HEAVY periods - please help

[SmilingRawDancer]

I decided to inquire on THESE forums because -you guys are smart, and will give me a good raw-friendly answer.

I've had severely heavy periods for the past few months. I had them when I was younger, but then they got better and more managable for awhile. Now they're back, despite being as raw as I can be.

I have a desire in the back of my mind to go to the doctor and take WHATEVER THEY PRESCRIBE ME, just to make this go away. Because this is activity and life impairing, and it's a wonder I'm not iron-deficient yet.
I know NOTHING about hormones, or any methods they'd use to "treat" me, but I'd love some information as to what (if anything CAN) be done.
Anything.
THANKYOU!!

<3

[aliciamatheson]

I can imagine what you are experiencing is terrible - a friend of mine has the same issue from time to time (not every month).

When things became more tolerable, what were you doing that was different?

And going to the doctor is not a bad thing - you don't have to take his/her advice but the information is always good.

What is the <3 symbol on your signautre line - just curious. Alicia

[SmilingRawDancer]

The <3 is a sideways heart...bad habit in typing from High school :p

I haven't done anything different....which is why it's a bummer.

[aliciamatheson]

ah ha! i saw it somewhere else and thought it was some funky cool thing i didn't know about! i'm such a geek!

my two cents - more than likely it's hormonal but i'm just wondering if you were raw for, say 6 months, if your body would steady itself over time.

any holistic health clinics/doctors/homeopaths in your area that could give you another perspective?

alicia

[SmilingRawDancer]

yeah, I've been raw for over a year....for awhile I had little to no periods (AWESOME), then they came back with a vengence. I hope it's just my hormones sorting themselves out...

[eachpeachpearplum]

I'm so sorry not to have an answer for you,however I was having very strong perimenompusal systoms (at 37 and breastfeeding!) and they went away when I went 100%.

I wish you luck in your search!

EPPP

[beppa66]

I think it might be your hormones sorting themselves out. Mine sort of were really light, and now they are heavier this month. I know what you mean though, it's like you're afraid of going out of the house. EEK.

[SmilingRawDancer]

I just hope they sort out faster! they've been irregular (skipped a month etc.) and heavy...stupid. I want whatever that treatment is...uterine ablation?

Haaa I'm such a hypocrite when it comes to living healthy. I want to only use natural products, eat raw, be eco-friendly in everything I do....but I want to get rid/ damage my organs, for convenience.

mehhh

[Stina]

The more raw I am, the heavier my periods are and I believe it's part of the cleansing/detoxing phase I need to go through for them to lighten up instead of being "clogged up" down there.

[Rawmommie]

I believe it's a form of detox also.

I have always had very heavy (painful) periods. When I went raw it took a while, but they got much lighter....BUT...if I stray from my raw path, they get harder again. I slipped a bit over xmas and this last period I had went ON and ON and ON and the cramps were awful. Are you eating all raw? Maybe there is something in your diet that is still causing you to detox a lot?

[Bobbie]

In Italy, an "old wives remedy" is lemon juice. The flavonoids strengthen the blood vessels. The minimum dose is 4 lemons per day.
If you put lemons through a juicer, peel and all, then you'll get much more of the pith, and flavonoids. I love apple juice with lemon-with-peel added. Be careful not to drink too much lemon-peel-juice in one go though because it can make people nauseous in large doses.
If you had lots of oranges/grapefruits in addition to the 4 lemons a day, then even better! You could grate the peel and add it to salads/cakes/pies/biscuits etc.

I never menstruate while 100&#37; raw, but if I have something heated like not-raw-cashews, or a lot of not-really-raw spices, I wake up the next morning bleeding profusely, so I think that's detox. There's a theory that "in the wild" on out natural diet, women didn't bleed and its the lack of fruit/flavonoids that causes it.

[Care4raw]

Heavy periods could be a symptom of fibroids tumors. Can be treated very easily and naturally,(not as bad as they sound). Worth finding out if your symptoms persist.

[SmilingRawDancer]

In Italy, an "old wives remedy" is lemon juice. The flavonoids strengthen the blood vessels. The minimum dose is 4 lemons per day.
If you put lemons through a juicer, peel and all, then you'll get much more of the pith, and flavonoids. I love apple juice with lemon-with-peel added. Be careful not to drink too much lemon-peel-juice in one go though because it can make people nauseous in large doses.
If you had lots of oranges/grapefruits in addition to the 4 lemons a day, then even better! You could grate the peel and add it to salads/cakes/pies/biscuits etc.

I never menstruate while 100% raw, but if I have something heated like not-raw-cashews, or a lot of not-really-raw spices, I wake up the next morning bleeding profusely, so I think that's detox. There's a theory that "in the wild" on out natural diet, women didn't bleed and its the lack of fruit/flavonoids that causes it.

I juice limes and oranges, if those count :) I don't come by lemons often.
It's definetly worth a try!

If this doesn't even out after awhile, I'm DEFINETLY going to the doctor - but untill then I'm going to check my nutition, and wait it out. I was thinking it might have to do with my fat intake - when I periods were lighter I was eating much lower in fat, whereas lately I've been eating 50% + in fat per day. So today I subbed sprouted grains for the nuts I usually eat. We'll see. I just wish woman-kind didn't have to go through this.

[Bobbie]

I ate some not-raw cashews yesterday so today I'm surfing the crimson wave. I'm going to try the lemon juice cure, see what affect it has.
When I did used to menstruate (when I wasn't 100& raw), if I had a lot of nuts/seeds then I did have heavier bleeding, but it wasn't the fat content because I always eat masses of avocados, coconut cream, and oils and they don't affect it at all.
Now on 100% (except for very occasional cashews) I eat lots of avocados every single day with lots of olive and flax oil and I never menstruate. (without the cashews).

[PeachyLove]

cashews contain estrogen, maybe thats why the increase in flow.

[jayn804]

I had extremely heavy periods from day one, with horrendous pms symptoms. After I had my son, my pms subsided only slightly, and my periods remained very heavy. It got to the point where my whole life was revolving around my periods. When I was in my late 30's I went on a five year stint of birth control pills. As soon as I stopped taking them, my periods came back so heavy that I needed blood transfusions because my hemoglobin would drop to anywhere between 3.1 (my lowest) to 7 and 8 (normal women should be between 12 and 14) even after being put back on bcp and taking megadoses of prescribed iron supplements. My doctor did a uterine ablation (burned out the lining of my uterus), to no avail, then another surgery, and finally in October, out of my desperation, he removed my uterus. I was out of work for 9 weeks, and am still recovering. Even though my recovery was painful, and I still have a numb stomach, I have to say it was worth it. I never have to think about that heavy bleeding again. I still have my ovaries, so my hormones are all my own. I can't believe that finally (in my 40's) I can actually have a life. I just wish that I had been more insistent with my doctors and had this done years sooner.

[SmilingRawDancer]

I'm not there yet, but if things persist like this for more than 1 year or two...I'll consider some other options - because I know that I'm doing everything in my power, diet-wise, to improve. Hopefully time will help my body sort this out.