To think I ever wanted to start my period?!

It was a revelation when it turned out my years of anaemia were down to coeliac disease. Going gluten free sorted out the anaemia which meant my periods weren't as heavy, or painful and didn't have the accompanying bowel issues that I'd always had. Only wish I'd known 20 years earlier.

I would really recommend reading "the Fifth Vital Sign" by Lisa Hendrickson. It's a treasure trove of well-researched info on menstruation, common difficulties like endo or PPS, and what we can do to help lessen the worst of the pain and other symptoms.

You should layer up if you’re not already - pad/tampon and heavy flow period pants. The mini pill helped reduce my flow too. I used to flood everyday of my period and it was awful.

I am on the mini pill. I feel its made my periods slightly less painful.

However the minipill has made me so nauseous. I feel like I am going to throw up every day.

I can’t have a coil (funny uterus) but the gyno suggested the pill to me as a way to lessen periods - have you tried that? I did not get on well with the pill but I know some people do. I know some people get hormonal arm implants too. I didn’t have much confidence in my gyno as her notes were completely different to everything I said and she referred to ultrasound results when I hadn’t had one in over a year!

Your situation sounds horrendous, push your gp to investigate further!

It is hard being a woman. Sometimes I think the female body is so ridiculous.

I have never had children and I never want children.

I have absolutely massive breasts. Each one is the size of my head and is very heavy.

They are no use to me whatsoever.

Then I also release an egg and have a painful and heavy period every month. Again, of no use whatsoever. It hinders my life.

Right we are made to keep the species going. But so are men. And they don't suffer all this!

Yes surely there should be a chemical/hormone that totally stops the egg being released.

I thought the pill referred to any contraceptive pill. It's a pity nothing exists that can reliably stop them.

I am over 35. The pill is for under 35's.

The doctor told me not to take the pill at my age as there are too many risks.

I take the mini pill back to back. Which is the pill that is suitable for my age. I still get a heavy period every month.

My friend was on the coil and she got periods all the time

So it was puberty in general you didn't want? And not just periods?
Some children are afraid of growing up...

Isn't it possible to take the pill without breaks? And the coil also stops it for some women? I remember reading somewhere that many female athletes manage to not have periods at all.

I never wanted my periods to start. I dreaded it even though my mother had been very meticulous about explaining everything. I quite simply didn't want them as they sounded like such a massive ball ache.

Of course, they did start, just a week to 10 days after my 11th birthday. So I was a reasonably early starter and I was very pissed off about it.

They went on quite late too as I had just turned 57 when they finally finished. I haven't had one for well over two years now and I certainly don't miss them. Not one little bit!

They were usually on the heavy but manageable side up until the last 10 years of them when I became perimenopausal. Then they became absolutely huge floods which nothing at all could deal with except for tena adult nappies. It was just like a very fast flowing tap being fully turned on., they were awful. They also became closer together, sometimes being only a couple of weeks apart, so I got hardly any break from them.

The mirena coil didn't work for me and I bled continuously (and heavily) for over a year on it before absolutely insisting that it was removed.

You have my sympathy, OP. Periods are a total PITA.

I've actually always envied dogs here. Unless spayed, the bitch only has a season on average every six months. I always thought I would have much preferred that system for me. Alas, it isn't how human women are designed.

100% true.

It's mad how different women's experiences are though. It's good people talk about periods more now so we can understand a bit more about how much people's experiences vary. I had heavier periods for a few years as a teenager but since then they've been very light - I remember being bemused when people talked about 'period poverty' as a pack of supermarket own tampons would last me months, so periods cost me about 30p a month. Same with a recent thread suggesting all women should get period leave off work if they need it, can't imagine ever doing so.

It explains why so many people - including medical professionals - are so unhelpful, as if their only experiences are of themselves/relatives having 'normal' periods they don't understand how bad some women's can be. Obviously still not an excuse for just believing people - but unless you spell out exactly what 'bad' or heavy' etc means you can understand why they'd underestimate.

"Part of me has been so tempted to ask for them to just take the whole lot out,"

In my situation, I'm really trying to avoid a hysterectomy, but in yours I think it would make sense. Not being able to work 3 days of every month is really awful and if there is no obvious cause that they can work on then maybe that is your best option.

Yes, I suppose I did and my friends did. It was sort of a sign that we were developing normally. I wouldn't have wanted to be later than average and have to worry that there was a problem.

I did have one friend who was totally in denial about puberty. She ended up anorexic later on and I think there was a connection with not wanting to grow up/have womanly curves.

Now, I'm dreading the end of them. Even if they're heavier than they used to be with fibroids and perimenopause, I'd still rather have my hormones.

OP how are your iron levels? For the last couple of years my periods have been pretty bad. I went to the drs and was diagnosed with severe anemia. I took iron tablets for 3 months and now i take them for 14 days after each period and it has made a big difference. I couldn't believe it. I've had less ruined clothes etc.... also a pp referenced getting something to clean up the blood. I use salt and cold water, soak the garment for a few hours and then wash as normal it works a treat. Absolutey so over periods now!

these are brilliant if you’re heavy

https://honouryourflow.co.uk/collections/extremely-heavy-flow-pads?gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=21697701738&gbraid=0AAAAAClpAb8OHoYTXgvNKJ-qa0MzUQi9I&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI09qayYbokAMVspVQBh0OVhhzEAAYASABEgLZy_D_BwE

I honestly think that my periods have been one of the worst things in my life.

They are irregular.

I was on holiday last week and my period arrived. I got that horrible sinking feeling of "why do they always come at the worst time".

I was just reading a book abiut a competitive dancer. She said she was stressed when she went on stage. She said the stress was tenfold when she had her period. She was so worried that she would leak on stage in front of everyone.

Imagine what porr gymnasts go through too.

Poor women we go through a lot

I really wanted mine, I was 16 when it started and I thought it would never happen! I didn't have a clue what it would be like, my mum told be absolutely nothing, aside from showing me where she kept the pads in her bedroom when i was 14 or so. She was clearly embarrassed so I didn't feel i could ask her anything, I have 5 older sisters and I didn't feel i could ask them either. Thank god for Sex Ed in school!

It’s a shame you didn’t get on with a Mirena coil, mine took a year to settle down but was so worth it. Bonus was that as my periods had stopped I had no idea what was going on and therefore went through the menopause without realising!

I suppose we're all different. My PMT would kick in like a dark cloud two days before I started. It was a hideous, very, very dark place.
However, I knew my period would start after two days, and the dark cloud would go. Knowing my period would start and my symptoms would go away was the only thing that got me through it. So yes, I looked forward to my period starting.

I agree with a PP, the symptoms are like a spectrum, they can affect us all differently and to different extremes.

Yes.

🍫🍻🍕💊 = 🏆

It is.

DH sometimes moans about having to shave his face every day.

Really? 🤯🤦🏻‍♀️

He, thankfully, now understands the hard way why he really shouldn't.

Unfortunately - that sounds very familiar.

Not just you @fivebyfivefaith 🍹