Is Your Period Too Heavy? Let's Talk About It

Everyone has an embarrassing memory that's etched into their brain. For me, it was my sophomore year of high school when I experienced heavy menstrual bleeding and stained my pants while at the movies with my dad. We were walking out of the theater, and everyone I walked past stared at me and snickered. I couldn't figure out why. It wasn't until I ran to the bathroom and looked in the mirror that I noticed a huge blood stain soaked into the back of my jeans. Shocked and highly embarrassed, I yanked down my oversized varsity jacket to cover the crimson stain. I walked to the car praying we made it home without my dad or anyone else noticing. And that, my friends, was my first time experiencing period shame.

The Isolating Experience of Heavy Periods

Having an unusually heavy period can be an isolating experience. Although periods are an intrinsic part of our lives, there's so much shame and embarrassment around period blood - especially during those unexpected moments where it appears on your clothes (or sometimes furniture). A lot of us grew up being told that some people are just unlucky and get super heavy periods. Here at My Happy Flo, we don't believe that should be anyone's story. Pain-free periods with normal flows are possible once your hormones are fully balanced.

What Defines a Heavy Period?

Before we get into the ins and outs of what makes My Happy Flo the perfect solution for those suffering from heavy periods, let's first define what a heavy period really looks like:

• With a healthy cycle, you should only be losing between 4 and 5 teaspoons of blood.
• For reference, that's enough to fill up one and a half shot glasses at most.
• People with heavy flows usually experience excessive bleeding where they are losing 80 milliliters (or 5.4 tablespoons) of blood or more in a cycle.
• Heavy cycles also typically last longer than seven days and require you to change your pad every 1-2 hours.

Many women with heavy cycles become accustomed to their symptoms and think the accompanying issues like cramps and mood swings are just normal. But it's actually a sign of unusually high estrogen levels, or other underlying conditions like PCOS or fibroids.

Expert Advice on Heavy Menstrual Flow

Chicago-based OB-GYN Dr. Constance Adams says knowing your normal is the easiest way to identify when your period is out of whack, and that you should never stay silent if something feels off. "I'd say most periods [where you are] utilizing two to three pads a day is just about normal," says Dr. Adams. "If you're someone where your whole life, you've been having a period that lasts 10 days, you soak through 10 pads a day, you're passing out on a regular basis, you're always anemic, that's not normal, and that would be something to talk to your doctor about."

My Happy Flo: A Natural Solution for Heavy Periods

Believe it or not, so many women have never known a life without a painful, heavy period. They've been convinced that they've inherited the misfortune of constantly bleeding through clothing, or having to skip school and work to deal with the pain. Have your heavy periods and irregular menstrual symptoms been getting you down? My Happy Flo is here to get you back on track...for good. In fact, we've helped thousands of women do just that: 75% of our customers reported a noticeable decrease in heavy menstrual flow within 30 days of consistent use of My Happy Flo.

"I have been using My Happy Flo for 3 months, and I have definitely noticed some changes," says Lillian, a faithful MHF customer. "With each month that passes, my cramps are less painful and my flow is lighter. I used to have very painful blood clotting on my second day and even that has lightened up. I'm happy to have finally found some relief."

Lillian is just one of the many customers whose period is forever changed thanks to balanced, healthy hormones achieved through My Happy Flo.

Curious to see what your period is trying to tell you? Take our custom quiz and find out how My Happy Flo can help you manage your heavy periods naturally.