I am 21 years old, and menstruation has always been painful for me. My flow is exceptionally heavy, especially during the first three days. Despite taking every precaution, I still end up staining my sheets at night, forcing me to wash them almost every month. Due to excessive blood loss during menstruation, I developed anemia and blood deficiency, often feeling dizzy and weak with very low hemoglobin levels. The doctor prescribed Lifen to take.However, the doctor said I shouldn't take it if my body isn't iron deficient, as it could lead to iron overload and harm my health. What should I do? How can I improve this excessive menstrual flow?
What is Menorrhagia?
Medically, normal menstrual bleeding is generally defined as 20–60 milliliters. Bleeding exceeding 80 milliliters is considered menorrhagia.Estimating based on sanitary pad usage: normal consumption averages 4–5 changes per day, with no more than two packs (10 pads per pack) per cycle. If you need three packs and nearly every pad is saturated, it qualifies as heavy flow. Causes of Heavy Menstrual Flow 1. Abnormal vaginal bleeding may relate to your contraceptive method.The most common "trouble" stems from intrauterine devices (IUDs). In China, this is the most widely used contraceptive method among postpartum women. Its most prominent issues include shortened menstrual cycles, prolonged periods, significantly increased flow, and post-menstrual spotting. Especially with newer copper-releasing IUDs, while enhancing contraceptive efficacy, they also increase menstrual bleeding.
2. Short-acting oral contraceptives typically regulate menstrual cycles, reduce flow volume, and alleviate menstrual cramps. However, incorrect usage can disrupt hormonal balance, leading to abnormally heavy periods. For instance, deviating from prescribed instructions—such as missed or incorrect doses—disrupts reproductive hormone levels, affecting endometrial development and causing abnormal bleeding.Women using long-acting injectables or subdermal implants often experience not a single heavy episode of vaginal bleeding, but persistent, spotting-like bleeding. Over time, the cumulative volume can become substantial. This typically occurs when externally administered reproductive hormones have not yet reached equilibrium within the body.
Special Dietary Reminders During Menstruation
1. Avoid raw and cold foods; opt for warm and hot foods
Traditional Chinese medicine holds that blood flows with warmth and stagnates with cold. Consuming raw or cold foods during menstruation can hinder digestion and damage the body's yang energy, leading to internal cold. This cold stagnation impedes menstrual blood flow, potentially causing scanty periods or even dysmenorrhea.Even during the hottest summer months, cold beverages should be avoided during menstruation.
Opt for warm foods like kelp, red dates, sorghum, coix seeds, lamb, and apples. Limit cold, slippery foods such as pears, water chestnuts, water caltrop, winter melon, Chinese broccoli, and hemp seeds.
2. Avoid sour and spicy foods
During menstruation, women often feel particularly fatigued with weakened digestion and poor appetite. Therefore, meals should be light and easily digestible. Avoid overly sour or highly stimulating foods like hawthorn berries, pickled vegetables, vinegar, chili peppers, mustard, and black pepper.
3. Prevent iron deficiency through balanced meat and vegetable intake
Iron is an essential trace element for the human body. It not only participates in the synthesis of hemoglobin and numerous vital enzymes but also plays a significant role in immunity, cognitive function, aging, and energy metabolism. Due to increased iron loss during menstruation, supplementing with iron-rich foods is crucial.Fish, lean meat, animal liver, and blood contain abundant iron with high bioavailability, making them easily absorbed by the body. In contrast, plant-based iron found in soybeans and spinach has lower absorption rates. Therefore, menstrual diets should emphasize balanced meat and vegetable intake, incorporating more animal-based foods to meet the heightened iron demands during this period.