I had a bleeding disorder diagnosis and still thought my heavy periods were normal

From Mont Blanc to Everest, I'm climbing the Seven Summits to raise awareness of bleeding disorders in women and girls.

I was diagnosed with von Willebrand disease as a child—the most common bleeding disorder (1). It means my blood doesn't clot the way it should.

For years, I didn’t question my heavy periods. I planned my days around the bleeding. I adapted. I never stopped to ask whether what I was experiencing was typical, or whether anything could be done about it. Nobody had given me the information or language to ask.

I have that in common with so many other women with bleeding disorders. Our experiences may look different, but many of us have learned to normalize our symptoms and work around them.

That is what Project Elevate Her is about: using the Seven Summits to bring these experiences out of the shadows, start conversations about bleeding disorders, and help more women recognize their symptoms and advocate for the care they deserve.

I thought it was normal

How do you know when a "normal" period isn't actually typical?

It seems like a simple question. But for millions of women living with bleeding disorders, the answer isn't always obvious (2).

When I was diagnosed with von Willebrand disease, you might assume that meant I understood what to expect and how to manage it. I didn't.

As I got older and began menstruating, I still wondered what was normal. Heavy periods became something I learned to live with. I packed extra clothes just in case. I woke up at night to change pads so that I wouldn't bleed through the sheets. Sometimes I still did. I left high school dances early because I'd bled through my clothes. I planned my days around my cycle and accepted the fatigue that came with significant blood loss, because I believed it was simply part of being a woman.

So I adapted. Like so many women do.

I didn't realize I'd quietly built my life around surviving my period.

No one really talked to me about what living with a bleeding disorder would mean as a young woman. There were very few conversations about menstrual health, what symptoms should prompt treatment, or how much heavy menstrual bleeding could affect everyday life.

In one important way, I was fortunate: I already had a diagnosis. Many women spend years, sometimes decades, searching for theirs.

But a diagnosis is only the beginning. You also need to know what it means, what to look out for, and what support is available. Heavy periods and bleeding disorders can be treated. The right care can help manage symptoms and reduce the risk of excessive bleeding during surgery, dental work, pregnancy, or childbirth.

I had the name for my condition. What I didn't have was the language to understand what it was doing to my life—or the confidence to ask whether things could be different.

It wasn't just me

As I started talking openly about my experience, I realized how many women had a story like mine. Years of adapting, coping, and planning around symptoms while assuming everyone else was managing the same thing.

Sometimes, a heavy period is the first sign that something has gone unnoticed. Up to 1 in 5 women with heavy menstrual bleeding have an underlying bleeding disorder (3). However, heavy periods can have many possible causes, so experiencing them doesn’t automatically mean you have a bleeding disorder.

For far too long, women with inherited bleeding disorders were treated as "just carriers" of conditions affecting the men in their families, despite bleeding heavily themselves. That history is part of why so many women still wait years for recognition.

There's no single number that makes a period heavy for everyone. What matters is the effect it has on your life. If bleeding is interfering with work, school, exercise, sleep, or simply getting through the day, that's reason enough to raise it with a healthcare provider. You don't need to prove anything first. Signs of heavy menstrual bleeding can include bleeding for eight days or longer, soaking through a pad or tampon every two hours or less, or passing clots larger than a quarter (4).

If you are unsure whether your bleeding may be considered heavy, learn more about the signs of heavy menstrual bleeding and when to speak to a healthcare provider.

Heavy or prolonged periods are only one part of the picture. Other possible signs of a bleeding disorder include:

• Easy bruising

• Frequent nosebleeds

• Bleeding that seems out of proportion to the injury

• Prolonged bleeding after dental work or surgery

• Excessive bleeding after giving birth

• A family history of bleeding symptoms

On their own, these may not seem unusual. Taken together, they can tell a very different story.

How to advocate for yourself

This is where tracking can make a real difference.

Whether you use an app like Clue, keep notes on your phone, or write things down in a journal, tracking your symptoms over time can reveal patterns that are easy to miss. It also gives you something concrete to share with your healthcare provider. 

What can help:

• Track your bleeding for up to three cycles. Record how often you change period products, whether you bleed through them, the size of any clots, and how long your period lasts. Bring this information to your appointment. You do not need to wait three months to seek care.

• Be specific. Instead of saying, "My periods are heavy," try, "On day two, I soak through a tampon every 90 minutes." Clear details help your healthcare provider understand how much you are bleeding.

• Share your family history. Tell your healthcare provider if close relatives have heavy periods, frequent nosebleeds, easy bruising, or unusual bleeding after surgery, dental work, or birth—even if they were never diagnosed.

• Ask the question directly: "Could this be a bleeding disorder, and how would we rule it out?"

• Ask about a referral if you still have concerns. You may need to see a hematologist or visit a specialist bleeding-disorders clinic.

Most importantly, trust yourself.

If you've ever been told your symptoms are just "part of being a woman," but something still doesn't feel right, keep asking questions. You know your body. Your experiences are real. And you deserve to be taken seriously.

Why I climb

Through Project Elevate Her, I'm attempting to climb the Seven Summits and ski to the South Pole. Every expedition represents the challenges so many women with bleeding disorders face on their journey to recognition, diagnosis, and care. The obstacles look different, but the perseverance is remarkably similar.

One of the most meaningful parts of each expedition is the Summit Letter Series. Before every climb, women from around the world share their stories, reflections, and hopes. I carry those letters to the summit, taking the voices of women too often dismissed or unheard to the highest places on Earth.

Every woman deserves to have her story heard. She deserves to be believed. And she deserves access to the diagnosis, treatment, and support she needs.

I hope sharing my story inspires even one woman to ask, "Could this be me?" If it does, then every step toward those summits will have been worth it.

Because every summit is another chance to reach one more woman quietly wondering the same thing I once did: is this normal?

To follow the expedition or find resources for women living with bleeding disorders, visit ProjectElevateHer.com.