There is an unwritten truth that every woman knows about periods; they are never the same for all the women out there. While for some women, their period may last for 2-3 days, for others, it could easily last the whole week.

Their flow might differ from one to the other, and so might their PMS symptoms. However, there are a few signs that a woman should keep a lookout for during her periods, signs that could indicate health issues in particular.

1. Skipped Period:
   Skipped period, for a long time, has been known to be a sign that could indicate pregnancy, but that is not the only reason a woman might end up skipping her periods. Here are a few reasons that could result in a skipped period or two for a woman.
   • Drastic fat loss or even intense workouts could potentially end up affecting quite a few hormones that control a woman’s menstrual cycle and could lead to one’s periods stopping altogether as well.
   • Like drastic fat-loss/weight-loss, weight-gain too could result in skipped periods thanks to the excess weight’s interference with the hormones in a woman’s body.
   • PCOS or Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome is a known cause for women to miss out on their periods as the condition leads to hormonal imbalance and the growth of cysts in the ovaries
   • The time leading to menopause, also known as Perimenopause, in women who are in their late 40s or early 50s, could also lead to skipped or scanty periods
2. Heavy Flow:Despite the fact that a woman’s flow during her periods might differ from one to the other, if she ends up using too many pads or tampons in the course of an hour or two, the chances of her having menorrhagia, or an unusually and abnormally heavy period flow are high.If a woman also suffers from anaemia and fatigue during her periods then it is always a good idea to consult her doctor in such cases. Here are a few reasons that a woman could be suffering from menorrhagia.
   • Imbalance in hormones like those in the case of a woman suffering from PCOS could result in the thickening of the uterine lining leading to heavier flow during periods.
   • When tissues, that usually line the uterus, start growing in other parts of a woman’s pelvis, the condition is called endometriosis.
   • Non-cancerous growths found in the uterus, also known as fibroids or polyps, can cause heavy bleeding during periods.
   • More serious reasons could be problems like uterine or cervical cancer, which are often diagnosed only post-menopause.
3. Intense Period Cramps:Getting cramps during periods is normal for quite a few women, and the intensity of the pain varies most of the time for them. However, severe cramps or dysmenorrhea is something quite a few women have to deal with.There can be several reasons as to why women suffer from dysmenorrhea.
   • Stress
   • Cysts, fibroids, polyps
   • Endometriosis
   • STDs
   • And Intrauterine Device
4. Other Issues:Apart from the problems mentioned above, a woman can face other issues also during her periods she needs to take care of.
   • Too short or periods that last too long.
   • Breast pain
   • Vomiting
   • Diarrhoea
   • Bleeding in between periods

What women need to remember is that if these are some of the issues they are facing, then a visit to the doctor would always be advisable.