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Fab Little Bag

Now and again I have the privilege of working with brands in their infancy. Fab Little Bag was created to stop women flushing sanitary products down the loo. Bad for the planet, bad for pipes. I did a load of research and created different types of content - blogs, editorial, quizzes - to get people talking about periods.

1 Aaghh! A clot!

Fear not, they might look yucky, but clots are usually nothing to worry about. When your womb lining sheds during a period, your body’s anti-coagulants kick in to slow things down. But like the rest of us, they can only work so fast. If your period’s heavy the poor old anti-coagulants can’t keep up with the rate of the blood flow. Which is why you end up getting dark red jam-like bits. Not a thing of joy by any standards, but all perfectly normal. That said, if you’re consistently getting clots more than inch big, or they’re pink or grey, then get checked out to make sure there’s nothing else going on.

2 Blame the hormones.

Those pesky hormones of ours have a lot to answer for because having heavy periods is often down to a plain old hormonal imbalance. At different times in our cycle estrogen and progesterone levels go up and down - which is what they’re meant to do. But if the levels stay high – especially estrogen – the lining of the uterus can thicken which results in heavy or painful periods. The good news is that there are ways to balance your hormones…we’ll come to that later

3 (Though it’s sometimes an age thing…)

Heavy bleeding isn’t directly related to age, but there are times when we can be more prone to it. Again that can be down to those cheeky hormone blighters. Teenagers who have just started their periods, and women approaching the menopause are prime examples. And when we say ‘approaching’ the menopause, changes in your period can happen from your late thirties onwards. Which can come as a shock, especially if you’ve always been quite light.

 4 Sudden change? Get it checked.

As well as hormone imbalances, heavy periods can be caused by fibroids (non-cancerous tumours in the womb), endometriosis (bits of the womb ending up elsewhere), pelvic inflammatory disease, thyroid issues, blood disorders, and sometimes, cancer. If your period has suddenly changed - whether it’s heavier bleeding, bleeding for longer, a change in cycle - then get it checked out, especially if the blood is orange or grey.

The cause of most heavy bleeding is hormonal, but it’s best talking to your GP if your period significantly changes.

5 Magnesium is your friend.

It’s a clever thing is magnesium. It helps activate the enzymes which control our absorption of fats, glucose and carbs. Being low on magnesium is one of the reasons we crave sugary foods before our period. So making sure we’re getting enough is one of our best defences against the hypnotic power of the chocolate aisle.

Another special thing about magnesium is that it also acts as a gentle muscle relaxant. This means it can help ease those strong contractions in your uterus – the ones that cause cramps and heavy bleeding. So stock up on dark leafy veg. wholegrains, seeds and nuts.

And chocolate.

Yes, you did read that correctly. But it has to be the dark kind with at least 70% plus cocoa so that it’s nice and rich in magnesium. As far as healthy eating goes, that one gets a huge tick from us.

Magnesium rich foods:

Spinach 157 milligrams (40% DV)

Dark Chocolate 95 milligrams (24% DV)

Almonds 80 milligrams (20% DV)

Avocado 1 medium: 58 milligrams  (15% DV)

Banana (medium) 32 milligrams (8% DV)

Source: draxe.com

6 Zzzzzz

Wakey wakey! Find yourself dozing off during the day? Feel tired even after a good night’s sleep? Your heavy periods might well be the culprit. The more blood you lose, the likelier it is for your haemoglobin levels to drop which can result in iron deficiency anaemia. Because haemoglobin is the stuff that carries oxygen around our bodies, even mild anaemia can leave us feeling pretty drained. More severe anaemia can cause breathlessness, dizziness and headaches. Not good.

So let’s get pumping that iron.

The first place to start is your diet; red meat, poultry and seafood are great sources of iron. For us vegetarians and vegans we need to eat more pulses, leafy veg, dried fruit (especially apricots), peas and soya. Having a side helping of Vitamin C with your iron-rich food helps its absorption; a glass of orange or grapefruit juice, a portion of broccoli, tomatoes or peppers will do wonders.

Think you might be anaemic? Your GP or practice nurse can do a simple blood test. If you are, you’ll probably be prescribed a course of ferrous sulphate (iron tablets) to get your levels back to normal. It’s best not to self-medicate with iron supplements, as an excess of iron can bring its own problems.

7 Be like Bridget

We owe it to ourselves not to let heavy periods interfere with our lives. So, if your periods are heavy or painful keep a period diary. Okay, so it’s not going to be as riveting a read as Bridget Jones’s, but it will help to flag up anything that might warrant further investigation. Make a note of when your period starts, when it finishes, any pain, how many tampons or pads (or both) you’re going through and how often you’re flooding through them. If you have all your info to hand when you see your GP, it’ll be much easier for them to work out what might be going on.

8 There’s no need to worry about toilet terrors

When your period is at its heaviest a trip to the loo can feel like something out of a scene from CSI. For heavy-flowers it’s not uncommon for even a super-absorbent tampon to only last a matter of minutes.

Repeatedly flushing a never-ending stream of tampons or towels down the toilets is a blocked pipe catastrophe waiting to happen. The horror that is a blockage is stomach churning – and that’s even before the plumber’s bill. So praise be to Fab Little Bag. The best way – ever – to dispose of any sanitary gubbins. Bag it, seal it, bin it. And FBL is biodegradable too.

They also come in handbag packs too - ideal for when you’re out and about. Never again will you face the fear of wondering just how effective the flush is in someone else’s loo. (Oh yes, we’ve all been there.) 

9 Just say no

When you’re used to having to carry around your body weight in tampons a few days each month, it’s easy to get into the habit of just dealing with it. We women are masters at that. But if you’re having to plan any trip out with military precision so that you don’t leak between one toilet and the next, or have to wear over-bum jumpers in the height of summer, then it’s high time to show your period who’s boss.

Thanks to the wonders of medicine there are plenty of treatments which do actually work. Your GP, nurse or gynaecologist will be able to talk you through your options.

The Mirena Coil (IUS)

A small plastic device that’s inserted into your womb. Although mainly used as a contraceptive, its slow release of the hormone, progesterone, can reduce bleeding by up to 90%.*

Source: www.nhs.uk/Conditions/Periods-heavy/Pages/Treatment.aspx

Combined Oral Contraceptive Pill

Or, as it’s better known: The Pill. This oral contraceptive does its job by preventing your ovaries releasing an egg each month. In effect you’re getting a fake period which is why it can help regulate your cycle and reduce heavy bleeding – roughly by 40%*.

Source: www.nhs.uk/Conditions/Periods-heavy/Pages/Treatment.aspx

Tranexamic Acid (Cyklokapron)

These tablets work by breaking down blood clots, which in turn helps to prevent prolonged bleeding. You take up to three a day for a maximum of four days. They can reduce blood loss of up to around 50%. *

Source: www.nhs.uk/Conditions/Periods-heavy/Pages/Treatment.aspx

NSAIDs (Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory drugs)

Ibuprofen, Mefenamic Acid and Naproxen all belong to this family of drugs. They help reduce your body's production of prostaglandin (a hormone-like substance) and can reduce blood flow from around 20-50%*.

Source: www.nhs.uk/Conditions/Periods-heavy/Pages/Treatment.aspx

Oral Norethisterone

This man-made progestogen is taken two to three times a day from the fifth to the 26th day of your period – so you need to be on the ball when it comes to your dates. By preventing your womb lining growing so quickly, it can reduce heavy bleeding by more than 80%*. Note: Although it inhibits ovulation, it’s not effective enough to be used as a contraceptive.

Source: www.nhs.uk/Conditions/Periods-heavy/Pages/Treatment.aspx

Injected progestogen

Again, this stops your womb lining growing as quickly, but instead of taking tablets you’re injected once every 12 weeks. You can get pregnant when you stop using it, but there can also be a delay of six to 12 months – worth bearing in mind if you’re planning a family

Uterine artery embolisation (UAE) 

If your heavy periods are caused by fibroids (non-cancerous growths in the womb) this procedure can be used to shrink them. It involves inserting a small tube into your groin into which small plastic beads are injected. The beads block the arteries which supply blood, making the fibroid shrink over the course of the next six months. You’re likely to need an overnight hospital stay - and there are potential fertility risks to consider.

Myomectomy

A surgical procedure to remove fibroids. Though it’s not suitable for every type of fibroid.  

Endometrial Ablation

This is where the womb lining is destroyed via one of two ways: a probe that uses microwave energy (microwave endometrial ablation) or a heated balloon that’s inserted into your womb (thermal balloon ablation). Both procedures are carried out under a local anesthetic and take around 20 minutes. You can usually go home the same day.

It’s really only advisable for women who don’t want children (or any more children) as there’s a high risk of miscarriage afterwards. The failure rate for endometrial ablation is about 25-35%, but if it’s not successful the first time you may be offered a repeat treatment.

Hysterectomy

This is the most drastic of all the options. A hysterectomy is when the womb is removed, so after it’s done you won’t be able to have children. There’s also a long recovery time afterwards so for most women it’s only considered as a last resort.

The bottom-line is, if you have any questions or concerns talk to your GP, nurse or gynaecologist.

You know your own body better than anyone.

Keep scrolling please. For some reason known only to web gremlins there’s a giant gap that just can’t be tightened, though it’s fine on mobile. ;-)