MENSTRAUL PERIODS/HEAVY

FOR SOME WOMEN, heavy periods are an irritating inconvenience. For others they become a source of serious concern when a doctor suggests that hormone therapy or surgery-typically a hysterectomy-is the only remedy. A number of patients have come to me when faced with the dilemma of whether to have a hysterectomy. Fortunately, there is some help for women who suffer heavy periods, or menorrhagia, in the form of nutritional therapy, which is both safe and effective.

If you have extremely heavy periods, meaning periods that last for more than five days during which you bleed excessively, your first step should be a visit to your gynecologist to rule out conditions that should be treated with traditional medicine. These include cysts, tumors such as fibroids, or a troublesome intrauterine device (IUD). If you’ve been checked and no particular problem has been discovered, you should try the following regime of natural treatments.

The most common and well-known nutritional aid to regulate heavy periods is vitamin A. In fact, vitamin A is so closely tied to normal hormone production, and thus period regulation, that laboratory-reduced deficiencies of vitamin A in animals can completely suspend tile menstrual cycle. It’s long been known that women who bleed heavily have lower levels of vitamin A in their blood than women with normal periods. Women on the pill have higher levels of vitamin A than normal, and some of my patients have found that when they discontinue the pill they begin to have heavy periods. (One of my patients was terrified that her heavy periods were a sign of cancer. In fact, heavy periods in premenopausal women are rarely connected with cancer.) Supplementation can be the answer. I tell my patients discontinuing the pill to take vitamin A daily with meals.

Bioflavonoids can also make a remarkable difference. Found in the inner peel and white pulpy portion of citrus fruits, bioflavonoids are important in maintaining the strength of the blood vessels.

You might be aware that heavy periods can cause iron deficiency anemia; in turn, iron deficiencies can actually cause heavy periods. Iron supplementation can help relieve symptoms of iron deficiency anemia such as tiredness as well as the cause of the anemia itself. Make sure that your doctor tests your blood to determine if you are anemic. If you are, take a daily dose of elemental iron with meals. Be aware that iron supplementation can cause dark bowel movements and/or constipation.

You should also take a zinc supplement because tow levels of zinc have also been shown to contribute to heavy periods.

Some of my patients tell me that when they take either aspirin or vitamin E, they bruise easily. As both aspirin and vitamin E are known to have an effect on blood clotting, I suggest you stop taking both for a month or two to see if your heavy periods improve.

NATURAL PRESCRIPTION FOR HEAVY PERIODS

• Check with your doctor to see that there is no serious cause for your heavy periods such as a tumor, including a fibroid tumor, cysts, or an IUD.
• Discontinue both vitamin E and aspirin for a month or two to see if your periods become less heavy.

IN ADDITION TO YOUR DAILY SUPPLEMENTS, TAKE

• Vitamin A: 25,000 I.U. daily for three months, then 10,000 I.U. for six months, if there is no improvement, discontinue.
• Bioflavonoids and vitamin C: 1,000 mg. of bioflavonoids plus an equal amount of vitamin C twice a day.
• Iron: If a blood test has revealed that you are anemic, take 60 mg. daily with meals. (Iron can cause constipation and/or dark bowel movements.)
• Zinc: 50 mg. a day with meals.