Heavy, Prolonged Periods: A Specific Diet Treatment That May Help

Yes, Your Diet May Make a Difference in Your Periods

In any event, I've experimented with diet changes over the years for heavy periods, and as of this writing this is the best diet I've come up with to date. It does seem to work for me. I don't know if it will work for others since everyone is biochemically unique, but it may give others at least some ideas or a starting point to develop their own specialized food list to try.

Please check with your doctor before starting this or any other diet as this may or may not be a healthy diet for you depending on your specific circumstances and health conditions. This diet is high in vitamin K which is not appropriate for everyone, especially women who have had cancer (which is linked to blood clots) or are taking aspirin or other blood thinning medications.

My Diet for Heavy Periods

Foods to especially be avoided are fruits, spices and other foods high in salicylates as these can block vitamin K. See my section on foods that act as natural blood thinners for more on this topic. Also fats of any kind seem to raise estrogen levels, so I avoid them for a few days until the bleeding stops. In general, I try not to eat a lot of refined wheat products, but for times like these it does have its uses.

I've gotten a number of emails over the years from various readers of my web site and many have found that increasing vitamin K in their diets has helped with their heavy periods. Many doctors are unaware of the fact that a vitamin K deficiency is a possible cause of heavy menstrual bleeding in women. I actually had a gynecologist tell me once that "by no stretch of the imagination could diet impact your periods in any way." Lucky for me, I didn't believe him. I think diet should be the first line of defense people try for many disorders.

Please note that too much vitamin K can cause blood clots, so it is a vitamin we all need in the right balance. This diet works for me because I'm chronically low in vitamin K, but it might be too much vitamin K for someone else.

This isn't a diet to stay on long term, but through trial and error I've found that by only eating the foods on the above list for a few days will lighten and shorten my periods.

Remember, if you have suffered from heavy periods in the past you may have iron deficiency anemia. So be sure to get checked out for that by a doctor. If you are anemic, then once your bleeding is under control more high iron foods are advisable. I've found that cooking with newish iron pots is also helpful, as the iron from the pots gets absorbed into the food.

Visit my home page or site map to use my search feature and see information on Vitamin K, salicylates and other topics related to menorrhagia.

See my main page on Menorrhagia: Often Overlooked Dietary, Drug and Genetic Causes of Heavy Menstrual Bleeding for more information on this subject.

These sections may be also of special interest:

Magnesium Deficiency, Low Estrogen levels & Menstrual Migraines - the links between headaches and nutrition.

Foods That May Thin the Blood - vitamin E, salicylates, garlic, olive oil, onions and much more.

Alkaline Diet May Help Reduce Pain From Ovarian Cysts - I noticed that I was only in pain when my pH was acid.

Overlooked Causes of Epistaxis (nosebleeds)

Ovarian Pain from Vitamin K Deficiency

Menorragia and Food - general information.

Health Conditions - linked to Vitamin K deficiency

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