Natural Treatments for Heavy Periods

It's normal to experience a couple of heavy flow days at the start of your period. Sometimes you might notice a few blood clots on your pads or even leak through a tampon. However, if you find yourself changing your sheets in the morning because you've bled through your tampon or pad at night, avoid wearing light-coloured clothing during your cycle or pack your purse full of tampons, you might be experiencing chronic heavy periods, also known as menorrhagia.

But what causes heavy periods? And what are the treatment options available?

Successful treatment of heavy periods requires identifying an underlying cause.

Causes of Abnormal Uterine Bleeding

• Hormone imbalance, like oestrogen dominance

• Hypothyroidism

• Bleeding disorders

• Fibroids 

• Ovulatory dysfunction

• Adenomyosis

• Blood thinning medications, like aspirin

• Cancer (why you need a doctor for sure)

• Pelvic Inflammatory Disease (PID)

• Liver or kidney disease

• Perimenopause

• Childbirth

• Endometritis

• Iron deficiency

The most common cause of heavy periods that I see in clinic is oestrogen dominance. 

What is oestrogen dominance?

Oestrogen dominance refers to having too much oestrogen, which can be due to poor clearance (detox), environmental toxins, overproduction, lack of ovulation, and increased adiposity (fat cells), as a few examples.

There are two kinds of oestrogen dominance that I call actual and relative, and both have to do with having too much oestrogen.

Actual oestrogen dominance refers to a situation where you have too much oestrogen in general in your body. This can be because you are making too much and/or not clearing it through the liver or gut. Relative oestrogen dominance means you have too much oestrogen relative to progesterone. 

It’s important to point out that oestrogen is not bad. Oestrogen is an important hormone, and an important part of our health. However, when oestrogen (or any hormone) is out of balance, that results in symptoms that can leave you feeling pretty bad. 

Symptoms of oEstrogen Dominance

Oestrogen dominance can manifest in many ways:

• Heavy periods

• Painful periods

• Fibroids

• Ovarian cysts

• Tender breasts

• Fibrocystic breasts

• Weight gain

• Irritability

• Mood swings

• Headaches

• PMS

• Acne 

How does oestrogen dominance cause heavy periods with clots?

When oestrogen is in excess, it stimulates your uterus (the endometrium specifically) to grow thicker, which can result in heavier periods.

Causes of oestrogen dominance

There are a few things that can result in and exacerbate oestrogen dominance. The question is, what is true for you and your body?

Factors that contribute to oestrogen dominance:

• Increased adiposity (Fat cells can produce estrogen)

• Gut dysbiosis

• Constipation

• Sugar (e.g. candy, soda)

• Refined carbohydrates (e.g. white bread, white rice)

• Alcohol

• Non-organic meat (i.e. conventionally raised meat)

• Conventional dairy products (e.g. milk, cheese)

• Caffeine (found in coffee, some teas, energy drinks)

• Stress

• Genetics (see our Hormones DNA report)

• Environmental toxins 

• EDCs (endocrine disrupting chemicals), also called xenoestrogens, e.g. phthalates, BPA; found in plastic containers, skincare products, body care products, and more) 

Supplements for Heavy Periods

Here are a few of the ways I encourage women to approach symptoms of oestrogen dominance and explained in detail in my book Eat Right, Lose Weight - the Oestrogen type:

• Heal your gut

• Nourish your liver

• Get enough fibre

• Reduce stress

• Get enough sleep

• Take a supplement that supports oestrogen detoxification. My PCH Detox supplement is useful, Ca-D-Glucarate and Broccoli seed extract.  In clinic we may also use DIM is someone is not detoxing well though the protective oestrogen liver detox pathway (please do not take DIM unless under guidance of a qualified practitioner). 

Progesterone and oestrogen imbalance is only one factor in heavy periods. Other factors include underlying problems such as fibroids, endometriosis, adenomyosis, thyroid disease. 

One more underlying factor in heavy periods is mast cells, which are the part of the immune system that releases histamine and causes allergies, hives, anxiety, and sometimes premenstrual mood symptoms. But mast cell activation can also contribute to heavy periods because there are lots of mast cells in the uterine lining and, when activated, mast cells release not just histamine but also heparin which is a natural blood thinner and can make periods heavier. To complicate matters, there’s a relationship between oestrogen and mast cells. In one direction, oestrogen activates mast cells, and in the other direction, mast cell activation and histamine stimulate the ovaries to make more oestrogen.  This is why some new clients tell us that they get symptoms such as itchy skin or headaches at ovulation when oestrogen is high. 

Natural treatments to calm mast cells include quercetin, turmeric, probiotics, and the strategy of avoiding or stopping alcohol. Try my PCH Curcumin which is the active ingredient of turmeric, the antioxidant effects can help reduce internal stress and balance out progesterone and oestrogen levels, which results in decreased inflammation.

A great way to calm mast cells is to reduce or avoid normal A1 cow’s dairy, at least for a few months. Why? The protein A1 casein, which is found in normal cow’s milk, can in some people metabolise to an inflammatory peptide called BCM7, which can—among other things—activate mast cells.

Fortunately, A1 casein doesn’t do that in everyone, only in about one in three of us. Because BCM7 or A1 casein or normal cow’s milk can have a negative effect on the immune system you may have been that child with recurrent infections, maybe you outgrew that but now, that same negative effect of A1 casein on the immune system could be contributing to your period problems.

Dairy that does not contain A1 casein is usually fine for periods, and that includes goat or sheep dairy as well as A2 or Jersey cow dairy. Butter is also fine because it has almost no casein, and obviously, any plant-based milk like coconut, soy, or almond milk is fine. If a dairy-free diet will lighten your flow, it should start to work within about three cycles. 

Heavy periods can cause iron deficiency but did you know that iron deficiency can make periods heavier? That’s why getting your iron checked with a blood test called serum ferritin is important. And then—if you’re deficient—supplement iron as a way to lighten your periods. Preferably as a gentle chelated iron that won’t cause digestive problems like Spartan. Iron is better absorbed if you take it every second day with your largest meal.

Zinc and Magnesium (PCH Magnesium Complex) can be helpful when there is also period pain. Always take zinc with food because zinc on an empty stomach can make you feel sick.

In clinic, we recommend the Dutch hormone test to assess hormonal health for clients with heavy or painful periods. The DUTCH test measures a wide range of hormones, including oestrogen, progesterone, testosterone, cortisol, and their metabolites. By analysing these metabolites, we can gain insights into hormone production, metabolism, and clearance, allowing for a more accurate assessment of hormonal balance. For more information and to book a Dutch test visit our website.