nairobi, Kenya, Prof. Rafique Parkar has the expertise to identify any underlying problems and to offer you a range of effective treatment options.

Your Treatment with Prof. Rafique Parkar

Safe & effective treatments

Prof. Rafique Parkar pioneered Minimal Access Surgery in Africa 25 years ago and operates at the highest level of expertise in Africa. ( Level VI )

He is committed to improving the lifestyles of women in Kenya and the world by helping them gain access to top-level minimal access surgery in Africa.

He strongly believes that all women have the right to informed consent and should have access to the best treatment plans suited for them and that is the reason why he founded KLASS ( Kenya Laparoscopic Surgery Services ).

Together with his team at KLASS, they provide the highest level of holistic surgical care to women, ensuring that they meet their individual health needs.

Prof. Rafique Parkar specializes in helping women who ail from Polycystic Ovary Syndrome, Uterine Fibroids, Ovarian Cysts, Endometriosis, Pelvic Floor Problems, Ectopic Pregnancies, and Gynecologic Cancers.