For a very long time, women thought that painful periods were normal. Suffering was normalized. It’s nice to see things are changing, and there’s more awareness about what’s not okay to suffer during menstrual cycles.
Blood clots are one example where it can get tricky to understand whether they can be passed off as nothing unusual or need a visit to the gynac stat. Through this article, we hope to get into more detail and make it easier for you to understand if you need medical help or not.
Should You Worry About Blood Clots During Periods?
During a woman’s period, it’s common to have menstrual clots. They’re made of coagulated blood and tissue that come out of the uterus as the period ends. It’s usually okay to have them, but it’s important to check how big they are to see if there’s a problem.
If the clots are small, which means they’re no bigger than a quarter, it’s usually not a big deal. But if they’re bigger than that, you should see a doctor.
It’s also important to know that these clots shouldn’t happen very often. They’re more common at the beginning of the period for healthy women, and they become less likely towards the end. Normal menstrual clots are usually bright or dark red. If they look brown or a weird color, you should see a doctor.
If you have heavy menstrual bleeding, even if there aren’t any blood clots, it’s important to see a doctor.
What Causes Blood Clots During Periods?
Before we answer this, let’s try to understand what periods really are. Every month, a woman goes through the process of menstruation. While most women are familiar with this monthly occurrence, they may not fully understand the underlying biological processes. During menstruation, the endometrium, which is the lining of the uterus, falls off. This is a natural reaction to not being pregnant since the thickened lining is no longer needed to support a growing fetus.
But a woman’s menstrual flow is not made up only of the shed endometrium. It also consists of blood, mucus, tissue, and blood by-products. This is normal, and if everything is right, the body can repeat the process next month as well.
Menstrual blood clots occur when the components of the menstrual flow stay coagulated rather than breaking down as intended.
Usually, when the lining of the uterus falls off, the body makes anticoagulants that help thin the blood and other substances, making it easier for them to leave the body. But when a woman is having her period, some of the blood clots may be too thick for the anticoagulants to break up. This makes the clots stick together.
There are some medical conditions that can cause large blood clots during periods, like polyps, fibroids, thyroid, birth control, etc. If these clots are accompanied by pain that needs painkillers and heavy bleeding, you need to see a doctor.
Heavy bleeding should be easy to figure out, as we all know what’s our usual bleeding, so if it deviates from that if you need more tampons or sanitary napkins than usual and more often or larger ones, it’s time for some tests.
How Can They Be Treated?
Treatment depends on the root cause. If it’s the thyroid that’s causing the blood clots, a doctor may prescribe medicines for normal thyroid levels. Polyps may need surgery for removal, and if birth control is the reason, your doctor may put you on different measures till you find relief.
Your doctor might suggest medicines like Xarelto (Rivaroxaban) or Coumadin (Warfarin) if you need them.
Your doctor may put you on iron supplements if they think you’re anemic from heavy bleeding.
So every case and individual is different, with different causes of blood clots in periods. If you’re not sure whether your blood clots are normal, visit your gynac for clarification and appropriate treatment.
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