Monthly Periods: How Much Is Too Much? by William Crowder, Jr, M.D., FACOG, Women’s Healthcare Affiliates, The Woodlands, Texas (NAPSA)—For most women, periods are a regular part of the monthly routine. But some women suffer monthly periods that are so heavy they can interfere with social, leisure and physical activities during menstruation, and may cause anemia and lack of energy. Cyclic heavy menstrual bleeding (HMB) affects millions of American women,’? so chances are you or someone you know Dr. CrowderJr. are different, it’s difficult for indi- bleeding make you miss school, workor family events? If you’ve answered yes to one or more questions, talk to your doctor about HMB and abouttheeffective treatment options available to help reduce heavy monthly bleeding. You can consider bringing this list to your appointment to help start the conversation. Treatment Options You may have heard about the limited options historically used to treat HMB, including hormonal contraceptives and hysterectomy andother surgeries. a first step: acid) tablets, a first-line, nonhormonalprescription medicine FDAapproved to treat HMB. In clinical may suffer from the condition. Suffering in Silence Many women endure HMBin silence. They may accept it as nor- malor feel embarrassed to discuss it, and may be unawarethat there are effective treatment options available that can help reduce heavy monthly bleeding. Not surprisingly, only about 11 percent of women with this condition seek treatment.* HMB Checklist Because every woman’s periods viduals to know whether their experience is “normal” or “heavy.” How can youtell if you may have HMB? Answeringthis checklist is * Does your bleeding soak through one or more pads or tampons every hour for several hours? Do you need to change your sanitary protection during the night? * Do you often need to double up protection to control your men- strual bleeding? * Do you have to organize your physical, leisure and daily activities aroundit? Does your period get in the way of daily activities? * Does your heavy menstrual Now, women have another option: LYSTEDA”™(tranexamic studies, LYSTEDA was shown to lower the amount of blood lost during monthly periods by about one-third. LYSTEDApills are taken only during the monthly period for up to five days, and have been shown to work as early as thefirst cycle of use and across all treatment cycles. LYSTEDA has not been studied in adolescents under age 18 with HMB. For more information about HMB, talk to your doctor or visit www.lysteda.com. Note to Editors: LYSTEDA is a prescription medicine used to treat your heavy monthly period (menstruation) when your bleeding gets in the way of social, leisure and physical activities. LYSTEDA does not contain any hormones and is taken only during your period. It does not treat premenstrual symptoms, does not affect your fertility, and cannot be used as birth control. It does not protect against sexually transmitted diseases. Important Safety Information You should not take LYSTEDAif you currently have or have ever had a blood clot, have been told you are at risk for having a blood clot, or are allergic to LYSTEDAor tranexamieacid. LYSTEDA can cause serious side effects, including: The risk of blood clots may be increased when LYSTEDAis taken with hormonal contraceptives, medicines used to help your blood clot, or some medicines used to treat leukemia. Stop taking LYSTEDAif you experience any eye changes, and promptly report any eye problems to your doctor. e If you have an allergic reaction (have shortness of breath and your throat feels tight), stop taking LYSTEDAand get medical help right away. The most common side effects of LYSTEDA include: headaches, sinus and nasal problems, back pain, pain in your abdomen, pain in your muscles or joints, anemia and fatigue. Ifyou notice a change in your usual bleeding pattern that worries you, or your heavy bleeding continues, contact your healthcare provider right away. This may be a sign of a more serious condition. 1. U.S. Census Bureau, 2009 Population Estimates Program. T6 2009 “Sex By Age.” Available at: http:/ /factfinder.census.gov /. Accessed September 20, 2010 2. Tufts Medical Center website. Heavy Menstrual Bleeding. Available at: www.tufts-nemc.org. Accessed April 7, 2010. 3. IMS Health NDTI Data.
