# Ugh. Ok Doper Ladies with home grown babies - did your period get heavier after? TMI, I'm sure. **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [May 17, 2011, 4:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ugh-ok-doper-ladies-with-home-grown-babies-did-your-period-get-heavier-after-tmi-im-sure/582177 "2011-05-17T04:05:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![alice\_in\_wonderland](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alice_in_wonderland/32/176_2.png) [@alice\_in\_wonderland](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alice_in_wonderland)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2011, 4:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ugh-ok-doper-ladies-with-home-grown-babies-did-your-period-get-heavier-after-tmi-im-sure/582177/1 "2011-05-17T04:05:38Z")
So - if you’ve had a baby did you find that your period was much heavier than before you had children? Junior is 9 months old. Aunt Flo retuned when he was about 4 months and has been coming regularly, every 28 days since then, just like before I got pregnant; however, it’s _WAAAAAY_ heavier. And, um, clotty. And bright freakin’ red. FWIW, my doctor is aware of the issue and I have some blood tests booked to look for other possible causes, but I’m wondering if this is just one of those things. I asked my mom and she said she seemed to remember that for a while after having kids her periods were heavier, but she couldn’t remember how long they lasted. BTW - I am 38 so I suppose peri-menopause is possible, but I think a lot more timing, spotting, missed period type wackyness tends to be involved with that. ---
**Author:** ![SciFiSam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/47e85d/32.png) [@SciFiSam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SciFiSam)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2011, 4:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ugh-ok-doper-ladies-with-home-grown-babies-did-your-period-get-heavier-after-tmi-im-sure/582177/2 "2011-05-17T04:24:40Z")
Mine was the opposite - my periods before pregancy were so bad that they severely impacted on my life, whereas afterwards they were just heavyish periods. But the first couple after my child’s birth were really really heavy. I’d heard that was normal - kinda like getting nine months’s worth of periods out there; we were advised to buy extra padded towels and disposable knickers. And then my periods stopped for a year, at least partly due to breastfeeding. How many of these heavy periods have you had? ---
**Author:** ![alice\_in\_wonderland](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alice_in_wonderland/32/176_2.png) [@alice\_in\_wonderland](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alice_in_wonderland)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2011, 4:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ugh-ok-doper-ladies-with-home-grown-babies-did-your-period-get-heavier-after-tmi-im-sure/582177/3 "2011-05-17T04:35:40Z")
> [@SciFiSam](#): > > How many of these heavy periods have you had? 1. ---
**Author:** ![Silver\_Fire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e4f/32.png) [@Silver\_Fire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Silver_Fire)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2011, 5:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ugh-ok-doper-ladies-with-home-grown-babies-did-your-period-get-heavier-after-tmi-im-sure/582177/4 "2011-05-17T05:45:15Z")
I’ve had two babies, the most recent being just about seven months ago. No, I haven’t noticed heavier periods. If anything they are lighter. They are definitely shorter and the cramps are way, way worse but I fully expect that to go away ANY DAY NOW. 😕 ---
**Author:** ![Girl\_From\_Mars](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/3da27b/32.png) [@Girl\_From\_Mars](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Girl_From_Mars)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2011, 9:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ugh-ok-doper-ladies-with-home-grown-babies-did-your-period-get-heavier-after-tmi-im-sure/582177/5 "2011-05-17T09:58:23Z")
I guess mine were - in particular longer than I remember (up to 7 days), but that could well be because I was on the pill before I tried to get pregnant which gave me very light periods and so was not not a true comparison. Mine came back on the dot of 6 months and was regular from then on in. ---
**Author:** ![chela](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chela/32/21582_2.png) [@chela](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chela)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2011, 11:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ugh-ok-doper-ladies-with-home-grown-babies-did-your-period-get-heavier-after-tmi-im-sure/582177/6 "2011-05-17T11:26:18Z")
Mine were heavier and crampier than before, my hair also came out in ropes, had no bald spots but lots of new hairs sticking straight up.:eek: ---
**Author:** ![PandaBear77](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/edb3f5/32.png) [@PandaBear77](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PandaBear77)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2011, 11:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ugh-ok-doper-ladies-with-home-grown-babies-did-your-period-get-heavier-after-tmi-im-sure/582177/7 "2011-05-17T11:45:42Z")
I didn’t notice any difference in my periods after having a baby. ---
**Author:** ![Cazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cazzle/32/75_2.png) [@Cazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cazzle)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2011, 11:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ugh-ok-doper-ladies-with-home-grown-babies-did-your-period-get-heavier-after-tmi-im-sure/582177/8 "2011-05-17T11:51:12Z")
Mine have been steadily getting lighter and shorter since my mid-twenties, and that didn’t change after my daughter was born. ---
**Author:** ![Waldelfe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f08c70/32.png) [@Waldelfe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Waldelfe)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2011, 12:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ugh-ok-doper-ladies-with-home-grown-babies-did-your-period-get-heavier-after-tmi-im-sure/582177/9 "2011-05-17T12:22:53Z")
I haven’t payed much attention but I didn’t notice anything different. So I guess nothing has changed. ---
**Author:** ![Lacunae\_Matata](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8491ac/32.png) [@Lacunae\_Matata](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lacunae_Matata)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2011, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ugh-ok-doper-ladies-with-home-grown-babies-did-your-period-get-heavier-after-tmi-im-sure/582177/10 "2011-05-17T14:09:44Z")
My little one is 13 months now, and periods have been brutal since they came back. (Breastfed until a year - periods have been back for about 6 months now.) I’m an older mom, too - age 41 - so perimenopause may be a factor for me. Before I became pregnant at age 40, periods had been getting heavier and (to borrow your perfectly good word) “clottier.” My mom went through early menopause - final visit was at age 42 - so chances are good that this is just “last hurrah” shenanigans. ---
**Author:** ![kathmandu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5f8ce5/32.png) [@kathmandu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kathmandu)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2011, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ugh-ok-doper-ladies-with-home-grown-babies-did-your-period-get-heavier-after-tmi-im-sure/582177/11 "2011-05-17T14:38:50Z")
Mine have also gotten heavier, clottier, and redder. On the plus side, they’ve gotten shorter and less crampy. IMO, it’s a fair trade. ---
**Author:** ![Ellen\_Cherry](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellen_cherry/32/3600_2.png) [@Ellen\_Cherry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ellen_Cherry)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2011, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ugh-ok-doper-ladies-with-home-grown-babies-did-your-period-get-heavier-after-tmi-im-sure/582177/12 "2011-05-17T14:53:25Z")
> [@kathmandu](#): > > Mine have also gotten heavier, clottier, and redder. On the plus side, they’ve gotten shorter and less crampy. IMO, it’s a fair trade. This is precisely what I was coming in to post — but this only happened after my last child, born when I was 41. I noticed no real difference after the birth of my others, which all were born when I was between the ages of 29 and 33. For what it’s worth I’m now nearly 48 and no perimenopause in sight. My mom and grandmother were both in their mid-50s when it happened for them, so I’m expecting another five years or so of auntie. ---
**Author:** ![Moonlitherial](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4bbf92/32.png) [@Moonlitherial](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moonlitherial)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2011, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ugh-ok-doper-ladies-with-home-grown-babies-did-your-period-get-heavier-after-tmi-im-sure/582177/13 "2011-05-17T15:17:11Z")
Mine were definitely heavier and they continued to get heavier gradually. I just accepted this as a normal progression and it was only in the course of trying to find the answer to a different medical issue that it was made clear to me that it was not normal. My iron was so low that they were surprised I was still functioning. The end result for me that actually fixed both issues was a partial hysterectomy. I’m still amazed I went so long without realizing that it just wasn’t normal. ---
**Author:** ![RedBloom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/dbc845/32.png) [@RedBloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RedBloom)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2011, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ugh-ok-doper-ladies-with-home-grown-babies-did-your-period-get-heavier-after-tmi-im-sure/582177/14 "2011-05-17T16:49:17Z")
Mine have gotten more sporadic, the cramps are unbearable, and some days I’ll bleed so fast and heavy I have to sit in a bathtub for hours while my body drains blood (not kidding). I’ve had to go to the ER twice, in which case they told me to take Advil. My reproductive system has completely gone WHACK. ---
**Author:** ![Ellen\_Cherry](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellen_cherry/32/3600_2.png) [@Ellen\_Cherry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ellen_Cherry)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2011, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ugh-ok-doper-ladies-with-home-grown-babies-did-your-period-get-heavier-after-tmi-im-sure/582177/15 "2011-05-17T18:26:42Z")
I don’t think that’s normal at all. Have you been to a doctor, besides the ER? ---
**Author:** ![alice\_in\_wonderland](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alice_in_wonderland/32/176_2.png) [@alice\_in\_wonderland](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alice_in_wonderland)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2011, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ugh-ok-doper-ladies-with-home-grown-babies-did-your-period-get-heavier-after-tmi-im-sure/582177/16 "2011-05-17T18:58:26Z")
> [@RedBloom](#): > > Mine have gotten more sporadic, the cramps are unbearable, and some days I’ll bleed so fast and heavy I have to sit in a bathtub for hours while my body drains blood (not kidding). I’ve had to go to the ER twice, in which case they told me to take Advil. My reproductive system has completely gone WHACK. Yikes! Yah - that’s not what I have going on. I agree with **Ellen Cherry** - you should probably see a doctor! ---
**Author:** ![RedBloom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/dbc845/32.png) [@RedBloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RedBloom)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2011, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ugh-ok-doper-ladies-with-home-grown-babies-did-your-period-get-heavier-after-tmi-im-sure/582177/17 "2011-05-17T19:59:58Z")
That only happened a few times, thank goodness (not every month). Doc says it’s “normal” for a woman in her 30’s to have that happen (??). She says it’s hormone related. ---
**Author:** ![Ellen\_Cherry](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellen_cherry/32/3600_2.png) [@Ellen\_Cherry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ellen_Cherry)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2011, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ugh-ok-doper-ladies-with-home-grown-babies-did-your-period-get-heavier-after-tmi-im-sure/582177/18 "2011-05-17T20:50:06Z")
I would get a second opinion. ---
**Author:** ![vix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/a88e4f/32.png) [@vix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vix)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2011, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ugh-ok-doper-ladies-with-home-grown-babies-did-your-period-get-heavier-after-tmi-im-sure/582177/19 "2011-05-17T21:14:06Z")
> [@kathmandu](#): > > Mine have also gotten heavier, clottier, and redder. On the plus side, they’ve gotten shorter and less crampy. IMO, it’s a fair trade. Same here. ---
**Author:** ![purplehorseshoe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/purplehorseshoe/32/2996_2.png) [@purplehorseshoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehorseshoe)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2011, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ugh-ok-doper-ladies-with-home-grown-babies-did-your-period-get-heavier-after-tmi-im-sure/582177/20 "2011-05-17T21:22:35Z")
> [@Cazzle](#): > > Mine have been steadily getting lighter and shorter since my mid-twenties, and that didn’t change after my daughter was born. Anyone else here praying they got the same genes as this lucky gal? 😛 Also - and I am so not a doctor - I’d humbly add to the chorus that **RedBloom** a) gets a 2nd (and 3rd, if necessary) opinion, and b) wins the username/post combo award for this one. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ugh-ok-doper-ladies-with-home-grown-babies-did-your-period-get-heavier-after-tmi-im-sure/582177.md?page=2)