What causes a menstrual period to last longer than normal? When should you see a doctor about an extended period? Learn about the various reasons for prolonged menstrual bleeding and the treatments available.

Causes of Prolonged Menstrual Periods

There are several potential reasons why a menstrual period may last longer than the typical 3-7 days. Some of the common causes include:

Hormonal Imbalances

Changes in hormone levels, such as those that occur during puberty, perimenopause, or due to conditions like thyroid disorders or polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), can lead to an abnormally thick uterine lining. When the lining is finally shed, it can result in a prolonged period.

Medications

Certain medications, including contraceptives, blood thinners, and anti-inflammatory drugs, can contribute to longer or heavier periods.

Pregnancy Complications

Prolonged vaginal bleeding may be a sign of an ectopic pregnancy, miscarriage, or other pregnancy-related condition, such as placenta previa.

Uterine Fibroids and Polyps

Noncancerous growths in the uterus, known as fibroids and polyps, can cause extended and sometimes heavy menstrual bleeding.

Adenomyosis

This condition occurs when the uterine lining embeds itself into the uterine muscle, which can lead to prolonged and heavy periods.

Bleeding Disorders

Conditions that affect the body’s ability to clot blood, such as hemophilia and von Willebrand’s disease, can result in extended menstrual bleeding.

When to Seek Medical Attention

It’s important to see your healthcare provider if you experience a menstrual period that lasts longer than seven days or is unusually heavy. Prolonged or heavy bleeding can be a sign of an underlying medical condition that requires treatment. Seek immediate care if you experience any of the following:

• Fever
• Passing large blood clots
• Needing to change a pad or tampon every one to two hours for several hours
• Feeling lightheaded or dizzy

Diagnosing the Cause of Prolonged Menstrual Bleeding

To determine the underlying cause of your prolonged menstrual bleeding, your doctor may ask you questions about your medical history, menstrual cycle, and any symptoms you’ve been experiencing. They may also perform a physical examination and order tests, such as:

1. Pelvic exam to check for any abnormalities in the reproductive organs
2. Ultrasound to look for fibroids, polyps, or other uterine abnormalities
3. Blood tests to check for hormonal imbalances or bleeding disorders
4. Endometrial biopsy to examine a sample of the uterine lining

Treatment Options for Prolonged Menstrual Periods

The treatment for a prolonged menstrual period will depend on the underlying cause. Some common treatment options include:

Hormone Therapy

Medications that regulate hormone levels, such as birth control pills or progestin therapy, can help manage prolonged periods caused by hormonal imbalances.

Medication for Bleeding Disorders

Individuals with conditions that affect blood clotting may be prescribed medications to help control excessive bleeding during their periods.

Surgical Procedures

For conditions like uterine fibroids or polyps, surgical interventions such as myomectomy (removal of fibroids) or hysteroscopic polypectomy (removal of polyps) may be recommended.

Lifestyle Changes

In some cases, adjustments to diet, exercise, and stress management may help alleviate prolonged menstrual bleeding. For example, maintaining a healthy weight can help regulate hormone levels.

Managing Prolonged Menstrual Periods

While dealing with a prolonged menstrual period can be disruptive and uncomfortable, there are steps you can take to manage the symptoms:

• Use absorbent products like pads or tampons as needed to manage heavy bleeding
• Avoid activities that may exacerbate bleeding, such as high-impact exercise
• Ensure you’re getting enough rest and hydration
• Consider using over-the-counter pain relievers to manage cramps and discomfort

Remember, a prolonged menstrual period is not normal and should be evaluated by a healthcare provider. Seeking timely medical attention can help identify the underlying cause and provide appropriate treatment to alleviate your symptoms and prevent potential complications.

Key Takeaways

• A menstrual period that lasts longer than seven days is considered a prolonged or heavy period.
• Potential causes of prolonged periods include hormonal imbalances, medications, pregnancy complications, uterine fibroids or polyps, adenomyosis, and bleeding disorders.
• It’s important to see your doctor if you experience a prolonged or unusually heavy period, as it may be a sign of an underlying health condition.
• Treatment options for prolonged menstrual periods vary depending on the underlying cause and may include hormone therapy, medication for bleeding disorders, and surgical procedures.
• Making lifestyle adjustments and using absorbent products can help manage the symptoms of a prolonged period.

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

How Long Does Your Period Last? Menstruation FAQ

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Medically reviewed by Debra Rose Wilson, Ph. D., MSN, R.N., IBCLC, AHN-BC, CHT — By Ana Gotter — Updated on April 2, 2019

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.

Last medically reviewed on September 29, 2017

How we reviewed this article:

Healthline has strict sourcing guidelines and relies on peer-reviewed studies, academic research institutions, and medical associations. We avoid using tertiary references. You can learn more about how we ensure our content is accurate and current by reading our editorial policy.

• Mayo Clinic Staff. (2014). Menstrual cramps: Definition.
  mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/menstrual-cramps/basics/definition/con-20025447
• Mayo Clinic Staff. (2016). Women’s health: Menstrual cycle: What’s normal, what’s not.
  mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/womens-health/in-depth/menstrual-cycle/art-20047186
• Menstruation and the menstrual cycle. (2017).
  womenshealth.gov/a-z-topics/menstruation-and-menstrual-cycle
• What are menstrual irregularities? (n.d.).
  nichd.nih.gov/health/topics/menstruation/conditioninfo/Pages/irregularities.aspx

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Medically reviewed by Debra Rose Wilson, Ph.D., MSN, R.N., IBCLC, AHN-BC, CHT — By Ana Gotter — Updated on April 2, 2019

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Why does time either fly quickly or drag on slowly? | Eternal questions | Question-Answer

24.01.2014 17:37

Elena Slobodyan

Estimated reading time: 4 minutes

59138

Category:
Psychology

Why does time either fly quickly or drag on slowly?

The way we experience the duration of time within ourselves, independent of external indicators such as clocks or calendars, is what psychologists call subjective or experienced time. This sense of time may differ from the actual course of time. If we are in a good mood or are engaged in the usual business, time flies faster, but if a person is immersed in depression or is hard at mastering a new business, his time can drag on very slowly.

How mood affects the perception of time

The most common point of view is that a good mood speeds up time (that is, our subjective time turns out to be less than real, “external” time), and a bad mood stretches it. If you experience joyful moments in life or communicate with people who are pleasant to you, then time flies by unnoticed – as you know, “happy hours are not watched.” The same applies to work: when we are passionate about work, striving for success, then time flies by unnoticed, and if work drags on for a depressingly long time, this is a symptom of a weak interest in our work.

Depression and illness make us perceive the passage of time as painfully long. The same applies to communicating with people unpleasant to us – everyone is familiar with the awkward state when you wait and can’t wait for the person you don’t like to leave you.

Efforts to gain new experience also affect the perception of time: if we do our usual business, then time flies by unnoticed, but mastering a new subject is given to us with difficulty, which is reflected in subjectively longer time. For example, driving home from work in your hometown will seem shorter in time than the same journey that you make in an unfamiliar area.

How events and information affect the passage of time

Another important factor is the number of events that a person perceives – they are also called cognitive markers. When a person’s consciousness is saturated with a mass of events – these can be both external events in which we participate and a large flow of information being assimilated – then we get a feeling of great speed of time: a stream of cognitive markers rushes by like telegraph poles outside the window of a fast moving train.

If there are few events or interesting information, then time seems to freeze – the human consciousness has nothing to grab onto in order to feel its progress. By the way, this can also explain why the perception of time by modern man has accelerated significantly compared to the measured life of people in the pre-industrial era. Today, we make more decisions, travel more, meet more people, or learn more from books and media in a year than, for example, an 18th-century peasant would in his entire life.

Another interesting phenomenon is that the monotonous period is extended for a long time only in the present, i.e. when we experience it. But as soon as he finds himself in the past, i.e. when you remember this period, it will seem surprisingly short. The reason is that a series of monotonous events is recorded in memory as one event, as one experience.

How does age affect the perception of time

Age also affects the perception of time. The time of a child is more eventful and emotional than the time of an elderly person – therefore, a week or a year for a child lasts much longer than for an adult, and even more so for an elderly person. There is an interesting point of view that the “proportionality” effect affects the perception of time: for a 5-year-old child, one year is 20% of his life, and for a 33-year-old adult, only 3%. Therefore, in the perception of a child and an adult, this year takes a different amount of time.

Affects with age and accumulated experience, including emotional. With age, we do not perceive different events so dramatically, we better understand ourselves and those around us – therefore, a number of researchers believe that life satisfaction, mood in older people improves compared to younger years. Experience also means less effort that needs to be put in to get results at work. All this leads to the fact that with age, time begins to fly by unnoticed.

See also:

• Where does the time go, or why do I have no time for anything? Online with a psychologist →
• How to stop being afraid of the new? →
• How to deal with emotions? →

biorhythms

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Priapism (too long erection) | Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center

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Approximately 2 min.

This information will help you understand what to do if you develop priapism.

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Information about priapism

Priapism is an erection that lasts too long. Priapism can occur outside of sexual arousal and does not stop after orgasm. There is a risk of developing priapism after penile injection therapy.

When there is a full erection, no new blood enters the penis. Consequently, the penis does not receive oxygen, which can cause tissue damage and lead to permanent erectile dysfunction (ED).

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Information about Pseudoephedrine HCl (Sudafed®)

Figure 1. Pseudoephedrine hydrochloride (Sudafed)

Pseudoephedrine hydrochloride (Sudafed ^® ) may help if you have priapism. You can buy it at your local pharmacy without a prescription, but the drug packs are kept behind the pharmacy counter.

To buy pseudoephedrine HCL, take the pseudoephedrine HCL card on the shelf to your pharmacist (see Figure 1). You will have to show a photo ID before the pharmacist will sell you a package of this drug. Do not buy pseudoephedrine hydrochloride on the shelf. This is phenylephrine and is not suitable for the treatment of priapism.

If you have heart problems, ask your cardiologist if it is safe for you to take pseudoephedrine hydrochloride.

If you are being treated with penile injections, be sure to carry pseudoephedrine HCL with you throughout your treatment.

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If you develop priapism

• If you have an erection hard enough to penetrate (6 or higher on the erection hardness scale) that lasts 2 hours, take 4 (30 mg) pseudoephedrine hydrochloride tablets (Sudafed).
  Do not take sustained release or long acting tablets such as Sudafed 12 hour. If you have any questions, please contact your pharmacist or qualified healthcare professional. Pseudoephedrine hydrochloride is shipped in a vial with syringes from your Rx pharmacy, or you can buy it from your local pharmacy.
  • If your erection is weaker than needed for penetration within an hour of taking pseudoephedrine hydrochloride, call your healthcare provider’s office the next day to speak to a qualified healthcare professional. You should not continue to inject at the same dosage if you are taking pseudoephedrine hydrochloride for prolonged erections. Your qualified health care provider will change the dose of the medicine used for penile injection therapy.
    Do not inject again until you have contacted your health care provider.

• If your erection lasts 3 hours (erection does not go away 1 hour after taking pseudoephedrine HCl), call your top pharmacist.
  • Monday through Friday from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm, call a qualified health care provider.
  • Between 5:00 pm and 9:00 am, and on weekends and holidays, call 212-639-2000 and ask to speak to the urologist on call.
  • Call the MSK Emergency Center at Memorial Hospital (1275 York Avenue, between East 67th Street and East 68th Street) if you can get there in less than 30 minutes. A qualified health worker will call the Emergency Center to make sure they are waiting for you. During the call, you will receive additional instructions from a qualified healthcare provider.

• If your erection lasts 4 hours and you haven’t seen a qualified healthcare professional, it’s considered an emergency. You must act as quickly as if you had a heart attack. An erection lasting more than 4 hours can lead to irreversible damage to the erectile tissue.
  • Call the MSK Emergency Center if you can get there in less than 30 minutes. Ask the guard at the entrance to the hospital how to get to this center.
  • Go to your nearest emergency room if it takes more than 30 minutes to get to Memorial Hospital.
  • Tell the emergency center or emergency room that you have an erection for 4 hours. A medical officer should examine you immediately. If you don’t get medical attention right away, you may develop permanent erectile dysfunction.