Unexpectedly heavy/nasty period - not pregnant. Should I worry?

[venusinfurs]

Wondered if anyone could advise...
I got my period on Xmas Day (hurrah!) and it was a bit early. Was a bit nothingy for a day and then became very heavy and painful, still going on five days later, which is so unusual, I honestly don't think it has happened like this since I started, aged 14.
I'm getting through super plus tampons at a rate of knots and have some clotting (sorry if TMI). Wasn;t trying to get pregnant by any means - could it be a miscarriage? I am of course having all sorts of panicky thoughts about ovarian cancer because I am a raging hypochondriac. Has anyone else had a one-off nightmare period out of the blue?
Would be so grateful for anyone's thoughts.

How old are you?
What was your last period like. Was it on time and what you would expect?

hmm dont know this has happened to me and i am convinced it was an early miscarriiage.

If it's possible you were pregnant it does sound like it might be an early miscarriage. Also, and this is purely anecdotal, I find that if I miss a period or have a very long cycle (I suppose technically this is the same thing!) the period is particularly heavy when it finally turns up. I suppose it sort of makes sense. Is that the case for you? Medically, I don't think I would worry unless it happens again next month. (Though don't, like my mother did, put up with using two super plus tampons at once, for weeks on end, for years!! much too stoic . . .)

I sometimes get a menstrual haemorrhage - but it's like blood blood (as opposed to period blood) and it sort of runs out. I guess you won't be able to tell if you are using tampons.
It happens about once a year - I once started a thread on here (because I couldn't go out ) and lots of people reassured me that it was gross but still on the normal scale.
(And to go to the dr if it recurred often).
I was definitely not pregnant.

I quite often have a period like this- perhaps a couple of times a year. I don't think it's a sympton of illness. My doctor said that if the blood loss is particularly heavy it will clot, because it can't get out, and not to worry.

In my case this sort of heavy loss started in my mid 30s.

I'm 42, so I suppose (gulp) I might get the odd 'perimenopausal' sort of change thing going on. But it's just so unusual for me. I think that's my concern - the sheer out of the blueness.
It is very red blood, Prism. I've never heard of a menstrual haemorrhage before.
It is possible that it was a miscarriage as we only use condoms, but would have been only about 2 weeks. Would you bleed like crazy after two weeks?

I hadn't missed a period. Do you think the fact that it was early was at all relevant?
Thank you all, by the way, for your replies.

Just to add a revolting detail - had a clot then that was a bit alarming! Bigger than any I had ever noticed before. Yeuchhh!

I think it's just a hiccup possibly due to your age . Mine are a bit hit and miss now, some months-floods with or without clots and other months very light. Although I am a few years older than you things did start to change after I'd turned 40.
I'm not sure it would have been a m/c if you were early anyway and your previous period was as you'd expect. I'd wait and see what the next one is like which will probably be back to normal. If you have lots of flooding that isn't letting up or if every period is very heavy with and shorter cycles than normal then I'd see gp as you could end up very anaemic.
I don't think that this is a symptom of ovarian
cancer so maybe wouldn't worry about that.