Content
- Causes of clots
- When to see a doctor
- When clots are normal
- Pathologies in which clots appear during menstruation
- What is the danger of menstruation with clots
The moment when a woman detects blood clots during menstruation is alarming. When asked about the nature of such formations on the Internet, the most calming information is usually given. In fact, this is not always true, and in some cases, monthly lumps indicate serious health problems. Let's talk in more detail when blood clots are a pathology, and when they do not pose a threat.
Causes of clots
From every first day of menstruation, a new cycle begins, an egg is formed and matures until the ovulation phase. The entire hormonal system of the woman and the uterus at this time is being prepared for a possible pregnancy and the adoption of a fertilized egg. For this, a thickened layer of the endometrium is formed in the uterine cavity under the control of hormones.
Photos of menstruation with pieces of endometrium can be easily found on the Internet.
By the end of the cycle, if fertilization has not occurred, the uterus begins to get rid of this layer and push it out of itself. Thus, together with the menstrual blood, the remnants of the spent endometrium come out. This means that a clotted or jelly-like period is made up of blood cells, waste endometrial tissue, and proteins that are involved in blood flow.
Attention! If small clots come out with the bloodstream on critical days and there are no other accompanying symptoms, then the appearance of such secretions is quite normal.
Another reason for the appearance of clots without the presence of pathologies is associated with the fact that during the menstrual period a woman leads a sedentary lifestyle: she wants to lie or sit more. As a result of such forced hypodynamia, the blood moves outward more slowly, stagnates in the internal reproductive organs and in the vaginal area, coagulates and forms compacted areas. Trying to get up suddenly can increase the discharge.
When to see a doctor
The reasons that during the menstrual period, there are periods with blood clots, lie in spasmodic contractions the uterus, which simply pushes out what needs to be cleansed to continue further functioning.
It is necessary to consult a doctor in pathological cases if:
- The cycle was shortened to less than 21 days, or lengthened to more than 35 days.
- Heavy bleeding has appeared and its duration is more than a week.
- Menstruation is accompanied by severe pain and dizziness, while taking painkillers, it does not get easier.
Discharge with clots up to the size of a one-kopeck coin, without side effects is quite normal.
Important! The appearance of small clots in the middle or at the end of menstruation confirms that the uterus completely gets rid of the epithelium and the cleansing process is completed.
If the nature of the bloody discharge is no different from the menstrual bleeding of all previous periods, nothing unusual happens - no need to worry.
When clots are normal
Menstruation with flakes can be both normal and the result of various pathologies. In addition to the exit of the endometrium, large clots during menstruation can also form for the following reasons:
- Excessive discharge increases the number and size of blood lumps. They can be bright red or dark red in color. The larger the pieces, the darker they can be. Often many women describe the clots as black in the form of a liver. This is because when the blood slowly leaves the body, it stagnates and ages, changing color to dark brown and even black.
- Blood clots during critical days often form in women who have chosen an intrauterine device for contraception. These clumps have a slightly different character than described above. In this case, it is a part of a fertilized egg, which the spiral does not allow to gain a foothold, and it comes out with menstrual blood.
- Clots can form during the postpartum period. Immediately after the birth of a child, there may be profuse bleeding with clots, which disappear after 1.5 - 2 months. But if this condition is simultaneously accompanied by high fever, dizziness accompanied by loss of consciousness, then perhaps the reason lies in the fact that the placenta has not completely left. In such cases, you should immediately consult a doctor. After giving birth, the cycle fully returns to normal only after 4-6 months.
- Taking emergency contraceptive medications - can also cause increased discharge during menstruation with chunks.
Important! If, during menstruation, clots similar to the liver come out, the process itself is accompanied by severe uterine bleeding and severe pain in the lower abdomen, this may indicate the presence of a number of diseases. In this case, you should seek advice from a gynecologist.
Pathologies in which clots appear during menstruation
Sometimes large blood clots with heavy periods come out due to serious pathologies. Why this happens and what disorders in the female body lead to such phenomena, we will analyze in more detail further.
- Hormonal disruptions in the body, which are accompanied by a violation of the menstrual cycle, an imbalance in the ratio of hormones. This leads to a brown color of the discharge, making it irregular with an increase in density.
- The abnormal structure of the uterus with septa, when blood during menstruation cannot quickly leave the uterus, stagnates and forms lumps.
- Two-horned uterus also causes profuse periods with large lumps, accompanied by severe abdominal pain. Such pathologies are treated with surgery.
- In some cases, the causes of menstruation, coming out in chunks, can be hidden in the absence or poor activity of enzymes responsible for blood clotting. As a result, the blood discharge simply lingers in the uterus and coagulates to large clots there.
- After abortions, when the walls of the uterus are scraped and traumatized, a pathology occurs in which menstruation occurs with flakes and seals up to 12 cm in size. If this process is accompanied by an increase in temperature, it is possible that the operation was of poor quality and fragments remained in the uterine cavity.
- Another reason for irregular periods with a large number of seals is endocrine disorders in the body: malfunction of the thyroid gland, the development of diabetes mellitus.
- With menstruation, blood clots can be dangerous and here's why: if they are accompanied by severe pain in the lower abdomen, an increase temperature, nausea or vomiting - this may indicate a serious pathology - an ectopic pregnancy, which threatens fatal the outcome. Therefore, call the ambulance.
- The development of benign tumors in the reproductive organs of a woman, among them uterine fibroids. Such pathologies are accompanied by the destabilization of the entire cycle, turning monthly bleeding into painful, long, abundant and thick.
- If large clots come out during your menstrual cycle, this may indicate the development of endometriosis. With this disease, the mucous membrane of the uterus grows to abnormal sizes, which leads to the appearance of different sizes of lumps in monthly discharge.
- Clots can be present in cancer. Malignant tumors in the organs of the reproductive system of a woman make themselves felt by bleeding with dense lumps in different phases of the cycle.
- Endometritis, cervical erosion, implantation bleeding can manifest themselves as brown clots before menstruation.
- With a lack of iron in the blood, a disease such as iron deficiency anemia occurs. As a result, the level of hemoglobin in the blood decreases. It is a protein responsible for oxygenation of the blood. With its lack, oxygen starvation of the blood sets in, the whole body suffers: nausea appears, dizzy head, periods pass in a painful mode with abundant discharge and large clots up to two to four cm.
- If during your period comes out pieces of fabric that look like meat and have an unpleasant odor, you you feel extremely tired - this may indicate either a miscarriage or a serious pathology in the genital system. In the presence of all these factors, an urgent and thorough examination is needed.
- If menstruation is accompanied by intense pain, huge pieces come out, then we can assume the presence of such a disease as endometrial polyposis. In this case, as in endometriosis, an abnormal growth of the inner layer of the uterus occurs, but it is carried out by the type of formation of multiple polyps.
- The presence of anatomical pathologies (uterine folds), increased blood clots, or even an excess of B vitamins in the body can increase the number and volume of large pieces of blood during menstruation.
- With ovarian cysts, menstruation is observed in lumps, accompanied by an extremely painful condition. Taking painkillers in this case does not improve the condition. The discomfort is exacerbated by sexual intercourse. Critical days with such a pathology are irregular, abundant and long.
- Heavy bleeding with clots can be an indicator of an infectious disease of the pelvic organs. The thicker consistency of blood can be enhanced by factors such as insufficient drinking water intake and high levels of vitamin B in the body.
- Even in virgins, there are periods with clots, this is why it happens: along with normal processes, when there is a detachment of the endometrium (he after all, not only girls who are sexually active live exfoliate, but everyone who theoretically can conceive a child), congenital pathology.
What is the danger of menstruation with clots
In menstrual bleeding, the presence of single clots is an absolute norm.But if large bloody lumps fall out, accompanied by additional symptoms, this may indicate the presence of various kinds of diseases, including inflammatory character.
In such situations, you should urgently contact your gynecologist for examination and treatment.
You need to consult a doctor if you have the following symptoms:
- constantly hurts and dizzy;
- there is a change in temperature: an increase from 37.5 degrees;
- between periods during the entire cycle, you experience discomfort from persistent brown discharge;
- in the lower abdomen, you feel pain and burning;
- there is a feeling of light-headedness and weakness;
- profuse menstruation, with a volume of more than 150 ml for the entire period (the gasket has to be changed every hour and a half),
- the duration of bleeding is more than 7 days;
- the pieces are very large, and this is repeated from cycle to cycle.
Important! Menstruation is the release of a nutrient medium that has lost its need for the development of the fetus in the uterus. Your period should last 3 to 7 days. The bleeding should be neither too abundant nor too scanty, when the pad remains white literally the next day after the onset of critical days. Normal periods should be complete, not arouse any assumptions or suspicions and doubts.
If during menstruation not only clots similar to meat come out, but the symptoms listed above appear, regardless of your age, you need to urgently consult a gynecologist.
A comprehensive examination of patients is of great importance in detecting pathologies. The doctor will prescribe a complete diagnosis to identify the causes of the condition that has arisen.
- You will be given a blood test for clotting and hemoglobin levels.
- Blood test for leukocytes - to determine the inflammatory process in the body.
- Blood tests for hormones and antibodies.
- If oncology is suspected, an analysis is made for tumor markers.
- Laboratory tests to identify infectious agents.
- If there are tumors, a biopsy is performed to determine the nature of the neoplasm.
- Ultrasound of the pelvic organs will orient in the location of various kinds of formations, detect the proliferation of the endometrium.
- For greater credibility, distrustful areas of the cervix and its cavity are diagnosed using an optical device of a hysteroscope.
After a complete examination, you will be given an accurate diagnosis and treatment.
Important! In all cases, during the examination, a pregnancy test is mandatory. If the patient is pregnant, the treatment and prognosis will be different. In case of bleeding that threatens a woman's life, an emergency operation is performed.
When small lumps form during menstruation - endometrial detachment, there is no reason for concern and the need to go to doctors. This is just a protective function of the body, which is regulated by anticoagulants. But large formations, in the form of pieces of liver, passing against the background of an increase in the amount of blood secretions during difficult critical days, should alert. In this case, the facts mean a lot, how soon you go to the doctor, undergo examination and start the necessary treatment.