What causes long periods? How can you manage them? Discover the underlying health conditions behind extended menstrual cycles and learn when to seek medical attention.

Defining a Long Period

Generally, a menstrual period is considered “long” if it lasts longer than seven days. Healthcare providers may refer to this as menorrhagia. It’s important to note that a period lasting less than a week but with unusually heavy bleeding can also be classified as menorrhagia.

Common Causes of Long Periods

There are several potential causes for a prolonged menstrual period, including:

• Hormonal Imbalances: Changes in the levels of hormones like estrogen and progesterone can lead to thickening of the uterine lining, resulting in heavier and longer periods.
• Medications: Certain drugs, such as contraceptives, blood thinners, and anti-inflammatory medications, can contribute to extended menstrual bleeding.
• Uterine Abnormalities: Conditions like uterine fibroids, polyps, and adenomyosis can cause the uterine lining to become thicker, leading to longer and heavier periods.
• Thyroid Disorders: An underactive thyroid (hypothyroidism) can disrupt the normal menstrual cycle and result in prolonged bleeding.
• Bleeding Disorders: Conditions that affect the body’s ability to clot blood, such as hemophilia and von Willebrand’s disease, can lead to extended menstrual bleeding.
• Obesity: Excess weight can cause the body to produce more estrogen, leading to changes in the menstrual cycle and longer periods.
• Pelvic Inflammatory Disease: This infection of the reproductive organs can contribute to abnormal menstrual bleeding.
• Cancer: In some cases, a prolonged period may be a symptom of uterine or cervical cancer.

Seeking Medical Attention

If you experience a period that lasts longer than seven days, it’s important to consult your healthcare provider. Prolonged or heavy bleeding can be a sign of an underlying health condition that requires medical attention. Some signs that you should seek immediate care include:

• Experiencing a fever
• Losing an abnormally large amount of blood or passing large blood clots
• Feeling lightheaded or dizzy due to significant blood loss

Diagnosis and Treatment

During your appointment, your healthcare provider will likely ask you questions about your menstrual history, such as when your period started and how many pads or tampons you’ve used. They may also perform a pelvic exam and order tests, such as blood work or imaging studies, to determine the underlying cause of your long period.

Treatment will depend on the underlying cause. In some cases, medication may be prescribed to regulate hormone levels or prevent excessive bleeding. In more severe cases, such as with uterine fibroids or cancer, surgery may be necessary.

Managing Long Periods

While you’re waiting to see your healthcare provider or undergoing treatment, there are a few things you can do to manage a long period:

• Use sanitary products as needed to manage heavy bleeding
• Avoid activities that could exacerbate bleeding, such as intense exercise
• Stay hydrated and consume a balanced diet to help prevent anemia from blood loss
• Take over-the-counter pain medication to alleviate cramps or discomfort

Preventing Long Periods

While it’s not always possible to prevent a long period, maintaining a healthy lifestyle and addressing any underlying health conditions can help reduce the risk. This includes:

• Maintaining a healthy weight
• Managing any thyroid or hormonal imbalances
• Seeking treatment for any uterine abnormalities or bleeding disorders
• Avoiding medications that may contribute to extended menstrual bleeding

When to Seek Emergency Care

If you’re experiencing a long period along with any of the following symptoms, it’s important to seek immediate medical attention:

• Severe pain or cramps
• Dizziness or lightheadedness
• Fever
• Passing large blood clots
• Soaking through pads or tampons quickly

These could be signs of a serious underlying condition that requires prompt treatment.

Causes, When to Seek Help, Treatment, and More

If you experience periods that last longer than seven days, see your doctor. It may be a sign of a serious underlying health condition that needs to be addressed.

Generally, a period lasts between three to seven days. A menstrual period that lasts longer than seven days is considered a long period.

Your doctor may refer to a period that lasts longer than a week as menorrhagia. You may also be diagnosed with menorrhagia if you experience unusually heavy bleeding that lasts less than a week. Five percent of women have menorrhagia.

A long period may be a sign of a serious underlying health condition, such as:

• hormone irregularities
• uterine abnormalities
• cancer

It’s important to see your doctor if you experience a long or heavy period so they can identify the underlying cause or rule out more serious possible causes.

Menorrhagia can cause discomfort during your period as well as disrupt your regular routine. You may find that the bleeding affects your activities or your sleep. You may also experience iron deficiency anemia if you regularly experience long menstrual periods, especially if they’re heavy.

Read on to learn more about long periods, including possible causes and what you can do to manage this symptom.

Long periods can be caused by a wide range of underlying conditions.

Hormone and ovulation changes

Changes to your hormones or ovulation may cause a long period. You may notice hormonal changes when you first get your period during puberty or in perimenopause. You may also experience a hormonal imbalance from different health conditions, such as thyroid disorders or polycystic ovary syndrome.

If your hormones aren’t at a normal level or if your body doesn’t ovulate during your menstrual cycle, the uterine lining can become very thick. When your body finally sheds the lining, you may experience a period that’s longer than normal.

Medications

You may experience long periods because of medications you take. These can include:

• contraceptives, such as intrauterine devices and extended birth control pills
• aspirin and other blood thinners
• anti-inflammatories

Pregnancy

While not actually a period, extended vaginal bleeding may be a sign of an unsafe or nonviable pregnancy, such as an ectopic pregnancy or a miscarriage.

You may also have extended bleeding in pregnancy if you have a condition like placenta previa.

If you’ve had a pregnancy test come back positive and you’re experiencing vaginal bleeding, see your healthcare provider.

Uterine fibroids or polyps

Uterine fibroids and polyps can lead to extended, and sometimes heavy, bleeding.

Fibroids occur when muscle tissue begins to grown in the wall of the uterus.

Polyps are also the result of irregular tissue growth in the uterus and cause small tumors to grow.

Generally, neither fibroids or polyps are cancerous.

Adenomyosis

Adenomyosis is another type of tissue buildup. The condition occurs when your endometrium, or uterine lining, embeds itself into the muscles of your uterus. This can lead to a long or heavy period.

Thyroid condition

You may have a long period if your thyroid is underperforming. This condition is known as hypothyroidism.

Bleeding condition

You may have a condition that affects your body’s ability to clot blood, causing your long periods. Two of these conditions are hemophilia and von Willebrand’s disease.

A long period may be the only sign of one of these conditions, or you may have other symptoms.

Obesity

Excess weight may cause long periods. That’s because fatty tissue can cause your body to produce more estrogen. This excess estrogen can lead to a change in your period.

Pelvic inflammatory disease

Pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) occurs when bacteria infect your reproductive organs. In addition to changes to your menstrual cycle, PID can also lead to abnormal vaginal discharge among other symptoms.

Cancer

A prolonged period may the sign of cancer in your uterus or cervix. For some women, this may be one of the earliest symptoms of either of these cancers.

Don’t ignore a long period. It’s important to see your doctor to discuss why you might be experiencing this symptom. Delaying your diagnosis and treatment could lead to a worsening of the underlying condition responsible for the extended bleeding.

You may want to seek immediate care with a long period if you spike a fever or are losing an abnormally heavy amount of blood or large blood clots. A sign that you’re losing a lot of blood is if you need to change a pad or tampon one to two times per hour for several hours. You may also begin to feel lightheaded if you’re losing a lot of blood.

There are many causes for a long period, so your doctor will likely begin your appointment by asking you some questions. These may include:

• when your period started
• how many pads and tampons you’ve used in the last day
• your sexual activity
• other symptoms you’re experiencing
• your medical and relevant family histories

They may also do a physical exam that includes a pelvic exam and measuring your vital signs.

Your doctor may also recommend any of the following tests to help them make a diagnosis:

• blood tests to check hormone levels and also to look for signs of an iron deficiency
• pap smear
• biopsy
• abdominal or transvaginal ultrasound
• hysteroscopy
• dilation and curettage

Treatment methods for a long period can vary. Your doctor will treat the underlying cause. They may also recommend a treatment to reduce your current bleeding, regulate your period, or relieve any discomfort.

Hormonal birth control may regulate your period and shorten it in the future. This medication can be administered as:

• a pill
• an intrauterine device
• a shot
• a vaginal ring

Your doctor also may advise you to take medication that reduces pain or discomfort you experience from the prolonged period. These medications may include over-the-counter nonsteroidal anti-inflammatories, such as Advil or Motrin.

In some cases, your doctor may recommend a surgical procedure to alleviate long periods.

Dilation and curettage can thin the layer of your uterus and reduce how much you bleed during your period.

If you’re no longer considering having children, you may undergo endometrial ablation, resection, or a hysterectomy. These procedures can relieve the long periods, but they may also eliminate the possibility of getting pregnant.

Delaying a diagnosis could result in a more invasive procedure or intensive treatment for the underlying cause.

Additionally, if your long period causes heavier blood loss, you could be at risk of developing anemia. This may contribute to feelings of tiredness and weakness.

Your doctor can use results from a blood test to diagnose anemia. If your iron levels are low, your doctor may recommend boosting your diet with iron-rich foods and a possible iron supplement to get your levels back to normal.

Long periods may also be painful and interfere with your well-being and quality of life. You may miss days of school or work, or withdraw from activities you enjoy because of your long period.

There are many reasons you may have a period that’s longer than normal. Long periods can get in the way of your normal life, and they may also be a sign of an underlying condition that requires treatment.

See your doctor to find out the cause of your long period so you can begin to treat it. Delaying treatment may cause complications and lead to more invasive treatments in the future.

How Long Does Your Period Last? Menstruation FAQ

Overview

Menstruation typically works on a monthly cycle. It’s the process a woman’s body goes through as it prepares for possible pregnancy. During this process, an egg will be released from the ovaries. If that egg isn’t fertilized, the lining of the uterus is shed through the vagina during a woman’s menstrual period.

Your period, also known as menstruation, typically lasts anywhere from two to eight days.

Many women experience symptoms during their period. Certain symptoms like cramping or mood changes can begin before the actual period. This is often called premenstrual syndrome, or PMS. Most women’s menstrual symptoms resolve after the period is over.

The full menstrual cycle is counted from the first day of one period to the first day of the next. It typically lasts between 21 and 35 days. There are different stages within the menstrual cycle. These include:

The follicular phase

The follicular phase starts on the first day of menstruation and ends when ovulation begins. During this stage, the ovaries produce follicles, which then house eggs. This stimulates the thickening of the uterus’s lining. There’s an increase in estrogen during this time.

Ovulation

The mature egg is released into the fallopian tube and then the uterus. This typically occurs about two weeks into a woman’s cycle, or about midway.

The luteal phase

The body maintains its preparation for pregnancy. This includes an increase of progesterone and a small amount of estrogen. If a fertilized egg doesn’t implant in the uterus, this phase will end and menstruation will begin. In a 28-day cycle, this phase ends around day 22.

Menstruation

During this stage, the thickened lining of the uterus is shed during a woman’s period.

Many women will experience irregular periods at some point in their lives. It’s particularly common for young women to experience highly irregular periods — including very long periods — during their first few years of menstruation. Their periods will often shorten and stabilize between one and three years after menstruation begins.

Irregular periods include periods that are lighter, heavier, arrive unpredictably, or last longer or shorter than the average. According to the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, it’s estimated that between 14 to 25 percent of women have what are classified to be “irregular” cycles.

That being said, if your periods are less than 21 days apart or more than 35 days apart, there could be an underlying cause that’s making you more irregular. If this is the case, make an appointment with your doctor.

There are a number of different factors that affect your cycle. As you get older, for example, your period will get lighter and become more regular.

Using a new contraceptive, including birth control pills, vaginal rings, and IUDs, can make you irregular at first. Many birth control methods can cause long, symptomatic periods for the first one to three months after you start taking them, but these even out over time.

Other factors that can make you irregular, or cause changes to your menstrual cycle, include:

• extreme weight loss
• excessive exercising
• infections to the reproductive organs, like pelvic inflammatory disease (PID)
• conditions like polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS)
• increased stress
• changes in diet

Many women prefer to regulate their menstrual cycle. Doctors may even recommend it for women whose periods are consistently irregular.

Regulating the menstrual cycle focuses on strategies and treatments to ensure that a woman’s period comes within a set frame of time and lasts for a time frame between the “normal” two to eight days.

The most common way to regulate your menstrual cycle is through birth control pills, or other similar hormonal contraceptives like the patch or the NuvaRing. Some of these contraceptive methods will trigger a woman’s period once a month, while others may only give her a period once every three or six months.

Other methods of regulating the menstrual cycle could involve treatment for eating disorders that are causing severe weight loss, or modifying diet and lifestyle. If you’re able to reduce stress, that could also reduce irregularity of your period, too.

While every woman is a little different and her “normal” will be unique, there are symptoms that indicate it’s a good idea to talk to your healthcare provider. These symptoms include:

• Your period becomes irregular after it’s been steady and predictable for a long time.
• Your periods suddenly stop for 90 days or more and you aren’t pregnant.
• You think you may be pregnant.
• Your period lasts for more than eight days.
• You bleed much more heavily than usual.
• You soak through more than one tampon or pad every two hours.
• You suddenly begin spotting.
• You develop severe pain during your period.
• Your periods are more than 35 days apart, or less than 21 days apart.

If you suddenly get a fever and experience flu-like symptoms after using tampons, seek immediate medical attention. These symptoms could indicate a dangerous complication called toxic shock syndrome.

When asking how long your period lasts, it’s easy for women to want a definitive answer. Each woman is different, however, and she’ll have her own normal. Tracking your unique cycle each month will help you detect trends and patterns, so you’ll notice any changes as soon as they happen.

If you’re experiencing any sudden changes in your period that you don’t believe are stress-related, especially alongside other new symptoms, you can always make an appointment with your gynecologist to double check.

Classification of hazardous areas | NPO Spektron

Explosion-proof (Ex) equipment is used where combustible gases, vapors and mists, as well as combustible dusts, create potentially explosive atmospheres.
Ex – Equipment for such areas includes equipment for:
• oil production and transportation
• gas production and transportation
• oil refineries
• oil and gas tankers, offshore drilling rigs and floating oil production, storage and offloading systems
• Petrol stations and gas stations
• Fuel stations for aircraft and hangars
• Chemical industry enterprises
• Production of protective coatings
• Mining industry enterprises
• Nuclear industry enterprises
• printing, paper and textile industries
• sewage treatment plants
• enterprises for waste disposal
• grain transportation, storage and processing (flour milling)
• Sugar refineries
• Wood processing plants
• Ferrous and non-ferrous metallurgy plants
• Light metal processing, which produces metal dust and fine particles.
To maximize the level of safety in such establishments, the legislatures of most countries have developed appropriate legislative documents in the form of laws, regulations and standards. During the process of globalization, it has become possible to achieve significant progress in the harmonization and regulation of blast protection guidelines.

Hazardous area classification

CCEx system in GOST R					Diagram IECEI		Directive ATEX (94/9/EC)
Zone 0 For highly explosive electrical equipment. An area in which an explosive gas mixture is present continuously or for an extended period of time.
Zone 1 For explosive electrical equipment. An area where an explosive gas mixture is likely to be present under normal operating conditions.
Zone 2 For electrical equipment with increased safety against explosion. An area in which an explosive gas mixture is unlikely to be present under normal operating conditions, and if occurs rarely, and exists for a very short time.
Class area 20	An area in which an explosive atmosphere in the form of a combustible dust cloud may be present continuously, frequently or for long periods of time, and where dust layers of varying thickness may form. A single collection of dust is not a Site 20.				Area in which an explosive atmosphere in the form of a cloud of combustible dust may be present frequently or continuously for long periods of time
Class area 21	Area in which an explosive atmosphere in the form of a cloud of combustible dust may occasionally occur during normal operation of the equipment and in which accumulations or layers of combustible dust are usually present				Area in which an explosive atmosphere in the form of a cloud of combustible dust may periodically occur during normal operation of the equipment
Class area 22	Area in which an explosive atmosphere in the form of a cloud of combustible dust does not occur during normal operation, or if it does occur, only for a short period of time and in the form of accumulations or layers of combustible dust				Area in which an explosive atmosphere in the form of a cloud of combustible dust does not occur during normal operation, and if it does, then only for a short period of time

Classification of hazardous areas according to PUE

Grade zones	Characteristic	Explosion protection level or degree of protection for devices	Explosion protection level or degree of protection for luminaires (stationary/portable)
V-I	Zones located in rooms where combustible gases or vapors of flammable liquids are emitted in such quantity and with such properties that they can form explosive mixtures under normal operating conditions.	Explosion-proof, extra-explosion-proof.	Explosion proof
B-Ia	Zones located in rooms where explosive mixtures of combustible gases or vapors of flammable liquids are not formed under normal operating conditions, but are possible only as a result of accidents or malfunctions.	Enhanced explosion protection (sparking or hotter than 80°C) / Without explosion protection (non-sparking and not hotter than 80°C). Sheath ≥ IP54.	Enhanced Explosion Reliability / Flameproof.
V-Ib	Zones located in rooms where, under normal operating conditions, explosive mixtures of combustible gases or flammable liquid vapors are not formed, but are possible only as a result of accidents or malfunctions, while explosive mixtures are distinguished by a high concentration limit of ignition and a pungent odor.	Without explosion protection. Sheath ≥ IP44.	Without explosion protection. IP53 Enclosure/ Increased Explosion Reliability.
V-Ig	Zones near outdoor installations containing flammable gases or flammable liquids, as well as spaces near openings behind the outer enclosing structures of rooms with explosive zones of classes B-I, B-Ia and B-Ib.	Enhanced explosion protection (sparking or hotter than 80°C) / Without explosion protection (non-sparking and not hotter than 80°C). Sheath ≥ IP54.	Increased reliability against explosion.
V-II	Areas located in rooms in which combustible dusts and fibers are released that can form explosive mixtures with air under normal operating conditions	Explosion-proof, extra-explosion-proof.	Enhanced Explosion Reliability / Flameproof.
B-IIa	Areas located in rooms where the release of combustible dusts and fibers capable of forming explosive mixtures with air is possible only as a result of accidents or malfunctions	Without explosion protection. Sheath ≥ IP54.	Without explosion protection. IP53 Enclosure/ Increased Explosion Reliability.

Relationship between temperature classes of electrical equipment, surface temperatures and autoignition temperatures

how to spell a word according to the rules of the Russian language

Most likely, you have doubted more than once how the word is spelled: “during” or “during”. The answer may surprise you, but the rules of the Russian language allow both spellings. The meaning here is the context

“During” or “during”. Photo: shutterstock.com

Margarita Mirzekhanova
Author KP

Svetlana Magomedova
Teacher of Russian language and literature

Contents

1. Rule “within”
2. Rule “within”
3. Teacher’s advice

Perhaps the errors in the use of “during” and “during” rightfully occupy one of the leading places in the spelling of the Russian language. The ill-fated letter “e” appears, then changes to “and”. And, it would seem, there is no logic in when and what we put. But this is only at first glance. In practice, it is enough just to understand the difference in usage once, and we promise you will not even think about which letter is placed at the end of the word in the situation you need.

The “within” rule

So, in order to understand the spelling of these words once and for all, we just need to find out what parts of speech they belong to.

“During” is a derived preposition. It is always written with a letter [e] at the end.

The preposition “during” denotes a period of time. Ask yourself if it is possible to replace the word with a similar phrase: “for what period of time?”, “How long?”. If the answer is yes – you have an excuse, feel free to put an “e” at the end.

Examples

• “Vanya went to the store and was away for 20 minutes.”

In this sentence, the preposition “during” tells us about the time period during which the boy was absent.

In this sentence, “during” indicates a long period during which the change took place.

Rule “within”

“During” is the noun “flow” with the preposition “in” in the prepositional case.

This noun has two meanings: the movement of water (the flow of a river, ocean) or the direction of an area of ​​activity (a fashionable trend, a political trend, a trend in art and literature). Putting this noun in the prepositional case (which answers the question “in whom?” “in what?”), we get our form “in the course” with the letter [and] at the end.

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Examples

• “I leaned over and saw my reflection in the course of the river.”

Here we are talking about the movement of water in the river.

• “ During the art of “modernism” we observe clear lines.”

In this example, we are talking about a line of business.