Step by Step: Management of Abnormal Uterine Hemorrhage

The most common times that women experience heavy or prolonged menstrual periods are during the first few years of menstruation at adolescence and during the final two to three years of menstruation just before menopause. Abnormal uterine bleeding is any type of bleeding from the vagina that is not normal. This may mean bleeding at times of the month other than the regular period, or that the period is unusually heavy. The need to change a pad or tampon more than once every 1-2 hours indicates that the period is unusually heavy.