How do I stop blood clots during my period?

How do I stop blood clots during my period?

Our expert: Dr. Cara Natterson

Our resident expert on all things girls. She’s a board certified pediatrician, author of the best-selling book series The Care and Keeping of You, and travels the country speaking about health and wellness issues to both kids and parents.

How do I stop blood clots from coming out during my period? I rarely saw blood clots [when I first started my period], but for the past few years, they’ve been getting bigger. They don’t hurt me; its the size of them that scares me. Is there wrong with me?

Most girls start their period around 11-12 years of age, which is in line when you started yours. Periods usually come every 28 days but can vary from 21 to 35 days and last from 4 to 7 days. The amount of blood flow and blood clots also vary from girl to girl plus what may seem like a heavy flow to one may not seem so heavy to others. In general, abnormal period or menstrual bleeding is when you are changing a pad or tampon every 30 to 60 minutes for 3 to 4 hours.  In your description, the amount of blood has changed in that you are now having blood clots which are a significant change to what is “your normal”.

If blood clots are new and increasing in size, this may suggest that the amount of blood that your uterus is making has increased, and this can be seen as blood clots. As the blood sits inside the uterus waiting to leave through the cervix it forms blood clots. It’s great that these blood clots do not cause cramping as they pass through the cervix, which can happen to many girls. Since this is a new change, I would contact your healthcare provider to make sure nothing is going on that needs special medical attention.  A complete history and physical is required to properly know what tests should be ordered. Part of the workup for heavier periods might include a pelvic ultrasound and thyroid studies.  Oral contraception or the Skylar IUD are two ways to decrease the amount of blood flow created during your menstrual cycle.

The good news is that there are birth control methods and medications that can be used to control the amount of blood and blood clots that are created during yourmenstrual cycle.

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