Help! My periods are so heavy

Q:

I’m 47, and my periods are so heavy that I’m often reluctant to go out because I’m afraid of bleeding through my clothes. I’ve started using two tampons at a time because I don’t know what else to do. Is this safe?

A:

There are no risks to wearing two tampons at the same time—as long as you remember to remove them both since leaving tampons in the vagina can result in infection. And doubling up will absorb more blood than one tampon. But if you’re looking for other options, consider period panties— absorbent underwear that can be worn alone or to back up tampons and pads. Some hold up to four tampons’ worth of blood. A brand that gets good reviews: Modibodi (Amazon.com). Using a menstrual cup, which sits in the vagina and catches blood before it comes out, can also reduce your risk of leaks. The cups come in a variety of sizes and tend to be the best at managing heavy-flow days because they catch more blood than a tampon.

Another strategy that can help lighten your blood flow by as much as 30%: taking 800 mg. of ibuprofen every eight hours starting at the first sign of bleeding. The medicine blocks the production of prostaglandins, chemicals that increase menstrual bleeding.

If these measures don’t help enough—or if you bleed so heavily that you soak through a tampon or pad per hour for several hours— discuss the issue with your doctor.

She can prescribe a medication or low-dose birth control pill to reduce menstrual bleeding. Also, the Mirena intrauterine device (IUD) is FDAapproved to treat heavy periods: Most women who use it will experience an 80% reduction in blood flow after three months. It can stay in place for five years, and you don’t have to do a thing to maintain its effectiveness.