Provider Handouts
The Foundation for Women & Girls with Blood Disorders seeks to ensure that all women and girls with blood disorders are correctly diagnosed and optimally managed at every life stage. The Foundation works to achieve this goal by:
- Building awareness about the unique needs of women and girls with blood disorders
- Providing education and training of excellence for healthcare providers
- Encouraging successful collaboration and coordination of care between hematologists and reproductive health specialists
- Link providers to turn good practice into best practice
- Translating and disseminating provider information and research
Below are resources available for the healthcare team to utilize with patients.
In collaboration with Hemophilia of Georgia, FWGBD worked with members from the Jeanne M. Lusher Center for Hemostasis and Thrombosis, the WGBD® LAN Nursing Subcommittee, and members of the FWGBD Medical Advisory Committee to develop the following resources for providers to share with their patients to address heavy menstrual bleeding. These pages are offered in both Spanish and English to provide expanded reach to both your patients and their families. All documents have been extensively reviewed to provide the most up-to-date information in an easy-to-absorb format.
About Your Period
This resource serves as a primer for the menstrual cycle. It provides an overview of what happens, what to expect, and words to know.
About Your Period – English
Sobre tu Periodo – Spanish
Period Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Formerly a part of the About Your Period resource, this FAQ sheet answers some commonly asked questions about your period.
Period FAQ – English
Periodo Preguntas Frecuentes (Period Frequently Asked Questions – Spanish)
Heavy Menstrual Bleeding
A further description of heavy menstrual bleeding. This reiterates the signs and symptoms, shares treatment options, and provides advice for navigating school.
Heavy Menstrual Bleeding – English
Sangrado Menstrual Abundante (Heavy Menstrual Bleeding – Spanish)
Iron Deficiency Anemia
This common condition, especially among those who menstruate – and even more for those who suffer from heavy menstrual bleeding, introduces the condition, symptoms, diagnosis process, and treatment options.
Iron Deficiency Anemia – English
Anemia por Deficiencia de Hierro (Iron Deficiency – Spanish)
Menstrual Product Options
There is a great variety of options to absorb menstrual bleeding. This resource provides an overview of these options, what to expect when using the items, and how to maintain personal hygiene when using each option.
Menstrual Product Options – English
Opciones de Productos Menstruales (Menstrual Product Options – Spanish)
NEW! Treatment Options for Heavy Menstrual Bleeding
Heavy menstrual bleeding (HMB) is common and can greatly affect a person’s health and daily life, yet many people do not get clear, timely guidance on treatment options. This resource helps by showing the range of safe and effective treatments available.
Treatment Options for the Management of HMB – English
Opciones de tratamiento para el manejo del SMA – Spanish
Thank you to Hemophilia of Georgia for providing funding support for this project.
Thank you to the team at the Jeanne M. Lusher Center for Hemostasis and Thrombosis for their assistance in the development of content.
Important Conversations: A Shared-Decision Making Toolkit for Medical Professionals and People Living with Paroxysmal Nocturnal Hemoglobinuria (PNH)
This toolkit is intended to support people living with Paroxysmal Nocturnal Hemoglobinuria (PNH) through their journey after receiving a diagnosis, foster better communication with healthcare providers, and provide an understanding of PNH and its impact on quality of life. Improved awareness of PNH and the barriers to care will help improve access to the treatments and medicines that people need, radically improving the trajectory of people living with the disease. This work was made possible through a dedicated group of people impacted by PNH, patient advocates, and medical professionals who served on the PNH Shared Decision-Making Steering Committee.
Paroxysmal Nocturnal Hemoglobinuria (PNH) Tear-Off Sheets
These resources are designed to support individuals as they navigate the lifespan after receiving a diagnosis of Paroxysmal Nocturnal Hemoglobinuria (PNH). These can be used as supplemental or stand-alone resources, focusing on current treatment options, navigating fatigue, and pregnancy planning.
- Managing Life with PNH – English Download
- Manejar la vida por HPN – Spanish Download
- Living with PNH: Managing Fatigue and Energy Levels – English Download
- Vivir con HPN: Manejar la Fatiga y los Niveles de Energía – Spanish Download
- Planning for Pregnancy with PNH – English Download
The PPG is a compact tool with the potential to positively impact patient care. The idea originated from the WGBD® LAN Clinical Care Subcommittee in 2021 with the goal to provide LAN members with an easily accessible guide for the diagnosis and management of Abnormal Uterine Bleeding (AUB).
Updated in 2025, the current PPG has been medically reviewed and updated by the subcommittee and FWGBD’s Medical Advisory Committee (MAC) members, and includes updated literature and resources.
Download the 2025 Period Pocket Guide
Reproductive Health Conversations | For Providers
Reproductive health counseling is a critical yet often under-addressed component of comprehensive care for individuals with sickle cell disease (SCD). Developed by the WGSCD LAN to fill this gap, the resources below will equip physicians with practical strategies to navigate discussions about various aspects of reproductive health in females with SCD.
- Reproductive Health Considerations in Sickle Cell Disease: Focus on Menstrual Management, Family Planning, & Pregnancy
[Click here to download the Guide] - Options for Managing Periods and Preventing Pregnancy in Sickle Cell Disease
[Click here to download]
Sickle Cell Disease and Pregnancy | Handouts for Patients
Women with sickle cell disease are at greater risk for developing health problems during pregnancy than women without SCD. In collaboration with the National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the American Society of Hematology, and the Sickle Cell Reproductive Health Education Directive, FWGBD developed the following fact sheets on preconception, prenatal, and postpartum care for women with sickle cell disease (SCD).
- Women with Sickle Cell Disease and Postpartum Care
[Click here to download/Available in Spanish and English] - Women with Sickle Cell Disease and Preconception Care
[Click here to download/Available in Spanish and English] - Women with Sickle Cell Disease and Prenatal Care
[Click here to download/Available in Spanish and English]
Developed by the WGBD® LAN Clinical Care Subcommittee, these resources are available for providers to learn more about this treatment to control bleeding.
TXA Q&A – FAQs from Patients, for Patients