Losing weight may make a difference for these women, but this is often easier said than done, she noted. Given how hard it is to lose weight and keep it off, doctors often treat the symptoms of heavy menstrual periods after ruling out other potential causes.
“Oral contraceptives containing the hormones estrogen and progestin can keep the uterine lining thinner, resulting in less bleeding,” Dunaif said.
Other U.S. experts cautioned that one can’t immediately assume obesity is the cause of heavy periods.
“Further workup is often needed to see if there is underlying pathology such as a polyp, fibroid or uterine cancer,” said Dr. Nishath Ali, an assistant professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston.
Dr. Michael Jensen, an endocrinologist at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., was skeptical about the new findings.
“Women, as they get heavier, are more prone to heavy periods, but the mouse model is hard to link back to women,” Jensen noted. Weight loss may help reduce blood loss during menstruation, but more research is needed to fully understand why and how obesity affects menstruation in overweight or obese women, he said.
More information
Learn more about the potential causes of heavy menstrual bleeding at the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.
