What should you know about heavy clotted bleeding between periods?

Clots form when blood and uterine-lining tissue collect before leaving the body. Their presence does not identify a specific condition. The amount of bleeding, how quickly products become soaked, pain, pregnancy possibility, and symptoms such as dizziness are more useful for deciding how urgently to seek care.

Heavy bleeding between periods can occur with uterine fibroids or endometrial polyps, which may affect the uterine cavity and bleeding pattern. Hormonal changes, infection such as chlamydia, and changes in the cervix can also cause bleeding. Cervical dysplasia, cervical cancer, and womb cancer may present with abnormal bleeding, but the symptom alone cannot determine the cause.

If pregnancy is possible, bleeding with clots and pain needs prompt assessment because pregnancy-related causes must be considered. A clinician will also ask about medicines, contraception, recent procedures, and your usual cycle.

Arrange a prompt appointment and describe the timing, number and size of clots in plain terms, product changes, pain location, and any fever or unusual smell. Keep the products you use available if a clinician asks how heavy the flow was.

The evaluation may include a pregnancy test, blood count, infection testing, pelvic examination, or ultrasound. Treatment depends on the cause and may include medicines or a procedure; a radical hysterectomy is a specialised cancer operation, not a general treatment for every episode of bleeding.

Go to urgent care for bleeding that rapidly soaks products, repeated large clots with weakness, faintness, shortness of breath, a racing heartbeat, or severe pelvic pain. Seek immediate help when pregnancy is possible and bleeding is accompanied by one-sided pain, shoulder-tip pain, or fainting.

What could explain bleeding and clots between my periods? Do I need tests for anaemia, pregnancy, infection, or changes in the cervix or uterus? How will you decide whether imaging is needed? What amount of bleeding or which symptoms should send me to urgent care?