Oh, the embarrassment........

[ISayWhatNow]

I have my period. My cycle starts with a couple of light days and then it's full-on exsanguination for a couple of days. I didn't realise that today was one of those days. I used the usual sanpro (tampon and then towel for extra security) and happily beetled off to the gym.

All is fine for a while, I can 'feel' that I'm bleeding quite heavily but I'm perfectly sure that my sanpro is equal to the task. But OH no. There I am on that stair climber thing, the one that means you're standing above the other gym users as you climb and therefore your arse is on full display. Mid-way through my allotted 20 minutes I feel a tap on my leg, "Excuse me," says this lady, "I don't know if you know but there's a lot of blood on the back of your leggings."

WHAT?!

"I'm sorry to disturb you but I wanted to make sure you were aware."

Because, yeah, every female who bleeds is happy for it to trickle out down their bloody legs in the gym. Suddenly I realise that I can see my reflection in a huge mirror across the other side of the gym.

Oh. My. God.

The seat of my leggings is saturated with blood. And not only that, it has continued to make its way down to my KNEES. Everyone else must have thought my uterus had fallen out.

And because of the hot weather (of COURSE it had to be today as we swelter in south coast heat) I was just wearing my t-shirt and I hadn't brought anything else with me. So therefore I had nothing to tie around my waist. In a hurry, I clamber off the machine and the nice lady is still standing there. God knows what I looked like, my bottom half soaked in blood, flushed face from exercise, and a wild look in my eyes as I try to think what to do.

"Do you have a spare jumper? Or workout top? That I could just tie around my waist? I promise I'll wash it." She was apologetic, but the answer was no. THEN, another lady wandered over and asked if I was OK. My wild eyes must have said it all.

"You need something to tie around your waist," she advised. NO SHIT. By this time, I had two women, who I didn't know from Adam, who were well and truly invested in me and my period, and there are also several other gym users beginning to look in my direction. At this point, I must have looked like something out of the circus. Gone wrong.

Anyway, a staff member came over and very kindly offered her black fleece to me to get down to the changing rooms so it was all OK in the end. Apart from my dignity. That's still shattered.

Does anyone else have an unfortunate period story to regale and make me feel better??

Get thee to the doctors would be my advice. I suffered from periods so bad, I couldn't leave the house.
We were on a UK holiday. I'd had a particular bad case of flooding, every half hour through the night, so thought I'd be over the worst of it for our planned trip the following morning. Took 20 mins to get to our destination, and by the time we got there, I felt very, very heavy. I needed the toilet fast. Found the first public toilet at our venue, and it was very old and grotty, with a broken seat, so I couldn't sit down. I pulled my knickers down, and my heavily soaked tampon just swung out like a pendulum, spraying every available surface with blood, the filthy brown toilet, the dirty floor, my trainers. I had to wipe the blood splatters from around the disgusting crusty old toilet rim. I was in there quite a while mopping up, and came out to a queue of people, and a mother and daughter were next in, and the look of disgust and reluctance to go in the toilet after me on her face - she obviously thought I'd been in there doing a number 2!! It was so embarrassing!

Yep. End of a long day. Stepped out of a cab in soho heading ti my final meeting of the day to be greeted by a flood down to my knees.
Wearing black crepe trousers waddled into reception and hastily used the loo to clean up as best I could. Went upstairs to the main office to try and find someone -anyone! - with some additional Sanpro to block the tide. A whole floor of men (tech company). 1 female secretary I didn't know. I sidled up to her and begged. She had fed me a little bag with supplies 'use what you need' . So kind.
So I have blood soaked trousers but you can't see the blood. Do I go home and cry? Oh no. I'm far too macho for that (being bullied by men at work at the time) and refused to be stopped by my body. So went to the meeting. Almost groaned with horror when I saw the seating - light coloured fabric. If I sat down I'd leave a bloody bum print. If I stood I'd look a weirdo (only woman in the room as usual so they already thought I was odd one out ). So sat one cheek on the edge of the chair. For 2 dodging hours until they tired of the sound of their own voices. I got a cab home and then I cried. And drank wine.
I'm still in contact with that lovely life saving secretary. Lovely lady

Bloody not dodging

Oh god these are all far too familiar.

I once bled on the light fabric office chair and didn’t have a clue what to do - then I had a brainwave! Took the lid off a feltip pen and left it at an angle on the stain. Win.

it's something that terrified me for so so long. I'd literally have to go to the toilet every 20 mins to change sanpro products when I had a polyp - ended up anemic etc. All resolved thank goodness 3 operations later.

Worst I encountered was an instance travelling, stuck in traffic & flooded in the car with lovely tan leather seats just so awful but thankfully I was on my own

No gushing story but I grew up quite poor (single dad) and so often used tissue in lieu of sanitary pads.

It was PE and I hadn’t realised my tissue pad had fallen out of my knickers into my shorts - as I ran around the founders pitch it flew out onto the field (between first and second base)

It was quite obviously bloody tissue - didn’t just reveal I wasn’t on my period, but that I was using tissue too !! 🙈🙈🙈🙈 I grabbed it quick but everyone knew

Makes me cringe just thinking about !!!

Glad Some ladies tried to help you OP. It happens. 🌷

Boyfriend's Party. We fell out and he drove me home in silence. I was wearing a yellow jump suit (this was the 80s ok) and when I got out of his car and into the house I realised I had flooded everywhere. I wasn't even due on. God knows what his seat was like.

I have been lucky but I know a woman who was doing a local tennis tournament (dressed in all white) and was happily playing when the umpire suspended the match. She had no idea why but he had to explain to her that she had bled badly through her tennis whites. She was of course horrified. She thought she’d never be able to return to the club but then realised it was perfectly natural, if unfortunate, and she had nothing to be ashamed of. At least 50% of the population could think ‘there but the grace of God...’!
My daughter (13) had an incident at school where the kids were sitting in a circle then had to shuffle over one and when she did saw a bloodstain on the chair she left. No one sat in it and she kept her hand on it for the rest of the class. Luckily it was a female teacher so when the other kids left she explained the problem. But oh the embarrassment!!

Yep.

I bled through my work trousers last week. No idea how, last couple of days so not heavy and I was using a cup as I have done for about three years. It wasn’t even half way full .

The chair was fabric and pink and I panicked and didn’t know what to do. I had a jacket to cover my bottom in my cream trousers (of course ) but had to mortifyingly waddle out and tell the reception staff so the chair could be removed

My school summer dress was completely white. I’ll never forget the day I got my period while in R.E.

I’d only started my periods a few months month before and hadn’t really got the hang of them yet, so was not prepared to start. It was so heavy, it had leaked onto the wooden chair I was sitting on and a few drops had made their way to the floor. To make it worse, the school janitor was the grandad of my best friend who I saw out of school all the time. He had to come in and clean it and I nearly died of embarrassment. They also gave me a spare dress which was 2 sizes too small and everyone in the school thought I had peed myself. Still cringe thinking about it now.

Oh, I also left a stain on my car seat.

Yup. Happened me in work but was wearing sanpro. I felt a gush, waited about 20 minutes, a few more gushes, then went to the bathroom. Sat down on loo and discovered that the entire back of my dress was one big flood of blood. I had dandered off to the toilets in front of about 20 men, not a notion in the world that my entire dress was covered in blood.

There was another girl in the toilets, so I asked her to go back to my desk and get my coat to hang around my waist. She comes back, I go up to my female manager (I've a few different reporting lines) and said I had to go to M&S as I'd had a 'female' accident. M&S was over 3 floors. So I had to spend about 20 minutes trying to find another dress to fit me, and then go through every floor trying to find tights, knickers, tampons, sanitary towels, baby wipes. I was gone about an hour I'd say. Then my female manager asked me 'did you go home?' Eh no, it just takes a while!!

Is flooding like this considered normal? I wouldn't think so. Have you seen a doctor?

Another time I'm in A&E, unrelated issue, and I stood up to go to the bathroom. Blood everywhere. 'OH whose blood is that on the sheet?' 'Oh that's probably me'. Had to be a male nurse too.

Yes - flooded at work and passed out immediately (huge drop in blood pressure i think). Came to, surrounded by colleagues and having bled through my sanitary towel, knickers and trousers onto the floor. DH had to collect me, got driven home sitting on a bin bag.

It's not normal no - and I'm under gynae to investigate.

Yep. Massive flooding episode while I was giving a presentation to a group of professionals I had never met before. Summer day, wearing a dress and bare legs. I only realised when I felt the blood trickling down my leg and on to my shoes.

Fabulous.

It's so bloody (pun not intended) embarrassing!

I've always had irregular cycles and as a teenager went to a friends sleepover with about half a dozen other girls. The friend hosting was very wealthy and had a white, suede sort of material suite which looked very expensive. I spent the evening curled up in one of the big armchairs, and I think you can probably guess what happened

I actually thought the gushes might be fanny farts or something lol. I tend to underestimate how much blood can pour out of you and overflow your sanitary protection.

Sorry this has happened to you PPs but thank you for posting. We need to talk about this! I thought for years, decades, that it was just me it happened to.

Oh god happened to me in a work meeting recently. My periods have always been so light but sitting there feeling what can only be described as a complete gush, had left a stain on the chair and had to walk to the toilet with blood on the back of my dress. Thank god the dress was dark.

Fucking peri.

Oh dear...a couple...

1. Early 20s, boyfriend visiting over Christmas from abroad, parents wouldn’t allow him to stay with us so I booked him into a B&B.

Rampant sex was had bringing on the Culloden of all periods. The sheets were a sight to behold . We’d already paid cash so snuck out the following morning.

2. Always been prone to mega heavy periods and used a mooncup and pad (measured blood loss 1 period..more than ½ pt not including fall-out).

Out one night with sanpro in place at a do (hotel where I use the gym regularly). Great time, alcohol drunk, ended up in the hotel bar till silly o’clock. Felt some squelchiness and just in case sat on one bum cheek then the other for a couple of hours - enjoying myself too much to want to leave or investigate further.

Couple of days later I was back there to use the gym and popped into the bar, just to check...omg the leather look banquette seating was such a dark colour where I’d sat, and really spread out due to my shifting about!

I’d love to ask WWYD, but it’s too late now

Also for those with heavy periods...Mirena coil 👍🏻

Periods aren't embarrassing. It's a bodily function. A bodily fluid.

It's not having the period that's embarrassing, it's the flooding in front of people and making a mess