Heavy Periods

Heavy periods can disrupt your life and cause embarrassing accidents. To stop excess bleeding during your period, our experienced gynecology team at Howard Center offers customized care plans using advanced treatments like the NovaSure® endometrial ablation. At the offices throughout Georgia, you receive comprehensive care for heavy periods from a team that’s performed over 5,000 ablations to date. Call the Howard Center office nearest you to schedule an evaluation or request an appointment online today.

What causes heavy periods?

Heavy periods describe menstrual bleeding that soaks a pad or tampon in less than two hours or bleeding that lasts for more than seven days. Some women with heavy periods also pass blood clots that are larger than a quarter. They may also experience abnormal pelvic pain.

Common causes of heavy periods include:

• Uterine fibroids
• Miscarriage
• Ectopic pregnancy
• Uterine or cervical cancer

You might also experience heavy bleeding during your periods if you have a bleeding disorder or a hormone imbalance.

How are heavy periods diagnosed?

Our gynecology team at Howard Center can determine what’s causing your heavy bleeding by reviewing your personal and family medical history and performing a pelvic exam. During a pelvic exam, your provider may take a sample of cervical cells (Pap smear) to test for cancer.

You might also need additional diagnostic tests, including ultrasound imaging and hysteroscopy, a procedure that uses a special tool to get a closer look at the inside of your uterus.

Once your provider determines the cause of your heavy periods, they customize a treatment plan to reduce blood flow and prevent additional complications.

How are heavy periods treated?

Your treatment plan for heavy periods depends on the underlying cause. You might benefit from low-dose hormone therapy to regulate your periods and lighten menstrual bleeding.

Some women benefit from a procedure known as an endometrial ablation. This minimally invasive procedure involves removing your endometrium (lining of the uterus). Our team at Howard Center uses the NovaSure endometrial ablation technology to treat heavy periods in women who aren’t yet in menopause.

How does NovaSure treat heavy periods?

NovaSure is a one-time, five-minute procedure that can stop heavy periods without serious side effects. The Howard Center team performs more ablations than anywhere else in Georgia. We have done more than 5,000 NovaSure treatments to help treat heavy periods. 

The NovaSure device delivers radiofrequency energy into the uterus’ endometrium. The radiofrequency energy destroys the uterine lining in just a few minutes without the need for hormones.

You can expect a fast recovery time following your NovaSure procedure, so you can get back to your usual activities as soon as possible. While it’s normal to experience some mild spotting, cramping, and vaginal discharge after an endometrial ablation, these issues go away soon after your treatment.

You can stop trying to hide heavy periods. An endometrial ablation gets rid of heavy periods, giving you freedom from painful periods and allowing you to wear white or light-colored clothing with confidence. Call the Howard Center office nearest you today to schedule a diagnostic evaluation of heavy periods or request an appointment online today.