I’m sorry to hear that, Holly. Mine are also very heavy, but still FAR lighter than they used to be; for the first few years that I was menstruating, I would bleed for 14–20 days at a stretch. I was put on birth control pills for a time to try to help with that, and while it shortened the bleeding time, I continued to hemorrhage each month for many years, birth control pills or not. Unsurprisingly, then, within months of becoming vegetarian, the effects of iron deficiency started showing. Over the years, I’ve tried at least 6 different iron supplements (all different formulations of iron, too), and I’ve had to stop all but one of them because of the health issues they caused. Meanwhile, the latest one I’ve tried is a multivitamin, so I can’t actually get as much iron as I need from it without overdosing on the other vitamins. Women on average need twice as much iron as men; women who bleed heavily need way more. Iron deficiency is not a straightforward problem to fix. I feel you.

On a separate note, one of the best things I ever did to help regulate my periods was to try acupuncture. If you’re feeling open-minded about a healthcare treatment like that, it’s worth a try. Best of luck to you.