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Heavy Periods Specialist

Chetanna Okasi, MD

OB/GYN located in Columbia, MD & Greenbelt, MD

Periods play an integral part in a girl’s life, symbolically marking a woman’s passage into womanhood. However, that doesn’t mean that with each menstruation cycle, a woman has to go through a rollercoaster of emotions, cramps, mood swings, or even heavy bleeding. Dr. Chetanna Okasi of Women’s Wellness MD knows the difficulties associated with heavy periods, and is here to help. If you live in Columbia, Maryland, or the surrounding areas, and suffer from heavy periods, visit Dr. Okasi for some relief.

Heavy Periods Q & A

What is a Heavy Period?

Heavy periods are a condition in which a woman experiences heavier than usual menstrual bleeding. This can interfere with your normal life, as blood flows in high amounts and can sometimes flow for an unusually long period of time. If let untreated, it can also cause anemia, leaving you in a tired and weak state.

How are Heavy Periods Diagnosed?

Heavy periods can sometimes be hard to diagnose due to personal nature of what a woman considers to be a “heavy” period. Menstrual bleeding usually lasts up to five days with some conditions, such as menorrhagia, lasting more than seven days. Any bleeding lasting over seven days should be treated as unusual, and you should contact Dr. Okasi immediately. If you visit Dr. Okasi for heavy bleeding, she’ll ask you for your personal and family medical history, in addition to giving you a number of tests to determine the cause of the heavy bleeding.

What Causes Heavy Periods?

Heavy periods can be stem from uterine-related issues, such as the presence of fibroids, or cancer of the uterus or cervix. Some birth controls that introduce hormones into the body may also be responsible for heavy periods. Singular events, such as miscarriages, can also result in heavy periods. Women with hormone imbalances or diseases may also experience heavy periods. Be sure to ask Dr. Okasi what she believes is the cause of your heavy periods.

What Treatments are Available for Heavy Periods?

Since heavy periods can be a normal occurrence for one woman and the result of a disease in another, it’s hard to determine an exact cause, especially for women without any common conditions usually attributed to heavy periods.

Depending on your condition and the severity of the period, Dr. Okasi may recommend drug therapy. Some drugs like tranexamic acid can be used to reduce the loss of menstrual blood, while hormone therapy through birth control can provide hormonal control and regulation of blood loss. If heavy bleeding is caused by fibroids, surgical options may be viable methods of reducing blood flow. Further, ablation destroys the fibroids from within, while myomectomy will surgically remove uterine fibroids. Some extreme cases may lead to hysterectomy, the removal of the uterus, as a viable option to end the menstrual cycle.

Accepted Insurance Providers

Dr. Chetanna Okasi and Women's Wellness MD accepts most major insurance plans. If you have any questions, please call our office and speak with one of our knowledgeable staff members.

AARP
Allegiance
Allegiant
American Republic Insurance
Amerigroup
Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield
CareFirst Blue Cross Blue Shield
Caterpillar
Cigna
Coventry
Empire Plan
Freedom Life
GEHA
Johns Hopkins EHP
Maryland Physicians Care
Memorial Hermann