I have been blessed with extremely heavy periods and massive blood clots due to fibroids. Over the past few months, I have noticed an unusual and unsettling change. My period will start and appear to be normal (for me) then, it will just stop! It will stop for hours and even up to two days. Then, when it does re-start, there are the biggest blood clots that I have ever seen. They appear to be so big that they could fill the palm of my hand. There may be two, three, or more of these produced... then my period resumes. The problem is that, I cannot predict when the clots will appear. Also, the pain and bloating from the over-extended uterus makes it difficult to do anything. Has anyone ever had anything like this? What do you suggest?

Well, I can help a bit with ideas for managing pain, but a friend of mine had super bad fibroid problems and ended up going to a dietician/natural therapy woman and she helped hner beyond belief. Maybe you could try that for the cuase of the problem.

Meantime, I find a cup of camomile tea one of the best kept secrets for managing pretty bad period pain. I was recommended gentle exercise but I too, find it hard to do anything, so I just stand and rock to gentle music, or walk around my garden. I also do very very gentle circles on my tummy with my hand, imagining I'm helping the fluid flow out. It helps my mind even if it doesn't do anything else. I reckon it does though. Sometimes my thighs go numb so I stroke them too. Above all I was told not to take aspirin for the pain because it thins the blood. I use an ibuprofen based one when necessary. Check with your doctor first though.

Hope this helps, and good luck finding something to help manage the flow.

I Also Get Bad Cramps Due To Clots And Thick Blood. I Find That Taking A Dietary Supplement Of Magnesium Helps. This Thins The Blood And In Response Lessens Cramps

I just had the same thing happen and at 48, I'm well into perimenopause (pre-menopause). I read that lack of estrogen leads to uterine lining clotting, as opposed to normal thin blood flow. This must clog things up and cause more cramping, but no flow on your heaviest day. I took a dose of Estroven, found in most grocery stores, drank a couple of cups of Soy Milk (Silk brand) and took one aspirin to help thin out the clots. The pain of the constant cramping left within 4 hours, and within 12 hours, my period resumed and the clots started passing. I also had my first "hot flash" that day before starting the soy products, so looks like my estrogen levels had fallen to a new low. Small clots started around 40 and have gotten larger over the years.
As others have described this lack of estrogen and cramping, I agree it can be debilitating. Since soy replicates estrogen and since HRT (hormone replacement therapy) has well known side effects, I am minimizing taking soy to only when really needed. I may take one Estroven a day during my period and 2 on the heaviest day, supplemented with a cup of soy, until I no longer have periods. Others have written that D&C options didn't work. Read about ablation but would like to avoid any surgical procedures, if possible.

I am 20 years old and have had my period since my 13th birthday... bummer I know... but in the past 4 months I have had my period, my cramps are overwhelming and have folded me in half and when they start I get very very hot and have to strip down and get my boyfriend to bring my and ice cold rag to wipe over my back. I have been looking every where on the internet to the second half of this problem too. When I'm on my period the blood used to be normal and surprisingly no blood clots until like I said 4 months ago... the pain got extreme (i.e. previous sentence) and the blood started clotting and getting bigger clots every cycle there after. I literally just started today and the clots I just passed were golfball and tennis ball sized and pushed my super tampon out. My boyfriends and I won't have sex the two weeks before I am supposed to start to make sure its not interferring with the blood lining the walls of my uterus. Thirdly since all of this has been happening I keep starting three to even 5 days early... can anyone help??

(and I do not have a gyno currently because of health insurance and I just moved)

Thanks!!

To: debbie
Fortunately for me I never passed blood clots bigger than a marble, but it seemed like for the entire five to seven days all that came out of me were blood clots accompanied with pain prior to their exiting. This week I got my period and I noticed something quite different. There were a lot fewer clots than what I have experienced before. I think I can attribute this to my diet. I have been trying to drop ten pounds and starting consuming fruits and vegas everday in my diet. I started doing this just one month prior to this cycle. Perhaps you could try this to see if it helps you. Good luck.

Hi all,
As a gynae nurse and reading the above comments, I would like to add that these symptoms are not normal. Indeed, it is by no means normal to pass clots the size of golf/tennis balls during your menstrual period, therefore, please seek medical advice asap, as it could indicate a variety of conditions, most likely a fibroid or possibly endometriosis, but even so, you need a proper check-up. Furthermore, by taking aspirin, it will indeed thin the blood and possibly stop the clotting, but it could also induce severe heavy bleeding, so you need to be checked out by a professional to find the cause of these symptoms, and please, allow your doctor to prescribe the correct medication and don't just guess! Good luck!

I've found that cutting out tea and coffee has made a real difference. It has been really hard to do. Also Dr Marilyn Glenville (books, website) has some great advice to improve things, as does the book Women's bodies, women's wisdom.

I have had very regular periods all my life but I found the original question above because I started a light spotting for my period and then for two days it stopped and then came back. This as never happened and I am 39. The blood is bright and controllable by wearing toilet paper (been bleeding now for 9 days) small tiny thick clots have made it through and I just typed in "Can massive clots block the flow of your cycle" because I too can pass clots so big you think it's a miscarriage! Not this time... I wonder if this is the case with me since my tubes have been cut and tied for years.

I have been bleeding for over two months now nonstop there has been a few kind of light days but the most part has been heavy I am changing pads 1 some times 2 times an hour and passing clots the size of golf balls or a little biger the pain I have been having is unbearable sometimes it feels like my back and my belly button is being pulled in and out the bottom of me please help I can't take much more of this

Please some one help the pain is bad

I've heard Vinegar (water and honey mix) helps. 1 teas according to taste. I never tried it but was on a blood thinner once and they told me that vinegar thinned the blood and vitamin K (greens) clots the blood. Hope this helps.