Heavy or prolonged menstrual bleeding can disrupt your life more than a normal period does. You may find yourself visiting the bathroom more often, dealing with worse cramps, or skipping out on things you enjoy because you need to deal with your period. If this is the case for you, your doctor can help you find relief. You may have experienced a time when you were younger where you took a high dosage of ibuprofen while on your period to try and treat the pain of severe menstrual cramps, and found that not only does it get rid of the pain, but it also seems to completely stop your period. NSAIDs used for treating heavy menstrual bleeding include: ibuprofen; mefenamic acid; naproxen; Mefenamic acid and naproxen are only available on prescription. NSAIDs work by reducing your body's production of a hormone-like substance called prostaglandin, which is linked to heavy periods. NSAIDs can also help relieve period pain. They're not a form of contraceptive. You can keep taking NSAIDs. IUDs (short for intrauterine devices) are small, t-shaped devices made of flexible plastic that release hormones after they've been inserted into your uterus by your gynecologist. Using an NSAID at the time of a period can decrease the amount of bleeding by 20-40%, and sometimes by even more if a woman normally has very heavy periods. NSAIDs also work great for relieving menstrual cramps. NSAIDs, such as ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin IB, others) or naproxen sodium (Aleve), help reduce menstrual blood loss. NSAIDs have the added benefit of relieving painful menstrual cramps (dysmenorrhea). NSAIDs have the added benefit of relieving painful menstrual cramps (dysmenorrhea). When periods are very heavy or you are experiencing “flooding” or passing big clots you have what doctors call menorrhagia. The purpose of this article is to define normal and very heavy menstrual bleeding, to explain what causes heavy flow, and to show what you yourself can do in dealing with heavy flow. Heavy bleeding (menorrhagia) is often a symptom of perimenopause, when estrogen dominance causes the lining of the uterus to overgrow and then break down in a disordered way resulting in spotting or irregular heavy bleeding. Common Questions and Answers about Ibuprofen and menstrual bleeding ibuprofen I went in complaining about it last week and am having an ultrasound to check for cysts, fibroids and IUD placement.