According to the WHOQOL Group, the term ‘quality of life’ refers to the perception of situations in life held by an individual in connection to their goals, standards, and expectations within the framework of their value and cultural systems.
As far as menorrhagia is concerned, women describe the reduction or loss of daily activities to be more significant than the actual volume of bleeding.
Women use approximately 20 tampons per cycle or 25 or more menstrual towels per month.
But one of the most commonly encountered gynecological symptoms, menorrhagia causes women to soak through one or more tampons or sanitary pads every hour for several consecutive hours.
On top of that, their periods tend to last more than seven days, giving rise to health issues like anemia and iron deficiency – both of which affect their health adversely.
Heavy menstrual bleeding may sometimes be accompanied by other symptoms that indicate the presence of an underlying condition like excessive hair growth, rapid weight gain, and acne.
Even though the condition is rarely life-threatening, it negatively impacts a woman’s personal, social, work, and family life, and greatly reduces her quality of life.
The areas hampered include all eight subdimensions of the SF-36 Quality of Life Scale viz.
- Functioning
- Vitality
- Mental health
- Emotional role functioning
- Social role functioning
- General health
- Pain.
- Diagnosis of Heavy Menstrual Bleeding
Doctors normally evaluate cervical infection. Fluid is also inserted into a woman’s uterus to check for abnormalities through the process known as sonohysterogram.
Ultrasound helps evaluate pelvic organs, including the pelvis, ovaries, and uterus.
Apart from that, clinics should investigate the quality of life of the women complaining about menorrhagia, and devise effective approaches accordingly.
Health professionals treating the disease must possess sufficient knowledge of menorrhagia pathophysiology and evaluate patients individually.
They should provide integrated holistic care, taking into account the patient’s emotional, social, and physical experiences.
Normally, care for women with menorrhagia begins with the assessment phase and continues with the management of the treatment along with follow-up care.
Doctors should obtain a comprehensive gynecological and obstetric history.
Anamnesis comprises the comparison of the regular menstrual cycle with the existing one in terms of volume, duration, and severity of bleeding, and its effects on women’s life.
This information informs the planning of suitable health enterprises.
Future research must focus on qualitative research to better understand the patient’s experience with heavy uterine bleeding, which helps improve the effectiveness of the treatment and care offered.
What are Common Menorrhagia Symptoms?
Some of the signs and symptoms associated with heavy menstrual bleeding include:
- Heavy prolonged flow during the menstrual cycle
- Bleeding for over five days
- Spotting or bleeding between periods
- Abdominal and sacral cramps and pain
- Headache
- Anemia
- Shortness of breath
- Tenderness and soreness in breasts
- Malaise
- Constipation
- Palpitation
- General debility
- Bloating sensation
- Indigestion
- Fatigue
According to Ayurveda, the symptoms of heavy menstrual bleeding or Asrigdara can be grouped into four sets based on the vitiated dosha viz.
Vataja Asrigdara: Frothy, painful bleeding resembling the palasha flower.
Pittaja Asrigdara: Blood is warm, red, and blackish – commonly associated with fever.
Kaphaja Asrigdara: The bleeding is long-lasting with a slimy, thick appearance.
Sannipataja Asrigdara: Commonly associated with fever and syncope, the symptoms are a mix of all three doshas; treatment is difficult.
What are the Foods to Avoid During Menorrhagia?
You should avoid the following substances if you’re suffering from Raktapradara:
- Dry grapes
- Date fruits
- Gooseberries (Amla)
- Honey
- Ghee
- Patola (Snake gourd)
- Pomegranate
- Pakwa kushmanda (Matured ash gourd)
- Shashtika shali (shashtika rice)
- Godhuma (wheat)
- Tanduleeyaka (Spiranthis sp)
- Jangalamamsa rasa (desert animals)
Also, you need to cut down on sour and spicy food; fish; alcohol; Lashuna (garlic); Tila (sesame); black gram; Kulattha (horse gram); Sour Dadhi (curd), and Kshara dravya (alkaline substances) to cure Pradara roga.
Say no to coffee, tea, and icy cold drinks; instead, choose drinks at room temperature with cooling effects, like peppermint tea.
You should aim for a healthy, nutritious diet with plenty of vegetables and fruits.
Minimize your salt intake to avoid bloating and sugar which may disturb your body’s blood glucose levels, thereby affecting your appetite and energy.
Lowering the amount of fat in your diet can also discourage breast swelling.
What are the Simple Home Remedies for Treating Heavy Uterine Bleeding?
Saffron: Saffron – known as Kumkuma in Sanskrit – finds use in different formulations for internal usage and external application.
To prepare a quick, simple home remedy for heavy periods, you’ll require a single thin strand of saffron and 1 teaspoon of honey.
Break the strand into small pieces and combine it with honey. Intake this mixture once or twice daily to get relief from painful periods, heavy periods, nasal bleeding, and High Pitta conditions resulting in bleeding problems.
Patients who experience heavy periods regularly should begin the course three days before their expected date and continue until the bleeding lasts.
In case the heavy flow occurs occasionally, take the remedy when there’s heavy bleeding.
You can even start taking the remedy a week before your period starts and continue until it ends.
Use the mixture every month till your bleeding comes under control.
Ashoka tree bark: Ashoka bark is a common ingredient in Ayurvedic woman care.
For heavy flow, an easy home remedy consisting of Ashoka Tree (Saraca indica) bark, milk, and water until.
Take 25 grams of Ashoka bark powder and 200 milliliters of water in a wide-mouthed vessel.
Boil the water over a mild flame until it reduces to 50 milliliters. Then add 50 milliliters of milk, and bring the mixture to a boil until you’re left with 50 milliliters.
Filter and drink this mixture after giving it sufficient time to cool. A single dose constitutes 20 to 30 milliliters and you must drink it religiously during your periods until the bleeding ends.
Normally, milk-based remedies and herbal decoctions are taken warm. But you must drink this mixture only when it cools down.
Shelf life is just one day, so you need to prepare a fresh batch daily.
Ashoka tree bark works wonders for painful periods, Metrorrhagia, and Menorrhagia.
The herb is a staple in gynecological care and possesses phyto-principles.
While the substance is a great uterine tonic, patients with delayed menstrual flows and scanty bleeding should avoid she-care products containing it, like Ashokarishtam.
For very heavy periods, Ashoka bark powder is recommended from the 20th day of the cycle until the end. If you’re plagued by moderately heavy periods, take the mixture only during period days.
Lajjalu (Touch-me-not plant): Take the entire plant and crush it to a pulp. Now administer the medicated paste with fresh Doorva (Cynodon dactylon) or tandulodaka (rice washed water) to cure Raktapradara.
Nagakesara (Messua ferra) and Usheera (Vittiver zizinoides): Ground the stamens of Nagakesara and the root of Usheera into a fine powder, and apply three to five grams of this tincture along with sugar candy and butter.
Even the most severe forms of menorrhagia are no match for this cure.
Raisins: Include raisins in your daily diet to balance Pitta and minimize bleeding during your periods.
Coriander and Cinnamon: Boil ¼ teaspoon of powdered cinnamon and one teaspoon of coriander seeds in a cup of water until the liquid gets reduced to half a cup.
Put ½ teaspoon of unrefined sugar or powdered rock candy into the mix, and sip this tea two times a day.
What Ayurvedic Remedies are Available to Delay or Prepone Periods?
If your menstrual period gets delayed, it might often be followed by an extra heavy flow that goes on for more than seven days.
One in three women suffer from menorrhagia, and you need to balance your menstrual cycle to avoid further complications. Some readily available natural remedies include:
For preponing periods
Papaya: Patients must include papaya in their daily diet. The carotene present in this fruit induces estrogen and prepones the periods. Also, papaya produces heat in the body, which helps prepone periods.
Dates: Dates induce heat in the body and regular consumption can induce periods before schedule.
Pomegranate Juice: Consume pomegranate juice twice or thrice a day for 10 to 15 days to prepone periods.
Pineapple Juice: Drink pineapple juice twice every day to generate body heat and start menstruation early.
Pumpkin and Carrot: Both these plants contain carotene, which hastens periods.
Ginger: Consumption of ginger in juice or tea form with honey on an empty stomach prepones periods the natural way.
Sesame Seeds: Take a teaspoon of sesame powder or seeds, and add a tablespoon of honey or jaggery to the mix. Consume this substance daily to get periods immediately.
For postponing periods
Gram Lentils: Consume soup made from fried gram lentils and warm water on an empty stomach for a full week prior to the onset of your periods.
Avoid Spicy Food: Spicy food induces body heat and prepones periods. To delay the bleeding, you must remove spicy food, like garlic, hot peppers, black pepper, chilies, paprika, from your diet.
Parsley Leaves: Boil some parsley leaves in half a liter of water for 20 minutes. Strain the infused water and consume it with honey twice or thrice daily. This remedy helps postpone periods.
Bear in mind, however, that the menstrual cycle is a natural process and tampering with it may cause minor or severe problems in a woman’s body.
You must consult your physician before beginning a remedy to ensure your body can handle the change.
Palalika Chanda has 8 years of experience as a health blogger. Health and well-being are her two areas of expertise, and she has churned out numerous articles, blogs, and other think pieces on the subjects. She brushes up her knowledge on the subject consistently and this has served her well in her past branding and advertising roles. For any health-related queries and to view more of her content, please visit www.careclues.com.