Heavy and Painful periods can not only be stressful, but they can impact a good portion
of your work/life balance. Often I have patients telling me they need to take days off work
and are incapable of getting out of bed. Taking handful’s of painkillers which sometimes
do not work.

Luckily, in many cases, this can be resolved fairly quickly naturally, within typically
3 months.

FIRSTLY, HOW DO YOU KNOW IF YOUR PERIOD IS HEAVY?

“Heavy menstrual bleeding is losing more than 80 mL of total menstrual fluid over all the days
of your cycle, or a flow that lasts longer than seven days”. Says Lara Briden ND.

Unless you use a menstrual cup, practically measuring this amount is tricky. So some of the ways you can assess just how much you per day is considered “heavy” is by the number and size of the products you are using:

• Regular tampons and pads = 5mls
• Super tampons and pads = 10mls

So, if for example your period lasts for 5 days and you are using 5 Super tampons a day for at least the first 2 days of your cycle, you can definitely determine this is heavy and therefore not normal.

“In simple terms, you shouldn’t need to change your pad or tampon more frequently than once
every two hours during the day. And you shouldn’t need to be up in the night changing a pad,
because your flow should lighten during sleep” Lara Briden ND.

WHAT CAUSES HEAVY PERIODS?

A number of possible drivers could contribute to the heaviness of your periods, and therefore it’s important that you firstly attempt to find someone who can give you a professional diagnosis. A good diagnosis should contain pathology (sex hormones, thyroid hormones, key nutrients such as Iron), an ultrasound and if necessary a pelvic exam.

Several known drivers could be:

• Primary dysmenorrhea (painful periods),
• Endometriosis (inflammatory condition in which tissue similar to the uterine lining (endometrial tissue) grows in places other than inside the uterus ie: bowels, perineum)
• Adenomyosis (uterine lining tissue grows within the muscle of the uterine wall)
• Fibroids (benign growths of the uterine muscle)
• Anovulatory bleeds (a menstrual cycle in which ovulation does not occur, and progesterone is not made)
• Thyroid disease
• Coagulation or bleeding disorder such as von Willebrand disease.

Other known contributors to Heavy (and painful) periods are:

• Perimenopause (hormonal changes (such as increased estrogen and decreased progesterone) that occur during the two to twelve years before menopause).
• Insulin Resistance,
• Chronic inflammation, and
• Iron deficiency

However, the most common cause of heavy periods is Progesterone deficiency and Estrogen Excess.

At times this excess of estrogen is referred to as estrogen dominance, and is typically due to the bodies inability to adequately clear and detoxify this hormone via our Liver – phase 2 detoxification pathways.

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THE KEY IS BALANCE

1. HELP SUPPORT CLEARANCE OF ESTROGEN:

• Use Nutrients and Phytonutrients to prevent estrogen recycling and promotes the conjugation and detoxification of estrogen.
  • Indole 3 Carbinol (DIM), Calcium D Glucarate, Broccoli Sprouts, Tumeric are some of the best ones I use in supplemental support.

• Avoid harmful chemicals in diet and lifestyle: Women who consume too much alcohol often have signs of estrogen excess, of which heavy / painful periods may be one of those signs. This is because estrogen conjugation in the liver is impaired by alcohol. Likewise, endocrine disrupting chemicals such as Perfumes, Plastics, Pesticides, contribute to impaired conjugation. Here is a list of things to avoid as much as possible, or have within reason. If symptoms don’t improve remove all together for an extended period of time for the full benefit:
  • Alcohol
  • Caffeine
  • Diary
  • Gluten
  • Sugar
  • Soy
  • Perfumes
  • Pesticides
  • Fluoride
  • Plastics

• Support healthy and diverse microbiome: Clearance of estrogen through our bowels is supported by healthy good guys, opposed to un-beneficial bacteria which can actually cause estrogen to be absorbed back into the body and stored in fat cells. So it’s a good idea to implement a few good gut habits such as;
  • Avoid un-necessary antibiotics use
  • Eat a variety of proteins, carbohydrates, healthy fats to feed and breed diversity. Foods such as;
    • Buckwheat, Lentils, Beans, Fermented foods, Cold Potato are great at feeding Butyrate forming bacteria to help with inflammation and sugar balance and promote intestinal integrity.
    • Glucomanin fibre is effective at reducing the activity of Beta Glucaronadaise which is responsible for disruption of phase 2 detoxification of estrogen. Eating 4g per day is ideal. High in Konjac noodles, one serve a day.

• Exercise daily has been shown to support detoxification of estrogen via sweating.

• FAR Infrared Sauna’s also are a great method of detoxification and supporting clearance of estrogen

2. PROMOTE PROGESTERONE SUPPORT

• Progesterone counterbalances Estrogen. Like a see-saw, without Progesterone, Estrogen will be left sitting too high in ratio. Progesterone helps to thin the uterine lining, it’s also a calming hormone (a key sign is if you have significant mood swings with periods, you will have a progesterone deficiency), plus it helps stimulate Thyroid aka Metabolism.
  • Vitex Agnus Castus (Chaste Berry) is Progesterogenic in action. It inhibits the pituitary hormone prolactin, thereby enhancing ovulation and progesterone production. Vitex also contains opiate-like constituents, which calm your nervous system. I Love Vitex!
  • Magnesium is a critical mineral for the function of the body, especially the hormone manufacturing. Its also critical in assisting the nervous system adapt and cope with stress (therefore preventing Pregnenolone steal below). Aim for approx 10mg per kg of body weight per day in a suitable format. I prefer Magnesium biglycinate as it’s better absorbed. (a 60kg women should aim for approx 600mg daily when acute – maintenance dose 300mg).

• Prevent Stress = Pregnenolone steal: The chronic output of excess cortisol (a stress hormone) causes a disruption in the HPA-axis (the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis), preferentially using pregnenolone to produce cortisol instead of other important sex hormones, resulting in a hormonal shift known as the “pregnenolone steal”. Your body will literally stops progesterone production in order to produce enough / more cortisol.
  • Adopt Stress mitigation techniques like Meditation, Yoga, Walking, Music, Aromatherapy, Adaptogenic herbs, Magnesium, B Vitamins.

3. RESTORE / CORRECT DEFICIENCIES

• Iron: Not only is iron critical for Heavy periods (as it helps to lighten periods), but is a vital nutrient. If Iron stores (called Ferritin) are low, this could trigger stress within the body and we know that stress basically eats away at Progesterone (see explanation above) and we do not want that do we!
  • Ferritin levels should ideally be 50ng – 100ng/mL. If you are below 50ng, then this could be too low (even if it’s within the lab reference range) for optimal hormone function.
  • Supplement no more than equiv 25mg Iron bisglycinate every second day before bed (Iron bisclycinate does not cause common side effects, and therefore provides optimum bioavailability). Studies have shown taking Iron last thing at night and every other night allows for maximum absorption.



Inner Alchemy Chakra Balancing range has the perfect Herbal Tincture and herbal Tea designed to support the adrenals and progesterone pathways for treatment of heavy, painful periods and those who also suffer from PMS.

• Divinefem: Chaste Tree, Withania (aka Ashwaganda), Rhodiola, Schisandra
• Divinefem-t: Black cohosh, Dong Quai, Licorice, Withania, St John’s Wort, Red Clover, Spearmint, Peppermint, Lemon Verbena, Hibiscus, Lavender, Rose petals

Also in our essential oil range, we have a Body Oil and Body Lotion blended with Organic essential oils for the Sacral Chakra, which when out of balance can cause hormonal conditions such as painful, heavy periods.

• Kama: Sweet Orange, Clary Sage, Ylang Ylang, Patchouli

BEFORE CORRECTING THE BALANCE

As mentioned there are many conditions that could be contributing to the heavy periods, but most common is a imbalance between Estrogen and Progesterone, especially when you are someone who is:

1. Highly Stressed – remember the pregnenolone steal prevents Progesterone from being produced and nutrient deficiencies such as Iron, can also cause stress also on body.
2. Perimenopausal – this is the 2-10 yrs prior to menopause where your hormone levels fluctuate and cause relative deficiencies and excess and might be linked to the inconsistency in your period flow, duration and symptoms.

These typically are the 2 types or person I see and why they have Heavy Periods. However I feel it’s very important to rule out the more significant conditions listed at the top of this page with someone knowledgable in diagnosis first. Certainly there is no harm in trying the above Key is Balance recommendations in mean time.

Carly xx