Blood Clots During Periods: Causes and Effective Solutions.

Author :-

Dr.Pavana Prakash

Obstetrics & Gynaecology

Introduction to Blood Clots During Periods

The kind of menstrual cycle that prevails in women is natural, but not all women with similar menstruating cycles stand in the same field. Unusual symptoms, such as blood clots, may attack some women during their period. Sometimes, this can be worrisome, but it's important to distinguish between a normal and abnormal clotting pattern to determine whether medical intervention is necessary.

Understanding blood clots during menstruation

From these lumpy gelatinous coagulated blood and tissue masses, the body sheds off from the uterine lining. Usually, the body develops blood clotting as a natural reaction when it starts bleeding, thereby preventing further blood loss. In this context, blood clotting during menstruation may occasionally signal an underlying health issue.

Consider the importance of blood clotting during menstruation.

Well, blood clotting is one of the natural ways to prevent heavy bleeding from a wound. It is harmless unless it manifests as a large or frequent occurrence, which indicates that your body is experiencing problems.

When should you be concerned about blood clots?

For instance, if clots exceed 2.5 centimeters in size and your periods frequently bleed during your menstrual cycle, or if heavy bleeding during menstruation persists for more than an hour or two, requiring you to wear pads or tampons almost throughout the day, you should consult a doctor. These symptoms could be indicative of a variety of diseases, including hormonal imbalance and blood clotting disease.

What Causes Blood Clots During Menstruation?

Blood clots and the menstrual cycle require the person to understand the cycle, what typically happens in the body that could cause a clot, and less often, what systems are involved.

This section provides an overview of the menstrual cycle and clotting factors.

Progesterone, Estrogen, and occasionally prostaglandin are the appropriate hormones responsible for maintaining the menstrual cycle. The term refers to the speed and nature of the uterine lining's bleeding. If the bleeding is occurring too quickly to prevent hemorrhages, it may be considered clotting.

Blood clots commonly occur during periods

Heavy menstrual bleeding or menorrhagia: Women who have higher flows will bleed more often because their body wants to stop the flow by forming bigger clots.

Uterine fibroids: These are benign tumour growths found in the uterus. These cause an enlargement of the uterus and can make women bleed much more heavily with clotting.

Endometriosis: The uterine lining grows outside the uterine cavity. The history in most cases reveals pain during menstruation, heavy menstrual bleeding, and clotting.

Miscarriage: Heavy bleeding and clots can occasionally accompany a miscarriage from an early pregnancy.

Hormonal influences on blood clot formation

In this case, Estrogen and progesterone are responsible for the conditions or hormonal imbalances that cause clotting. This list would include PCOS, a thyroid condition that causes heavy bleeding and clots.

Medical conditions linked to clotting disorders

Other clotting disorders, such as von Willebrand's disease, only inhibit blood clotting, resulting in either complete loss or heavy bleeding during menstruation. Upon suspicion, one may consult a hematologist for diagnosis and treatment.

Symptoms of Blood Clots During Periods

Once you are aware of irregular symptoms of blood clotting, you get a sense of when to seek the health provider.

Identifying blood clot symptoms

Larger clots are typically red or maroon-coloured.
The menstrual cycle can cause severe pain and discomfort.
Heavy menstrual flow or menorrhagia
Some cycles last longer than 7 days.

It is crucial to distinguish between normal blood flow and clots.

Generally, clots less than 2.5 cm in diameter are not a cause for concern, unless they occur during the heaviest days of your period. Huge clots or clots with severe pain are considered symptoms of an illness.

When should I seek medical advice for abnormal symptoms?

Please contact your doctor if you experience any of the following symptoms:

Even if large clots persist, measuring more than 2.5 cm,
Your period bleeding is too heavy, meaning you may change sanitary products several times in one sitting.
You have recurrent episodes of cramping and pain within the lower abdomen, which may at times radiate to the thighs and the lower back.

The following list includes some of the symptoms of anaemia you are experiencing.

Understanding Blood Clotting Disorders

Although blood disorders can have a significant impact on menstrual health, they typically represent localized conditions that specialists can treat.

What are blood clotting disorders?

There is another type of clotting disorder, coagulopathy. Coagulopathy simply prevents either clotting or clot-dissolving in the body. Coagulopathy can lead to either excess bleeding or even clotting at the time of menstruation.

Various types of bleeding disorders can affect menstruation.

Von Willebrand Disease: These clotting proteins are part of a genetic disorder.

Haemophilia: This disease primarily affects female patients, causing extreme and excessive bleeding.

Thrombophilia: It is associated with abnormal blood clotting in the body, which may therefore affect menstrual cycles.

Impact of Blood Clots on Menstrual Health

Blood clots may influence the general state of menses. Blood clots may have several implications regarding flow, pain, and complications.

How do blood clots affect menstrual flow and pain?

During the menstrual cycle, blood clots typically occur more heavily than usual due to the body's normal removal process. This can also result in excruciating pain, particularly in the lower abdomen region.

There is a relationship between heavy bleeding and blood clumps during the period.

Heavy bleeding causes the blood to clot up in the body as it tries to naturally slow down the pace of loss of blood. This can even lead to more painful cramping and exhaustion.

Potential complications of untreated blood clots

Should clotting disorders remain untreated, some complications result in anaemia and, in the worst, endometriosis or uterine fibroids, which may need surgical removal.

Effective Solutions and Treatments for Blood Clots

Therefore, the management of blood clotting during menstruation involves making lifestyle adjustments, reformulating diets, and using medicinal therapy as a supplementary measure to prevent bleeding.

Adjust your lifestyle to manage blood clots during your periods.

Exercise: It maintains the hormone level in proper order along with smooth blood flow.
Fluid Intake: It will decrease clotting if the woman takes sips of water at appropriate times.
Menstrual Stress: All manifestations of menstruation, including clotting, directly relate to growing levels of stress.
Nutritional Recommendations and Effect on Factors of Clotting.

Researchers are studying the effect of dietary recommendations on clotting factors.

Iron supplement: It is taken orally and also found in food in support of green leafy vegetables like spinach, lentils, and red meat in the case of heavy bleeding to prevent anaemia.

Fish and flaxseed provide omega-3 fatty acids, which reduce inflammation and clotting.

When to consider medical interventions

If the above two lifestyle and diet changes do not work, then what the patient requires is medical treatment. Consult a gynaecologist for the necessary treatment procedures.

Medical Treatments for Blood Clots

Overview of blood clot treatment options

Numerous medical treatments facilitate the regulation of blood clotting during menses.

Further information regarding the treatment of blood clotting is available.

For clots in menstrual blood, doctors prescribe a variety of medications; NSAIDs, or nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, yield minimal bleeding and pain since the drug is well in control of the major bleeding. Tranexamic acid is an antifibrinolytic drug that is applied in the treatment of heavy menstrual flow with increased blood clotting.

Oral contraceptives: They combat the hormonal imbalance in the body that leads to severe clots and bleeding during menstruation.

The role of hormonal therapies in managing menstrual blood clots is important.

We administer hormonal therapies, such as birth control pills or progesterone therapy, to manage menses and prevent clots.

Surgical options include laparoscopic surgery and its indications.

If fibroids, endometriosis, or any structural defects are the cause, we will remove these laparoscopically.

Preventing Blood Clots During Menstruation

Tips for reducing the risk of blood clotting

During menstruation, blood clot injection contributes to prevention.

What You Can Do to Lower the Risk of Getting Thrombosis

Maintaining a healthy weight is crucial for your body's hormonal balance.
You adopt a diet that could potentially lead to elevated levels of iron and anti-inflammatory drugs.
You perform your routine exercises since they can enable you to continue enjoying free blood circulation in your pelvic region.

Importance of regular check-ups and monitoring

The gynaecologic examination guarantees the assessment of menstrual health, potentially leading to the early diagnosis of subclinical cases. Annual pelvic exams and ultrasounds could detect such conditions as fibroids or causes of abnormal bleeding for early treatment.

It's crucial to be aware of the signs and symptoms for prompt intervention

Early stages of disorders with sign-clotting symptoms, such as very heavy periods or large clots, lead to the right intervention and treatment at the right time.

Conclusion

Menstrual blood clots are common, but if they are recurrent or large, it's important to take action. Understanding the causes of blood clots during menstruation and their treatment options can empower women to take charge of their menstrual cycle.

FAQs

1. When to seek medical advice?

It is usually the size of a quarter or 2.5 cm in diameter. If clots are large, talk to your healthcare provider.

2. Clots in menstrual cycles: Am I having a miscarriage?

Clots sometimes accompany early miscarriage, but having a clot does not mean you have a miscarriage for anyone. Discuss your concerns with your healthcare provider.

3. Do birth control hormones prevent clots during your periods?

The answer is yes. Hormone birth control can regulate your menstrual cycle and prevent excessive bleeding that leads to clots.

4. Blood clots during menstruation: When is it appropriate to consult a doctor?

You should seek the attention of a doctor regarding the following symptoms: frequent expulsion of large clots larger than 2.5 cm, heavy bleeding, and continuous pain during menstrual cycles.

5. What should I eat to prevent clots?

Consuming iron and foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids can lower inflammation levels, allowing for normal bleeding during periods and a smooth passage through them.