Long menstruation

Hello Dr.
I am 32 years old. I don't take any birth control & I have 2 children & have been menstruating since I was 10 years old.
For the last 6 months my period has been very long every month. its averaging about 13 days every month. for the first 3 or 4 days its extremely light but after that its full blown for the remainder. I plan to see my gyno about this issue but first I just wanted to know what are some reasons this might be happening.

[Elaine Brown, MD]

Hi!
If you were my patient, I would definitely want to see you since normal periods last from 4-7 days.  I would examine you for polyps on the cervix/endocervix.  I would make sure your pap is current.  I would do an exam to check for fibroids (benign tumors of the uterus which can cause bleeding problems).  I would also probably want to do an ultrasound to check to see if the lining of the uterus was abnormally thick for some reason.
Hope this helps!
Dr B