Menstruation occurs in all women aged approximately 12 to 40 years; in the absence of pathologies, it lasts for 3-5 days and may be accompanied by minor painful sensations. But there are also exceptions . If your period has been going on for 10 days or even more, how dangerous can it be and what can cause it . And some are often interested in what to do if the conditions may be different, some should not cause concern, but there are also situations when medical attention is required.
Normal menstruation
For all women, menstruation is considered the beginning of the menstrual cycle. Thanks to these secretions, unfertilized eggs and a number of additional substances are removed from the body. The cycle is regulated by the endocrine and nervous systems. The timing differs for all women, but should be within normal limits.
Prolonged menstruation does not always indicate the development of pathologies. The following conditions are considered normal:
- if your period lasts more than 10 days while taking OK;
- bleeding continues after abortive procedures or spontaneous miscarriage;
- within six months after the appearance of the first discharge, when the cycle is still being established;
- bleeding after childbirth;
- beginning of menopause.
Prolonged menstrual bleeding can be hereditary. In this case, medical intervention is not necessary.
When there is no need to be afraid
It is normal when the menstrual cycle is about 28 days, and bleeding occurs no more than five days. In case of deviations from the norm, most women begin to worry. This applies to situations where menstruation lasts longer than usual. The doctor can explain why this happens when you contact us. Sometimes there is no need to be afraid of long periods; this applies to the following situations:
- Age factor - in adolescence, the reproductive system is just being formed, therefore, deviations are possible. This also applies to women over 40 years of age, since during menopause the body also undergoes restructuring.
- Hereditary factor - you don’t always have to worry about long periods. The reason may be heredity.
- Taking hormonal drugs or abortion - in such cases, the cycle will be restored over time.
- Postpartum period - after childbirth, a woman’s reproductive system is restored, and menstruation can last even two weeks or more.
However, the cause still needs to be clarified by a doctor. Only a specialist can determine for sure why your period lasts more than 7 days.
Reasons for periods lasting more than 10 days
There are many reasons for long periods of time, leading to menstrual irregularities and long periods. All of them are divided into the following groups:
- weakness of the blood vessels that ensure the genital organs are filled with blood;
- bleeding disorders, von Willebrand disease, deficiency of clotting factors;
- the need to cleanse the uterine cavity of excess fluid, toxins and tissue;
- pathologies of the endocrine system.
All factors causing reproductive dysfunction are considered to be a consequence of diseases and pathological processes, such as:
- exposure to stress;
- anemia;
- tumors in the reproductive system;
- hormonal changes during the first menstruation and failures of this system;
- gynecological diseases (endometriosis, fibroids, inflammation).
When determining the causes of prolonged discharge, their nature and general condition of the body are taken into account. It is necessary to observe whether menstruation is smearing or heavy, and whether there is an unpleasant, uncharacteristic smell of menstruation. Knowing the characteristics of menstruation will help the doctor identify the cause of deviations.
Normal or pathological: where is the line?
How to determine whether menorrhagia is a cause for concern or whether prolonged menstruation can be explained by natural factors? A woman needs to analyze the accompanying symptoms and circumstances of the occurrence of menstruation, which lasts more than 10 days. The following factors need to be taken into account:
- What circumstances preceded long menstruation? Perhaps the woman experienced a nervous shock, changed the contraceptive method she had been using for a long time, or moved to a new place of residence in a different climate zone. We need to see if the menorrhagia continues in the next month.
- What symptoms are accompanied by prolonged regulation? Severe pain in the lower abdomen and lower back, fever, unpleasant odor from the genitals, nausea and vomiting, muscle weakness - all this may indicate inflammatory or infectious processes in the reproductive organs.
- What happens on the remaining days of the cycle? Intermenstrual bleeding, pain, and purulent discharge indicate diseases of the genital organs.
What medications to take
If your period lasts 10 days or more, then the doctor prescribes the following drugs to stop bleeding:
- hemostatic medications (stimulating blood clotting);
- contracting the uterus;
- strengthening the internal walls of blood vessels;
- hormonal;
- minerals and vitamins based on iron.
You cannot regulate the duration of your periods on your own. Only a doctor can choose the medication that will get rid of the problem and will not have a negative effect on the body. First of all, the gynecologist finds out the cause of prolonged menstruation and determines ways to eliminate it. With adequate therapy, the cycle quickly returns to normal.
When complaining of heavy and prolonged menstruation, women are prescribed the drugs Dicynon, Tranexam and Vikasol. With their help, it is possible to normalize the process of blood clotting and restore hormonal levels.
It is allowed to use traditional medicine methods, but only if all actions are coordinated with a doctor. The remedies that are considered the most effective are prepared as follows:
- valerian roots, yarrow, birch foliage and peppermint are taken in equal proportions. The resulting mixture is poured with water and simmered in a water bath for a quarter of an hour. Drink a glass of this decoction a day;
- Birch leaves are poured with boiling water and left for at least six hours. Take 75 ml of decoction orally three times a day;
- Add 100 g of birch buds to 500 ml of vodka and leave for a month. Drink the tincture in small portions twice a day. It is enough to drink just one sip at a time;
- 30 g of nettle are infused in a glass of boiling water for about an hour and filtered. The liquid is taken orally three times a day.
If you follow medical recommendations, the cycle can be restored in a short time. The main thing is not to resort to self-medication. In some cases, taking medications is not enough and surgery cannot be avoided.
How long does a normal period last?
On average, the menstrual cycle lasts 28 days, but it can range from 23 to 35 days, and this is considered normal. The beginning of a new cycle coincides with the beginning of menstrual bleeding, and with it the follicular phase begins, during which a dominant follicle and oocyte develop under the influence of follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH).
What are periods? If a woman did not become pregnant in the previous cycle, the corpus luteum in the ovaries stops producing progesterone. A decrease in the amount of progestogens in the body leads to necrotic changes in the endometrium. The endometriotic layer, necessary for attaching the embryo to the walls of the uterus and protecting the mother’s body from the aggressive effects of the embryo, is no longer needed. It is rejected and comes out - this is menstruation.
The name “menstrual blood” is not entirely correct, because the discharge includes several components. The dark red, brownish liquid contains, in addition to blood, the mucous secretion of the cervix and vagina and the remains of endometrial tissue.
How long does menstruation normally last? The duration of the regulation is individual for each woman. On average they last 3–5 days, but can fluctuate between 4–9 days. In one month, a woman loses from 10 to 250 ml of menstrual fluid.
Why are long periods dangerous?
First of all, heavy menstruation, the duration of which exceeds one week, leads to large blood losses. Due to this, the body loses iron, which threatens the development of iron deficiency anemia. The state of health in this case becomes significantly worse, especially in cases where there are other pathologies in the anamnesis.
In addition, heavy bleeding is often a consequence of early miscarriage. It is possible that the woman did not even suspect that she was pregnant. She will only be able to find out about this after visiting a gynecologist.
In cases where a woman cannot get pregnant for a long time, but her periods are long and heavy, it is quite possible that she simply cannot bear a child. In this case, it is necessary to carry out special diagnostics and identify the cause. If the problem is not corrected in a timely manner, there is a danger of infertility.
Blood loss with heavy menstrual discharge can be so serious that severe weakness appears. It is extremely important to seek help from a gynecologist to treat and prevent problems. Particularly life-threatening is posed by heavy brown discharge that does not stop for 10 days. In this case, you need to call an ambulance. It is possible that surgery will be required.
Prolonged periods do not always indicate the development of the disease and pose a serious threat to life. Often such problems arise in women suffering from obesity or during menopause and are considered normal. But there are also more serious reasons for such cycle changes. It is impossible to independently identify the factor that caused such a violation. You cannot do without medical help here.
What to do?
Under no circumstances should you self-medicate. Only a specialist can make a decision and choose the appropriate therapy. As a rule, uterine bleeding is stopped with Vikasol or Docinon. But you can take them only after an ultrasound.
We can assume that the course of the menstrual cycle is normal if it meets the following criteria:
- Its duration is 20-35 days, but not more than 45 days;
- Has a regular cyclical nature;
- The total blood loss is no more than 150 ml;
- There is no severe pain;
- The woman does not feel unwell or weak.
During menstruation, it is necessary to limit physical activity and avoid baths and saunas.
If possible, you can switch to light labor for this time. This measure is justified if a woman has to do hard work.
Nutrition during menstruation should be correct and the diet should be balanced. Avoid fatty foods and smoked foods, and use a minimum amount of salt when preparing dishes.
Since during this period a woman’s body is more vulnerable, it is necessary to follow all the rules of personal hygiene and change underwear. To avoid infection, you should avoid swimming in ponds and pools and douching. It is also better to limit sexual contact to reduce the risk of infection in the vagina.
It will be easier for a woman to recognize alarming symptoms if she knows when her periods usually begin and end, and how many days the cycle lasts.
Other natural processes
As has already become clear, any organism has fine tuning that is easy to knock down. And it’s good that nature took care of people and made it possible to foresee the problem if you carefully monitor your body.
If your period comes every 14 days, this is an alarm signal from the body. And quite often, the cause of the problem is banal female actions:
- Taking oral contraceptives. In some cases, the system must adapt to a new regime and within 2-3 months everything should stabilize and return to normal.
- Use of an intrauterine device. The body also needs one month to get used to new living conditions. In such cases, discharge may appear in the first cycle and then disappear. If this does not happen, the drug must be removed to prevent the appearance of pathologies inside the organ.
- Another pleasant reason for menstruation two weeks after the previous one is ovulation. In rare cases, it causes small, scanty bleeding.
- Or it could be implantation. It is characterized by small drops of blood from the vagina. And if there was unprotected sexual intercourse or the girl can assume that conception has occurred, it is worth taking a pregnancy test, but not much later, when there is a delay.
