Bleeding too much during periods?

Recently, my mom's been on her period and she's been bleeding way too much. You know those jumbo night pads that are pretty thick? She says she changes those every hour and they're soaked when she changes them. She also says that when she goes to the bathroom, a hand full of blood clots come out. She's only 46 years old, is this alright? Is this the ending of menopause? Is this normal? She's calling a doctor today, but I'm worried and I want to know what's going on. She also says she's getting really weak from it. Please explain. Thank you.