Periods lasting more than a week? Find out the possible causes

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Many women struggle with long and heavy periods for years without knowing the reason behind it and the ways to manage and improve their symptoms.

Generally, women complain about their long menstrual periods and the discomfort they experience during that time, and how it disrupts their daily routine.

If you are here, you might probably be the one who is seeking help for yourself or your close ones about the long menstrual period.

If you have been struggling with a long period, it’s time you need to know what the long menstrual period is, the causes, and the treatment for it.

What is the duration of a normal period? Is there such a thing?

The average woman’s menstrual cycle is 28 days long, and the average period lasts for 3 to 5 days. This is just the ideal situation for most of the women but not what everyone experiences.

Every woman is unique and differs in their range of menstrual cycles. Some periods are short which may last for 2 to 3 days while some others are too long, lasting even more than a month.

What if my period lasts longer for more than a week? Is it normal?

A menstrual period that lasts longer than seven days is considered a long period and is called Menorrhagia in medical terms and may be a sign of a serious health condition. But, don’t worry. You are not alone. About 1 in every 20 women suffer from this condition.

Is a long period a cause of concern?

Depending on the circumstances, long periods might be a mild condition that can be easily controlled or the one that indicates a more serious underlying health issue.

You might suffer from heavy blood loss which leads to anemia with a lot of pain and discomfort. If you feel that your period interferes with your lifestyle, then it’s time you need to consult your doctor and address it immediately.

Why do long periods happen?

Long periods can be the result of a variety of factors such as health conditions, medications, stress, age, and lifestyle.

It can be annoying and nerve-wracking not knowing why your period lasts longer than normal and when it goes away.

Not all lengthy periods are harmful, but it’s good to know the underlying causes for longer periods can help you seek the appropriate treatment and prevent potential future complications.

Here are few potential reasons that might be a cause of your longer-than-average or longer-than-usual periods.

Hormonal changes

You would experience a longer period if your body is changing your hormone levels.

With each monthly cycle, the lining of the uterus prepares itself to nourish a fertilized egg and increased levels of estrogen and progesterone help thicken its walls.

At certain times, estrogen and progesterone levels stay suppressed which can result in a longer period.

You may also experience changes in hormonal levels due to different health conditions, such as thyroid disorders or polycystic ovary syndrome.

If you’re not bleeding excessively each day, or your period is comfortable without any issues, then don’t worry about this change.

Medications

Medications like steroids, blood thinners, and antipsychotics can disrupt your hormone levels and cause your menstrual period to last longer than usual.

If you are on any medication for other health conditions, it’s important to take the medicines as directed. If the problem persists, make sure to contact your doctor for alternate medication.

Stress

If you are super stressed, it can make your period longer or heavier or lead to mid-cycle bleeding. Stress can change the levels of many hormones that can cause delayed ovulation, causing your period to start later than expected, which can make your periods longer and heavier than usual.

Identify the cause of your stress and try to overcome it with meditation and regular exercises and therapy. Getting good sleep is also an effective way to manage stress.

Obesity

Have you gained weight recently? Then, this might be the reason for your longer periods. Increased body fat leads to higher estrogen levels, which can make periods longer and heavier.

Fibroids and Polyps

If you are unfamiliar with these terms, these are abnormal growths of tissue that can occur in any organ, including the uterus (lining), that can cause long or heavy periods.

Generally, they are noncancerous, but it’s important to get them checked out before they can turn cancerous.

These don’t always require treatment, but they can be treated with hormonal medications or surgical removal.

Miscarriage

Loss of early pregnancy may be the cause for an extra-heavy or long period. Normally, your menstrual cycle length returns to normal within one to two cycles. Consult the doctor, if it’s prolonged even after three cycles.

There are many other reasons for the longer periods like changed birth control methods, bleeding disorders, and endometrial cancer.

When to see a doctor?

A single long period is not usually a sign of serious medical complications. If you have long painful periods frequently affecting your lifestyle, then it’s time for you to speak to a doctor to find out the cause and start the treatment.

Delayed treatment may result in further complications and may require more invasive treatments in the future.

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I belong to Nainital, a small town in the state of Uttarakhand. To start with, just after 15 days of being born, I was abandoned by my mother in the hospital just because I was a girl child. My parents had separated because of differences in marriage.

My father was suggested by family members to give me up for adoption as it was not convenient for a man to raise a girl child. My father bluntly refused the suggestion, slashing existing stereotypes back in those days. My relatives took care of me in the first few years.

But because of ever-growing family disputes, I was shifted to Nainital where my father was a teacher in Birla Vidya Mandir School.

Sometimes school teachers and sometimes neighbours who were close would take care of me there. Given the scenario, I had to learn to become independent at a very young age. as with growing age, I found it difficult to even take care of my nutrition because of which my immunity was affected too.

But the good part was I used to get a lot of time to play around as there was no one to call me out for my studies for most of the times. Soon after relocating, I started studying at Birla Vidya Mandir School in Nainital, where my father was a teacher and it was a boy’s school.

How This Nainital Entrepreneur Defied Societal Rules To Follow Her Dreams! — The Nainital Entrepreneur

This had a very positive effect on me as the experience gave me enough exposure to become an extrovert. But sadly, I could never bond with my brother as he used to live with my mother.

But as fate would have it, there was yet another surprise for me. As a motherless child and due to family and societal pressure and manipulation, I was married off early when I was barely 18 years old. This was done on the presumption that the rest of my life would become easier and smoother.

But God had different plans for me as I suffered grave disturbances in my marriage as well. The person I got married to happened to be involved in illegal business deals and connections. My father decided to take me back to Nainital, my hometown when we found out that everything that we were told was a big fraud and hence my family filed for divorce. I REMEMBER I WAS very sad and was battling DEPRESSION…..during days….because of the given circumstances. Then again my father and I faced societal pressure to not go for divorce as it would be difficult for me to handle things alone.

My father tried to give a chance to the guy and his family and so under pressure, I went back to stay with him for a week. What happened next tore me up mentally. I WAS NOT READY for any physical relationship with that man who was STILL my husband, for the namesake. Hence I faced MARITAL RAPE which in our so-called society doesn’t come in the CATEGORY OF RAPE. Trust me, even I wasn’t aware of what it was. I went back to Nainital.

My depression got worse. I attempted suicide thrice but in vain and then I came to know that I was 3 months pregnant. As my body was extremely weak at that time and my immune system wasn’t that strong, besides, my haemoglobin was around 5.8, so abortion wasn’t an option.

I had to undergo several medical procedures to stabilize my health and pregnancy. With time then, my daughter was born in Nainital and she was the only source of motivation for me to move forward and do something about my life but my mental health still wasn’t cured. My daughter was barely two and a half years old when I left her with my father and moved to a close town Rudrapur for work.

I worked in a bank for a year but I wasn’t satisfied there. I decided to move to Delhi where I tried my luck in different careers. Then my father decided to send me and my daughter to Canada where they were looking for a second option for my marriage.

I requested my family to give me some more time before all the formalities were completed. Nothing in my life comes easy. Not even my career. Then in 2014, I moved to the city of dreams as they call it (Mumbai) in search of the peace and tranquillity. I was searching for, and there it was all this while right in front of my eyes and I couldn’t see it, the only thing that gave me immense pleasure had always been health and fitness.

I decided to explore my career fitness industry as I was good in sports since childhood. I dedicated myself fully to accomplishing my goals. It felt as if the child inside me screamed with joy to have found it’s lost home yet again. I felt alive after many years.

Mumbai gave me one more thing. As a struggler in Mumbai with no knowledge in the fitness industry, I joined a few classes like yoga n martial arts and thereafter i joined a gym club where I met my partner, Shashank. He also belonged to Uttarakhand and we connected on commonalities and soon became great friends. He was senior to me in the industry as I was a fresher. He gave me the guidance I was lacking from so many years and showed me the path that I should follow. Our bonding became stronger with time. Thereafter, there is no stopping till date.

Soon I started competing in many private competitions and attended many fitness expos with Shashank and educated myself. Today I am an MBA graduate, an Internationally certified personal trainer, Internationally certified kettlebell, National Champion in powerlifting, Strongest Woman of India 2018, co-founder of Mountstrong Personal Fitness Studio with my partner in Dehradun, and a known woman in Nainital.

The hope that I had lost in marriage, life and relationships were alive again. My partner has been the biggest support system all this while and he has been my guiding light in true sense. Today, I am happily married to him and have settled down with him along with my daughter.

1) Please follow a very regular healthy lifestyle and fitness regime. You don’t need expensive workout gear, fancy shoes and supplements to get healthy. Basic 30 minutes of brisk walk and organic wholesome diet is enough to stay fit. Nut fruits and 5 litres plus water intake with regular workout frequency is the key to keep your organs active and boost your immunity.

2) Good health is not just the absence of diseases or illness. It’s a state of complete physical mental and social well being. This means eating a balanced diet, getting regular exercises, avoid alcohol, tobacco etc which will help prevent anxiety and depression also.

3) I believe in the strength of will power and consistency. And that’s what I say to other people as well. It has not only improved my physical strength but also my mental strength. I never imagined myself lifting weights or setting national and state records. With whatever little rollercoaster adventure my life has been since my birth I can say it with my conviction that life is never easy for anyone but we have got to take all the misfortunes with a pinch of salt and never give up on ourselves! They also say: “Winners never quit, and quitters never win.”

I will soon be representing Asia in the powerlifting category and I am looking forward to winning the world powerlifting championship in the coming year!

4) Please believe and practice the mantra of learning and growing every day of your life. I know you all are young and maybe some of you don’t have a deep appreciation and inclination towards spirituality YET. I am not too far in age from you all. YET my saviour in the darkest times was TRUST FAITH that we must never give up.

5) Last I will say is: HAVE An unshakable spirit and the power of resilience! When it comes to health and fitness, my plan is to reach out to as many young girls as I can to make them reach their potential without having to sacrifice on their happiness and make informed choices

I am sharing my story in the hope that even if one woman who’s gone through or is going through the same or even grave ordeal as I have feels inspired by my tale and can bring about a change in their lives I will be glad, all I want to say is I HAVE walked this path….and IF I CAN DO IT….SO CAN YOU. No matter what life throws at you STAY POSITIVE….GIVE your loved ones a chance to LOVE you unconditionally.

As told to the author.