The short answer
Your periods are too heavy if they disrupt your life: changing pads every one to two hours, flooding through clothes, passing large clots, bleeding for more than a week, or feeling tired and breathless. See a gynaecologist if any of these apply, and urgently if you bleed after menopause, after sex or between periods. Common causes such as fibroids and polyps can be found with a scan and are treatable.
Book a hysteroscopy, from ₦300,000Medically reviewed by Dr Debo Odulana, Founder and Chief Executive, Mezo. Last reviewed . This page is general information, not a diagnosis. Care is decided with you after an examination.
Signs your periods are too heavy
Many Nigerian women have been told heavy periods are normal, or that it runs in the family. Heavy bleeding is common, but it is not something you have to live with. Signs include:
- Changing a pad or tampon every one to two hours, or using two at once
- Bleeding through to your clothes or bedding at night
- Passing blood clots larger than about 2.5cm
- Periods lasting more than seven days
- Missing work, school or church because of your period
- Feeling tired, dizzy or breathless, or looking pale, which can mean anaemia
Common causes
Often no cause is found and the bleeding still responds to treatment. Causes that can be found include fibroids, polyps in the lining of the womb, adenomyosis (lining tissue growing into the wall of the womb), hormone changes around the start of periods or approaching menopause, PCOS, an underactive thyroid, a copper coil, blood-thinning medicines and, less often, bleeding disorders. Rarely, especially in older women, a thickened lining or cancer of the womb is the cause, which is why persistent abnormal bleeding should always be checked.
What a gynaecologist will do
- Ask about your periods, your pregnancy plans and your general health
- Examine you, usually including a gentle internal examination
- A full blood count to check for anaemia, and sometimes thyroid or other tests
- A pelvic ultrasound scan to look for fibroids, polyps or adenomyosis
- Sometimes a hysteroscopy, to look inside the womb and take a small sample of the lining
Treatment options
Treatment depends on the cause and on whether you want children. Options include tranexamic acid or anti-inflammatory painkillers during your period, a hormone-releasing coil, the contraceptive pill or progestogen tablets, removing polyps or small fibroids by hysteroscopy, a myomectomy for larger fibroids, and, for women who have finished having children, a hysterectomy. Iron treats the anaemia while the bleeding is brought under control.
See a doctor urgently if
- You are soaking a pad every hour and feel faint, dizzy or breathless: go to an emergency department
- You bleed at all after menopause
- You bleed after sex or between periods
- You could be pregnant and are bleeding with pain
What it costs on Mezo
Home the same day.
Common questions
Is it normal to pass clots during my period?
Small clots can be normal on the heaviest days. Clots larger than about 2.5cm, or passing clots often, are a sign of heavy bleeding worth checking.
Can heavy periods cause anaemia?
Yes. It is one of the most common causes of iron deficiency anaemia in women. Tiredness, breathlessness on stairs and craving ice or chalk can be signs.
Do heavy periods mean I have fibroids?
Not always. Fibroids are a common cause, but there are many others, and often no cause is found. A scan tells you.
What does a hysteroscopy cost if I need one?
A hysteroscopy on Mezo is from ₦300,000, a day case with the anaesthetic and histology included.
The procedures
Related health guides
More patient guides
Sources and further reading
The guidelines and patient information this page is checked against. Care in Nigeria follows the same evidence; what differs is the price and where it is done.
- Heavy periods. NHS. Patient information.
- Heavy menstrual bleeding: assessment and management. National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE). Clinical guideline.
Links last checked 22 October 2026.
Medical disclaimer: This guide is general information and does not replace advice from your own doctor. Where your centre's instructions differ from this guide, follow theirs.