Women will typically experience a period every month from when they go through puberty until they start menopause. A menstrual cycle is something that may fluctuate for some one depending on a wide range of things. Though a period may look different for everyone and it is common that every woman has their own experiences when it comes to their time of the month. There are occurrences when their period may last longer, or even shorter than it is supposed to.
Having a longer period cycle can sometimes be considered a fluke and just something that happens from time to time. There are some times, however, where it should be taken more seriously and may possibly be caused by something going on within your body and life. That means that it could be resolved and fixed with the help of your doctor. When it comes to events like this happening within your body, it is important to keep note of any changes and differences you are going through.
Why It May be Happening
While there can be natural ways that a longer period may be happening, there are possible outside forces as well. The medications you may be taking could be causing changes in your body that could lead to a longer period. If you are taking any anti-inflammatories, birth control, or aspirin regularly, it could be likely that these could be causing issues within your body.
Back inside your body, your hormone levels may be changing the schedule of your period. These hormone changes can be seen most commonly when you are going through puberty or perimenopause, however, there is a chance of hormone changes happening in other moments in your life as well. A female hormone imbalance causes changes in when your body ovulates which can change how your period acts. A longer period may also be caused by obesity, a thyroid problem, or a blot clotting issue. If these seem like problems that could be resulting in longer periods, make sure to reach out to a doctor.
How to Help the Situation
One of the first steps in figuring out the why and how to fix it would be to go to your doctor. They may decide to do a blood test to check your hormone levels, a pap smear, or a biopsy to try to figure out what is going on inside of your body.
Once they are able to narrow it down or try to find a remedy, they may prescribe something to try to regulate your period. This may be a form of birth control like the pill, a shot, a vaginal ring, or an IUD. These devices will be able to help regulate the bleeding, stop any discomfort, and possibly shorten your period in the future.
If these solutions don’t seem to be helping your period or comfort, there might be the case of having anemia. This will cause low levels of iron in your blood and may cause you to be lethargic.
It can be important to keep track of what is going on inside of your body before things may worsen. Even small changes like a longer period should be taken seriously.