If you experience heavy periods almost every cycle, you're probably suffering from menorrhagia or hypermenorrhea, the medical term for excessive and/or prolonged menstrual bleeding. Here's the scoop on why they happen and what you can do to cope.

Symptoms of menorrhagia

Menorrhagia refers to losing 80 milliliters or more of blood during your menstrual cycle (A normal menstrual flow produces an average blood loss of 30 to 40 ml). Symptoms may vary among individuals but generally they include having a period so heavy that it requires a change of the sanitary pad or tampon every hour for several consecutive hours.

Other symptoms include periods which lasts between eight to 10 days, heavy menstrual flow that interferes with your regular lifestyle, constant menstrual cramps, passing of large blood clots and anemia.