CDear Doctor, if I have a very heavy period should I worry?
Thank you,
Louise
Doctor Monica Calcagni responds
Doctor Monica Calcagni
I’m there Doctor Monica Calcagni, Surgeon specializing in Gynecology and Obstetrics. For over twenty years I have accompanied women in every phase of their lives with competence, listening and passion. I graduated with honors fromUniversity of Rome “Tor Vergata”where I also obtained a specialization in Obstetrics and Gynecology with honors and a II level Master’s degree in Aesthetic Medicine, as well as various specialist certifications.
In my job I deal with everything related to gynecological health: from prevention to contraception, from pregnancy to birth assistance, up to obstetric and gynecological ultrasound. I’m a non-objecting doctor and I have always been committed to protection of women’s health and rights.
Alongside my clinical activity, I also carry out my educational activity, with scientific publications and three books aimed at the general public. I have written three books: My journey alongside women (Maggioli Editore, 2025), More woman, less break (Sperling&Kupfer, 2024) e Women’s things (Sperling&Kupfer, 2022).
For info and contacts call 3397247140-3737375627
Or for online consultations you can book directly on the platform Doctorium.
I have a very heavy period, should I be worried?
Dear Reader, it depends on how abundant and how often it happens. A more intense menstruation than usual can happen to everyone, especially in periods in which the body is a bit under pressure: after weeks of accumulated tiredness, after significant emotional stress, after an infection, or during those phases of life in which hormones seem to go on their own, such as adolescence or perimenopause. In these cases it may be an isolated episode, linked to the fact that ovulation was irregular and the endometrium, consequently, flaked more abundantly.
What to pay attention to
But when the flow becomes consistently very strong, when you find yourself at change pad every hourwhen large and frequent clots appear, when you start to feel a tiredness that doesn’t look like youthat exhaustion that can’t be recovered even by sleeping, then it’s really time to stop and understand what is happening. Because the abundant cycle, especially if repeated, it’s not just a nuisance: it’s a signal. The causes can be different.
Are there polyps or fibroids?
Sometimes there are fibroids or polyps, small benign formations which however can make the flow much more copious than normal. Other times it is the endometrium itself that thickens more than it should and produces an “exaggerated” menstruation.
Check your thyroid
In other situations, the thyroid is responsible: if it works too much or too little, it can alter the regularity and intensity of the cycle. And then there is an often underestimated element: iron deficiency. Because the paradox is precisely this: the more blood you lose, the more iron you lose; the less iron you have, the more the body strugglesthe more abundant the cycle tends to be. A vicious cycle that many women only recognize when they feel exhausted.
You don’t need a thousand tests
The good news is that you don’t need an endless battery of tests to see clearly. A simple pelvic ultrasound, accompanied by some blood tests, is usually sufficient to identify the cause and set up a targeted treatment. And there are many therapies today: delicate, effective, customizable.
Talk to your gynecologist about it
You don’t have to accept the idea of living a quarter of your life between abundance and exhaustion, giving up entire days because “it’s always been like that”. The cycle is a great communicator: when it changes markedly, it is not complicating your life, it is asking for your attention. And listening to it is the first step to feeling better. Follow my course “Conscious Cycle” on www.usateilcervellosempre.it if you want to learn more about your body and your periods.
If you want to know more read my book “Women’s things that men should know too” published by Sperling&Kupfer.