The Mayo Clinic defines Menorrhagia as the medical term for menstrual periods in which bleeding is abnormally heavy or prolonged. Which I have. It’s a medical condition not to be ignored. It can lead to death.
The Christmas-present ablation I scheduled would have safely and securely eliminated the entire problem. I don’t think there has ever been a girl anywhere, except for me, who went skipping to the surgery center — not with Christmas visions of Sugar Plums, but with visions of tossing tampons and pads out, and donating unopened packages (which I have stashed everywhere for emergencies) to younger, less fortunate, friends.
Except that the ablation didn’t work. I can still remember the nurse waking me up in the recovery room, and I said, “What happened! How did it go!” Except, she just lowered her head, as she tucked in my sheets, and said, “Your doctor will be in to see you,” before walking away.
After months of suffering through stomach-wrenching iron supplements, the hormonal imbalance of high-doses of birth control pills, my body was quite ready for a non-synthetic period of healing. Instead, I left with a prescription for more birth control pills.
It didn’t take long for me to get on the internet to find some alternative solution. Our great grandmothers had these problems, and they figured it out, without birth control pills — so there must be something in mother nature’s medical cabinet that can help, right?
One herb that kept popping up was Shepherd’s Purse. I started drinking the dried herbs, as a tea, along with all of the other “foods” I drink.
- I also read about high doses of Norwegian Cod Liver Oil
- Vitex, or Chaste Berry — but takes several months to kick in (I have not time for that!)
- and Coriander Seeds. (Boil the seeds, and then, drinking the water, as hot as you can stand it.)
When my first period hit, post-failed ablation, I already had a ground base of shepherd’s purse tea in my system — but from the heavy flow, you would rightly assume, that it wasn’t working.
If this is you, and you are reading this to find a remedy for Menorrhagia – please call your doctor, tell her what’s going on, and she may call you in for a hemoglobin check — which you should do. You need to know where you stand. Loosing lots of blood puts a strain on your heart, and as your poor little heart pumps harder and harder to get your trickle of blood flowing, it can lead to a heart attack. So — find out what your hemoglobin is, and get it back to a normal range, if necessary, before you start treating yourself. This is what I did through several rounds of birth control pills and iron supplements, eating lots of kale and Beet Kvass.
I knew that my hemoglobin level, right before my period started, was a low 12. (Quite an improvement from 6, which I credit to daily doses of Beet Kvass!) So, I knew I had some wiggle room, and a bit of time to work with while I tried out some herbs. Maybe I needed a stronger dose of Shepherd’s Purse?
So, I called around at all the local health food stores and found a store that carried Shepherd’s Purse Extract. Nice little portable instant drops that I could put on my tongue. I started taking entire dropperfuls every hour.
(I also learned the hard way that not all Shepherd’s Purse Extracts are alike. Herb Pharm is a brand to be trusted)
I was not getting the shortness of breath I knew was dangerous, but I could feel my heart beat pumping a tad faster, but I still knew I was in the safe zone.
Next, I bought a nice little bottle of mint-flavored Cod Liver Oil. (Geesh, what we have to go through.) I took five tablespoons of the stuff — and repeated that three more times in 24 hours. (It really, wasn’t that bad, and it is touted as one of the most nutrient dense foods on the planet.)
And, of course, no home remedy would be complete without trying everything — I started drinking the coriander seed “tea.”
I went to bed that night, and I did not feel too hopeful. I knew I would probably be calling my doctor in the morning and taking birth control pills, because this was not working. But, I was wrong!
I woke up in the middle of the night, and I knew things were different. Dramatically different. My heart rate was calm. My sheets were dry, and the bleeding had slowed significantly.
Except — I didn’t know which remedy was working.
The next month, I tried only the Shepherd’s Purse — and within 24 hours, learned that wasn’t enough. I started adding the coriander seed tea — still not working. I upped the dosage of Shepherd’s Purse… and finally — I gained some control over the bleeding.
The third month — I remembered the Cod Liver Oil! I had forgotten about that little power food in month 2. (Funny, how I forgot that — wonder why?!) So, this month, I am taking only the Shepherd’s Purse tincture, (every four hours, a dropper-full combined with two tablespoons of cod liver oil 3 times a day. This combination seems to be working well. In addition, throughout the entire month, I took one dropper-full of shepherd’s purse each day leading up to my period, as back-up.
So far, this is the winning miracle combination that the Grandmother’s before us must have used.
What a relief.
I have the same condition. Just came off 30 days of heavy bleeding. Dr. Now has me on birth control pills. (I’m 50) Weeaning off the pills this week and guessing the flood will be back. This is so depressing. Going to try your protocol. Could that much cod liver oil thin the blood too much?
Thank you Thank you for the hope.
I don’t know about the Cod Liver Oil Thinning the Blood… but it is very good for you. I want to add that this month, I ran out of Shepherd’s Purse, and the Cod Liver Oil worked find, in less than 8 hours, on its own. I was only taking a teaspoon every four hours…I don’t think that is a “high enough” dose to thin the blood. It does seem to stop the bleeding. It is an overwhelming battle sometimes.
I have several things that work. One is avoiding things with RGBH in them. That stuff makes periods heavier.
Ibuprofen works too. But I have to take 4 at a time, every six hours, for about the first three days to control the “great flood”.
Red Raspberry Leaf tea, good and strong, Several swallows every couple of hours also helps. A lot. This is something I can see a measurable difference from within an hour or two. But it wears off after about 4 hours.
Sage Tea. It really works also, about like Red Raspberry. Has to be strong, is pretty nasty tasting, and wears off in about 4-6 hours. It is also harsh on my digestive system, which is still healing from bowel disease.
Blue Cohosh can work for some people, but it causes uterine cramping. It can have side effects, including causing hemerhoids. I can no longer take it.
Doctors will sometimes recommend ergotrate, which works like Blue Cohosh. Can have serious side effects.
I’ve tried Shepherd’s Purse, but could not tolerate a high enough dose to help.
Red Raspberry Leaf Tea and Ibuprofen get my vote for effectiveness.
Oh, and one more thing… Folic Acid. Three per day as soon as bleeding starts, and while flooding. It also makes a measurable difference for me.
Hello, I have been bleeding almost constantly for about six years and I am so tired of it. The rare days I don’t bleed are like heaven, my doctors all know about this, tried provera, the coil, nothing worked. They tell me its just normal, that is so wrong. This morning was a lovely combo of flood bleeding + the hormonal low and crying. It took me till 4pm just to get up for a shower. I was about to demand a hysterectomy from my doctors despite knowing there are dangers with that too. Somehow I found a site where a woman stopped bleeding by taking cod liver oil, and I cried just to see how fast it worked for her. I am at the end of my tether, and if I had have had the money I would have marched right out and bought some cod liver oil right away. Can you tell me, do you take cod liver oil everyday now, and then more when you bleed – 1 tsp every four hours? When I get some, I’m going to take the 5 tbsps, anything, just anything to make it stop!!!! I’m so happy to see that it works for other people too and is not just a fluke for that lady. Thank you for your story, and I can’t wait to take cod liver oil!! Only the desperate could possibly say that!!
PS did you end up using the Vitex as I was also considering using that too, for long term balancing of my hormones. I was also considering progesterone cream. Just anything cause I’m so tired right now.