Spoiler Alert!!!

If you have NOT seen the Final episode of GoT – who are you?!? It’s over, ladies. Put a pin in it. It’s cooked, thanks to Dany for that.

But we are going to talk about who sits on the Iron Throne and rules over the 7 6 kingdoms.

That’s right, the Starks are upon the thrones. Bran is ruling the 6 kingdoms and Sansa is QUEEN OF THE NORTH. Can I just tell you, I am soooo happy with the ending and I am sooo happy we will be having a prequel in production for all us fans that will deposit us 10,000 in the GoTs past.  Praise the gods!

I can’t help but wonder how Sansa is going to manage the north and her monthly visitor, though. Do you know how they had to stem the flow in those days? Old rags (now you know where “she’s on the rag” came from)  and sheep’s wool!  Can you imagine ruling a kingdom in 5 below temperatures with a puff of wool crammed in your cookie! I suspect that,  like many other ginger belles,  Sansa might suffer from a common diagnosis – Menorrhagia. AKA, heavy periods. So in this final Westeros Women’s Clinic, we will learn all about heavy periods, why we get them, and what to do about them! Did you know that redheads tend to bleed a bit differently? Why? I don’t know. I do know that I tend to plan for bleeding challenges when I see a natural redhead, as well as different reactions to medications and anesthesia (they tend to need a bit more than their blonde and brunette counterparts). I would put MONEY on Sansa having a really heavy flow!

How do we know that our heavy periods are too heavy? Well, there is a measurement for that – in tablespoons. Who dripped into a spoon for 5-10 days? I don’t know, but that’s how it’s measured. If you want to wear a Diva cup and measure your flow, have at it ladies. If you’d just like to “eyeball it” in your pad or tampon, I’ll take your best guestimate, too. No need to bring your cutlery to an appointment!

If you are bleeding 80cc of blood (6-7 tablespoons) over the course of your period or filling a tampon or pad once an hour for many hours you probably have menorrhagia.

Aside from being a redhead, like Sansa, what are some other causes of excessive menstrual bleeding?  There are several common causes and all of them would need to be investigated by your obstetrician.

  • Fibroids, cysts, and other benign uterine growths
  • Blood Disorders
  • Hormonal issues
  • Medications ( like aspirin and certain birth control pills)
  • Cancers
  • Or, you were just built that way (lucky you!)

Your doctor might prescribe birth control to help manage your heavy period, surgical procedures ( to remove fibroids and other growths), and even suggest simply taking ibuprofen which helps reduce blood flow during a period.  If your period changes and becomes heavier it is IMPERATIVE that you see your doctor. They say “change is a good thing” but not so much in your menstrual cycle, perhaps. Get it checked out so you can set upon your throne without bleeding through your skirts! If you are going to miss the Westeros Women’s Clinic – fear not. We are going to be diagnosing more celebrities. Big Little Lies ramps up season 2 on HBO in June.  We will be armchair diagnosing all the characters there too!