Periods that suddenly got much heavier? Fibroids are the most common reason
- Soaking through in an hour, or clots bigger than a rupee coin, is what counts
- Any one marker is enough. You do not need several
- Fibroids are not cancer, and they explain more of this than everything else
- If you are tired and breathless too, that is part of the same thing
Changed in the last year or so?
Tell us roughly when it changed and where you live. The first consultation is free. Say if you would prefer a female doctor and it will be arranged.
No referral needed. Most women who come with this leave with a cause named and something that helps.
Start here
4 causes, and the first one is much the most common
Heavier periods almost always have a structural or hormonal explanation, and all 4 of these are common and manageable.
Fibroids
Firm growths in the wall of the womb. They are extremely common, they are not cancer, and they are the reason for more heavy periods than everything else here put together.
Lining growing into the muscle
The lining of the womb grows into the muscle wall, which makes periods both heavier and more painful. It is not cancer and it is often mistaken for ordinary bad periods for years.
The years before periods stop
Periods commonly become heavier and less predictable in the run-up to menopause. It is a real explanation, but one somebody reaches after looking.
A copper coil
A copper coil makes periods heavier for many women, especially in the first year. Worth saying early, because it often means the cause is known before you arrive.
Notice that none of these is cancer. Heavy periods on their own are one of the weaker reasons to worry about it. What raises the question is bleeding between periods as well, or any bleeding after menopause.
What changes it
3 things worth saying on the phone
None of these means cancer. They change how soon you are seen and what gets arranged before you arrive.
It changed, and recently
Heavy since your teens and heavy since last year point in different directions. A change is the more useful fact, so give a rough date rather than a description.
It is running your life
Days off work, not leaving the house, planning around it, ruined bedding. That is not a complaint about inconvenience, it is a measurement, and it is one doctors take seriously.
A known fibroid that has grown
If you have been told you have fibroids and one has grown noticeably in a short time, say so. It is uncommon for that to matter, but it is the one situation where the size changing is the point.
One situation needs the same day. Bleeding heavy enough that you feel light-headed, faint, or breathless while sitting still should be seen today rather than booked. Everything else here can wait for a normal appointment.
How heavy is heavy
6 things that count, and you only need one
Two women saying heavy can mean completely different things, and neither knows whether hers counts. If you have bled like this since you were fourteen you have nothing to compare against at all. So here is what heavy actually means.
Any one of these on its own is enough to raise it. You do not need several.
- You soak through a pad or tampon in an hour or less, for several hours.
- You use a pad and a tampon at the same time to get through the day.
- You pass clots bigger than a one rupee coin.
- You get up in the night to change, which you never used to.
- You have planned a day around it, or missed one because of it.
- You get breathless on stairs you used to manage.
The last one is the reason a lot of women come in about tiredness and never mention their periods at all. If it applies to you, say both.
The part people separate
The tiredness is not a different problem
Losing more blood each month than you replace runs your iron down. Most women describe that as a separate complaint, or as getting older, and it is neither.
Breathless on stairs
Stairs you used to manage, exhaustion that sleep does not fix, dizziness standing up, and sometimes odd cravings for ice or mud. That last one surprises people and it is well recognised.
One blood test
A simple test measures whether your iron and haemoglobin have dropped. It is the cheapest and quickest answer on this page, and it can be done at the same visit.
Treating one treats the other
Dealing with the bleeding usually fixes the tiredness. That is why it is worth mentioning both at one appointment rather than making two visits.
What happens
4 steps, and the scan answers the most
One visit, and between the scan and the blood test the great majority of this is settled without anything further.
Your markers, gone through
Which of the measurements apply, when it changed, what you use, and how it affects your week. This is where the phrases from above do the work.
A scan
An ultrasound shows fibroids and the thickness of the lining. Painless, quick, and between them those two findings explain most heavy bleeding.
A blood test
For iron and haemoglobin, and sometimes thyroid. It is the step that explains the tiredness, and it takes a minute.
What was found, and what helps
Most women leave with a named cause and something that reduces the bleeding. You are told plainly, including when nothing structural is found.
Questions
8 questions people ask, and the honest answers
Starting with the one this whole page is built to answer.
01How heavy is too heavy?
If any one of the markers above applies, it counts. There is no threshold you have to cross twice. Soaking through in an hour, needing two things at once, clots bigger than a rupee coin, waking to change, or losing a day to it — any single one of those is enough to raise it.
02Mine have always been heavy. Is that different?
Yes, and it is worth saying which you are. Heavy since your teens points in a different direction from heavy since last year, and one of the things it can point at is a bleeding tendency that has never been looked for. Somebody who changed recently is the other conversation. Both are worth having.
03Is it cancer?
Very rarely, and heavy periods alone are one of the weaker reasons to think so. Fibroids are by far the most common cause and they are not cancer. What raises the question is bleeding between periods as well, or bleeding after menopause, not the heaviness on its own.
04What about the tiredness?
It is probably part of the same thing, and it is the easiest bit to prove. Losing more blood each month than you replace runs your iron down. Breathless on stairs, exhausted, dizzy standing up. A simple blood test settles it, and treating the bleeding usually fixes the tiredness too.
05I have a copper coil. Could that be it?
Very likely, and it is worth saying early. A copper coil makes periods heavier for many women, particularly in the first year. That does not mean you have to put up with it or that it has to come out. It means the cause is probably known before you arrive.
06Could it just be my age?
It can be, in your forties. Periods often become heavier and less predictable in the years before they stop. It is a real explanation, but it is one somebody reaches after looking rather than a reason not to look.
07Do I need a scan?
Usually, and it is the step that answers the most. An ultrasound shows fibroids and the thickness of the lining, which between them explain the great majority. It is painless and it is arranged from the same visit.
08When is it urgent rather than an appointment?
Flooding with dizziness or feeling faint. Bleeding so heavy that you feel light-headed, faint or breathless at rest needs the same day rather than a booking. Everything else on this page can wait for a normal appointment.
Where
Seen at all 10 Hyderabad centres
The consultation runs anywhere. The scan and the blood test are arranged from the same visit rather than as separate trips.
- CION Ameerpet
HMDA Maitrivanam, Ameerpet
- CION Kukatpally
Mumbai Highway, Kukatpally
- CION Tolichowki
Khader Bagh, Tolichowki
- CION Masab Tank
AC Guards, Masab Tank
- CION L.B. Nagar
Anu Arcade, near the Metro, L.B. Nagar
- CION Banjara Hills
Road No. 12, Banjara Hills
- CION Kompally
NH-44, Suchitra Road, Jeedimetla
- CION Balanagar
Balanagar Main Rd, Ferozguda, Balanagar
- CION Pragathi Nagar
Pragathi Nagar Rd, near JNTU, Kukatpally
- CION Nacharam
Behind Telephone Exchange, IDA Nacharam
Beyond the city, 31 more towns across 16 districts of Telangana and north Andhra Pradesh. Ask for the closest when you call.
Do not say heavy. Say the hour, the coin, the night.
Give us your name, number and where you live, and say roughly when your periods changed. Bring the phrases from above, and mention the tiredness if there is any.
Toll free 1800 202 8726 · No referral needed · Telugu, Hindi and English