Needing to change pads or tampons during the night. Menstrual flow with blood clots that are as big as a quarter or larger The clinic notes that a third of women seek help for heavy bleeding.

How often you change your pad depends on how heavy your flow is, but a good rule of thumb is to change it every three to four hours. Insider's takeaway Choosing between tampons and pads comes down ...

They hold more.A menstrual cup can hold 1 ounce of liquid, roughly twice the amount of a super-absorbent tampon or pad. That difference can be a comfort on your heavy flow days. They're easy to use.