How to deal with excessive menstruation so as not to threaten health

Excessive menstruation or menorrhagia should not be ignored. Menstrual blood that keeps coming out can make you suffer from anemia, or other serious health risks. So, don't hesitate to see a doctor to find ways to deal with excessive menstruation. Even so, there are many causes of excessive menstruation, so there are different ways to deal with it. Check out the full review below.

How to deal with excessive menstruation depends on the cause

Excessive menstruation has many causes. Starting from hormonal imbalances to diseases of the reproductive organs.

Therefore, you should first consult a doctor before finding out how to deal with excessive menstruation.

The doctor will first consider other aspects such as how severe your condition is, disease, age, and your medical history.

After that, the doctor can help recommend the right type of treatment after determining what causes it.

How to deal with excessive menstruation with drugs

In most cases, taking medication is an effective way for you to deal with excessive menstruation.

Doctors usually do not prescribe only one type of drug. You can be prescribed more than one drug which is considered appropriate and suitable for your condition.

Medicines that are usually prescribed include:

Iron supplements

Iron supplements are often prescribed by doctors to control blood flow that is too heavy and prolonged.

There is medical evidence that iron deficiency can lead to excessive bleeding during menstruation. So supplements with mineral content such as iron can reduce it.

Additional iron from supplements can also prevent you from the risk of anemia due to excessive bleeding.

NSAID pain relievers

Taking NSAID pain relievers such as ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin, IB, and others) can be a way to deal with the accompanying symptoms of excessive menstruation

This medicine helps reduce pain and cramps when menstruation starts coming. In addition, NSAID drugs help reduce the volume of blood that is lost during menstruation.

With both benefits, NSAID drugs are often mandatory drugs prescribed by doctors. These drugs can also generally be obtained without a doctor's prescription.

Family planning pills

Regularly taking birth control pills helps reduce menstrual bleeding by up to 60% by preventing ovulation and thinning the endometrium.

Reporting from the Healthy Woman page, the combination of estrogen and progesterone in birth control pills can treat menorrhagia that is not caused by problems with the uterus.

Progestin

Progestins are the drugs most often prescribed as an effective way of dealing with excessive menstruation.

Progestins work to slow down the effects of the hormone estrogen in the body. Estrogen normally works to trigger the growth of the uterine lining which is shed later during menstruation. Well, progestins make the lining of the uterus thin, reducing blood flow and menstrual cramps.

The effectiveness of this drug does not escape the side effects that may arise, such as weight gain and headaches.

IUD

IUDs containing the progestin-type levonorgestrel can also make the uterine lining thin. In effect, this birth control device will reduce blood flow and relieve menstrual cramps.

In fact, the FDA has approved the levonorgestrel intrauterine system (Mirena) to treat menstrual bleeding that is too heavy.

Just like other drugs, using the IUD as a medicine to treat excessive menstruation also causes various side effects.

The main side effect is the appearance of mild spots between menstrual schedules within the first three months of insertion.

Gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) agonists

Gonadotropins are drugs to treat severe menstrual bleeding due to endometriosis or uterine fibroids. GnRH drugs are available as injections or sprays.

This medicine should only be used as a means of treating excessive menstruation temporarily. This drug is only given for about 3-6 months, no more than that.

This drug really helps reduce blood flow during menstruation. However, its long-term use interferes with the work of estrogen in the body.

Estrogen imbalance can increase the risk of osteoporosis. In addition, long-term use of GnRH drugs can also cause headaches and sensationshot flashes (hot sensation in the body).

Danazol

Danazol is a drug containing testosterone which can inhibit the action of estrogen in the body.

This medicine can make menstruation stop in about 4 to 6 weeks.

The side effects that arise from this condition are acne and the breasts appear smaller in size.

Tranexamic acid (Lysteda)

Tranexamic acid (Lysteda) is an antifibrinolytic drug. This medicine helps blood clot, thereby reducing the volume of blood that is lost during menstruation.

However, doctors usually recommend taking this medicine only when menstruation is heavy.

Desmopressin Nasal Spray (Stimate®)

Desmopressin is a man-made form of hormone that is naturally made in the pituitary gland.

This hormone affects blood pressure, kidney function, and regulates how the body uses water.

This drug is used to stop bleeding in people who have certain von Willebrand blood disorders.

How to deal with excessive menstruation with surgery

Surgery or surgery is another way that doctors may take to treat excessive menstruation if the medication doesn't work.

Curette & dilation (D&C)

The doctor will open the cervix (cervix) to scrape or suck the uterine lining tissue. The goal, of course, is to reduce bleeding due to menstruation.

It is generally not enough to perform curettage & dilation once to stop menorrhargia immediately. This means that you may need to undergo this procedure repeatedly every time the problem arises.

Hysteroscopic surgery

Hysteresis surgery is done to see the inside of the uterus with a special instrument.

This procedure helps correct uterine abnormalities and removes its lining so that menstruation is not excessive. In addition, this procedure can also remove polyps and fibroids.

Endometrial ablation or resection

This procedure is done by removing part of the uterine lining to keep menstrual blood flow under control.

This procedure does not remove the uterus, but the risk can make it difficult for a woman to become pregnant in the future.

So, consult your doctor first if you plan to have children.

Hysterectomy

Hysterectomy is a method of dealing with excessive menstruation only if the problem with the uterus is severe.

When other treatments don't work, the doctor will take this one step.

The reason is, the operation to remove the uterus makes you stop menstruating and you cannot get pregnant. For this reason, this procedure is not recommended for women who have never been pregnant or who still wish to have children.

Don't be afraid or hesitate to see a doctor. By getting checked out as early as possible, you will avoid complications due to menstrual blood that comes out too much.

Home remedies for excessive menstruation

In addition to treatment from a doctor, you can also deal with discomfort when experiencing excessive menstruation in the following ways:

Use a heating pad or bottle of hot water to place on your stomach to relieve cramps
Eat iron-rich foods to avoid anemia
Consuming foods and drinks that contain vitamin C to maximize iron absorption
Use menstrual cup because it can hold more blood and reduce the risk of leakage
Drink lots of water every day so that the volume of blood in the body is maintained
Get enough rest so that your stamina is maintained and doesn't get weaker
Limit daily activities, especially when blood flow is heavy

Try to routinely see a doctor while undergoing therapy, either with drugs or medical procedures. That way, the doctor can see the progress of your condition and the success of its treatment over time.