Your menstrual flow is the index of your health. From the amount of blood lost to the intensity of your period cramps, a host of period-related indicators can reveal the status of your overall health. While irregular periods can be due to excessive stress or hormonal changes, heavy periods and excruciating period cramps can be caused by an underlying health condition like endometriosis or polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). However, if your menstrual flow is scanty and seems more like spotting here and there, we’ve got you covered. Here’s everything you need to know about why it happens and how to increase period flow naturally:
What Is Considered A Light Period?
Before we go on to talk about how to increase period flow naturally, let’s understand how to determine if you’re experiencing less bleeding during periods. For the unversed, we shed around two tablespoons of blood on average during the period week. However, if you experience bleeding lighter than that, then your period is considered to be scanty. This condition is called hypomenorrhea and it makes you shed less than 30ml of blood during shark week. Now, it may also lead to a period that lasts for only one to two days instead of the usual four to six days. You may even notice that your pad remains empty for long durations with just a few blood spots every now and then. Additionally, your periods may be irregular and may come sooner or later than 28-40 days (the average duration of the menstrual cycle).
Foods To Increase Bleeding During Periods
You’re what you eat and so are your periods. While a balanced diet along with regular exercise can ensure regular periods, these five powerful foods can help increase your menstrual flow:
Beetroot
Beetroot is a rich source of iron, calcium, vitamin A & C, potassium, manganese, folic acid, and fibre. Including this miracle veggie in your diet can improve the quality of your skin, boost blood circulation, and make your periods regular. Additionally, beetroot also boosts hemoglobin levels and can increase your period flow.
Dark Chocolate
Dark chocolate is a blessing in disguise for those who struggle with period pain and irregularities in the menstrual cycle. It is packed with vitamins and minerals like iron, copper, protein, vitamin E, and magnesium that help regulate period flow. In fact, eating 40-120 gm of dark chocolate during shark week is scientifically proven to reduce period pain too.
Jaggery
Jaggery is yet another magic ingredient that can take care of your scanty-period woes. Rich in iron, it helps trigger uterine contractions, relieves period cramps, and can make your menstrual flow heavier.
Aloe Vera Juice
Having fresh aloe vera juice on an empty stomach has a host of health benefits including bringing increasing your period flow naturally. It boosts your metabolism, helps you maintain a healthy weight, and restores hormonal balance.
Sesame Seeds
Sesame seeds are a powerhouse of nutrients like iron, phosphorus, magnesium, copper, and manganese. It also induces heat and can make your period flow heavier. The best way to include it in your diet is to have a tablespoon of it as a snack or simply sprinkle it over your salads, raita, and sabzi.
Yoga To Increase Blood Flow During Periods
There’s no health issue that yoga can’t cure. So if you’re looking for ways to increase your period flow naturally, you’ve got to give this age-old exercise a try. Here are four yoga poses that can make your periods regular and heavier:
Matsyasana (Fish Pose)
Lie flat on your back with your hands under your hip and palms facing down. Bring your legs in a cross-legged position. Inhale and lift your chest and back. At this point, the back of your head, hip, and thighs should still be touching the ground and only your upper body should be lifted creating an arch with the ground. Hold the pose for a few minutes, then exhale and come back to the resting position. Repeat five-10 times daily.
Dhanurasana (Bow Pose)
Lie flat on your stomach with your feet apart. Lift your legs and hold your ankles with your hands. Raise your chest and head to form a bow-like position. Hold it for 30seconds and bring back your body to the ground slowly.
Malasana (Garland Pose)
Stand with your feet mat’s-width apart and your toes pointing outwards. Bend into a deep squat with your butt close to the ground and thighs widely apart. Bring your arms between your knees and join your hands. Make sure to keep your spine straight. Hold the position for a few minutes and slowly stand back up as you exhale.
Ustrasana (Camel Pose)
Kneel on the floor with your heels facing upwards and hands on your hips. Make sure that the knees and shoulders are aligned parallelly. Inhale and bend backwards to hold your feet with your hands for balance. Hold this position for a few minutes. Exhale and get back up slowly.
Exercises To Increase Period Flow
While yoga works exceptionally well for restoring hormonal balance and making your periods regular and heavier, you can try these three forms of workout too:
Walking
A 30-45 minute walk three-four times a week can keep the doctor away and well, your periods healthy. The low-intensity exercise can help boost your blood circulation, restore hormonal balance, and make your periods heavier if you usually have a scanty flow. Additionally, it can also reduce period pain and help you keep period-induced mood swings in check.
Running
Running can get your heart rate up and boost blood circulation like no other. It can reduce crankiness during periods, elevate your mood, and make your periods regular and heavier too.
Pilates
If you love yoga, you would really enjoy pilates as well. The low-intensity workout involves intense stretching of muscles and building of core strength. But it also helps boost blood circulation and can improve your menstrual health.
Tips To Make Your Period Flow Heavier
Yoga and exercising will definitely bring your hormones back on track. But you can try these three tips to accelerate the process and make your period flow heavier and more regular. Take a look:
Maintain A Healthy Weight
Drastic weight changes in a quick span of time are a sure-shot recipe for disaster when it comes to your hormonal health. If you’re planning to lose weight, remember to stick to healthy eating and regular exercise instead of strenuous workouts and fad diets. This way, you can lose weight, keep the hormonal balance intact, and keep scanty periods at bay.
Sip On Ginger Tea
Ginger contains a substance called gingerol that can spell magic on your hormonal health. It helps lower inflammation and trigger uterine contractions that can make your period flow heavier.
Check For Nutritional Deficiencies
Deficiency of nutrients like vitamin D, B12, and magnesium can also lead to irregular or scanty periods. Taking blood tests regularly can help you identify these nutritional deficiencies. You must consume doc-recommended supplements to cover up for them. Additionally, adequate sun exposure early in the morning, and foods such as bananas, dairy products, and green leafy veggies can help you a great deal too.
Sirona Recommends Best Product For Scanty Periods: Sirona Dry Comfort Panty Liners
If your period flow is light, you can ditch your sanitary pads and tampons for this comfy panty liner. Sirona’s Dry Comfort Panty Liners can keep leakages and stains at bay without making you feel uncomfortable or giving you a rash. Made with ultra-soft cotton, they’re super-breathable, wafer-thin, and have a “no-wear feel”. So you can step out feeling confident and comfortable at the same time.
Now that you have all the details on how to increase period flow, we hope that you never have to struggle with a scanty period again. However, don’t forget to take a doctor’s opinion while making these healthy lifestyle changes as sometimes, period probs can be a result of a serious underlying health issue.
Featured Image: Pexels
FAQs:
Why Is Your Period Flow Light?
A scanty period flow is usually due to a hormonal imbalance. Now, it can be triggered by excessive cortisol due to stress or lack of sleep, drastic weight changes in a short span of time, sudden weather changes, and medication or birth control pills/devices. However, light period flow could also be due to an underlying health issue like PCOS. One must consult with a gynaecologist to determine the exact cause and work on it.
How much time does it take to bleed after eating papaya?
Ripe papaya can trigger uterine contractions and cause menstrual bleeding. Consuming it around your due period date is believed to make you start bleeding within 18-24 hours. However, it may vary from person to person.
What is the reason for less bleeding during periods?
Less bleeding during periods can be caused due to hormonal changes, stress, sudden weight changes, birth control pills or IUDs, and certain medications. It can also be due to underlying health conditions like PCOS.
How to increase blood flow during periods naturally?
A healthy lifestyle is the key to a healthy period. So a combination of a balanced diet and exercise can help your case. Additionally, a thorough diagnosis by your gynaec can help identify the exact cause of scanty periods and you must follow the prescribed line of treatment for sound menstrual health.
When do we say blood flow is reduced or increased?
We shed around two tablespoons of period blood during the menstrual week. Anything drastically less or more than this is considered to be reduced or increased blood flow. While minor changes are expected, spotting or completely drenched pads in less than three-four hours call for medical intervention.
Does walking increase period flow?
Walking and exercising in general keeps your hormones in check. It also boosts blood circulation and can help make your periods regular.
Also Read
Period Must Haves: These period must-haves will definitely take the edge off a difficult shark week.
6 Weird Things We All Do During Our Periods: Guilty as charged! We all do these weird things during our period.
Menstrual Hygiene Day: Here’s why menstrual hygiene is such an important aspect of our lives.
How to Manage Period Flow: Here’s how to deal with a heavy period like a champ.
