What Should You Do If You Are Dealing With The Period That Never Ends?

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The average period should run about 5-7 days and be about 28 days apart. Each woman has some variations, depending on their bodies. For example, your period may only last for 3 days and happen every 3 weeks. But eventually you know what's normal for you and your body. However, normal sometimes goes out the window. Sometimes your period can last for weeks, or stop for a day or two and then start back up again. If that happens, what should you do?

Consider Your Age

If you are in your 40s, you may be experiencing something called perimenopause. Perimenopause is the few years prior to full menopause. During that time, the hormones in your body are going to go a little crazy. You can end up with very irregular periods. You can miss months altogether or bleed for several days or even weeks. Perimenopause generally lasts around 4 or 5 years, but it can vary from woman to woman, and last for up to 10 years. Perimenopause becomes full menopause when you don't have a period for at least 12 months. 

Think About Your Stress Level

Stress can do more to your body than you might think. It can also mess up the hormone balance in your body. The hormone balance in your body is actually fairly delicate. It doesn't take too much to completely knock it off balance.

It isn't always possible to alleviate the stress you are feeling, but you may be able to do things like taking some time to sit and meditate or just take a few minutes to do something else. Trying to make sure that you are eating and sleeping as regularly as possible can help too. 

Visit Your OB/GYN

If you are having heavy bleeding with bright red bleeding or clots, it's time to go see your doctor. You are risking things like anemia. If your bleeding is heavy you may end up having to blood transfusions to make sure that your blood levels stay where they should. Periods that suddenly change can be signs of problems like PCOS, ovarian cysts, or even cancer. You don't want to wait for abnormal periods to go on for a long time. 

If your period has gone on for days or weeks longer than it should, there are some things that you can do before you get into see your doctor, like those at Triad OB-GYN PC. You should probably make sure that you are drinking plenty of water and eating iron-rich foods. 


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