If you have heavy periods.....

[Aperolontherocks]

......how heavy are we talking?

I would post this on the General Health board, but am posting here for traffic.

I know this is a bit of a personal question to ask, but I figured an anonymous forum was an acceptable place to ask Not that periods are anything to be ashamed of!

Mine are ridiculously heavy. I wear the super PLUS tampons, along with pads and at my peak, am probably needing to change every 40 minutes or so. Huge clots (sorry 😬) and quite a bit of pain or though that isn't constant. Usually have a bit of pre period cramping and then around half a day of cramping when I'm on.

The peak only tends to last a day and a half. The rest of my period is still quite heavy, but manageable and overall lasts around 5 days.

I am on iron tablets as you can imagine and whereas I'm no longer anaemic, I am still iron deficient, although not dangerously so and am trying to really build up the iron in my diet recently, so hopefully my ferritin levels will be slowly rising.

I don't want to take hormones and I suspect at some stage I will consider having a hysterectomy.

GPS never seem concerned and say that it's basically just the way it is.

I hear people saying they have very heavy periods, but I do wonder if they mean this heavy.

I can cope. They don't destroy my life, but it is an alarming amount of blood to be losing.

So, if you don't mind sharing....

TIA

My Dr said it's not something you have to put up with and wanted more women to seek help. They should be a mild inconvenience . Can you see someone else?

*although

You need to try transexamic acid.

Mine were like yours till I was put on that

I'm the same as you OP. If I wore tampons and pads I'd have to wear both and change regularly.

My life has felt transformed since switching to period knickers - though I do wear normal knickers with a pad underneath just in case

Mine are much heavier than anyone ive ever spoken to and yours sound 10x worse. I'd say you're on the extreme end OP. So sorry you have to deal with this

@MrsSprogett, I have spoken to several over the years and other than offer me the pill, it doesn't tend to go any further than that.

@crashbandicoot4, I have heard of this, but thought they were for temporary use. What are they exactly?

Hi OP.

Sounds similar to mine, I would have a 7-8 period, with very bad cramps beforehand. Day 2-4 worst for me, I’ll have a super plus tampon plus a nighttime pad and for most of days 2 and 3 will need to change every hour so. Day 4-6 I can get away with super tampons with a night pad and then a normal tampon til it goes.

I’m pregnant now and the lack of periods have been a blessed relief! Drs only offered me the pill too- then the mini pill which gave me a 5 month period. They advised against the coil because I planned TTC in the next year from my appointment with them.

It’s no fun. This has always been my normal but I don’t know if it’s actually normal...!!

I started using a cup about a year ago - game changer! Like you I have to change super plus tampon at least hourly , a cup allows me to go for about 3 hours.

Last 7-8 days. I use these for day 2-4 https://www.honouryourflow.co.uk/slim-mega-pads-for-uk-sizes-8-30-128-c.asp
I flood every time I move/sneeze

I had horrific periods, bled through tampons and pads in under an hour on my heaviest days. I couldn’t leave the house. Tried tranexamix acid which helped a bit but they were still debilitating.

I know you said no to hormones (I did as well!) but I had the Mirena put in June last year and I can begin to tell you how life changing it is. Awfully painful to have it inserted and spotted for about 2 months, but haven’t had a period at all since. No side effects at all (tiny amount of hormone).

Can’t sing it’s praises enough!

I’m the same as you. Had a few embarrassing leaks at work. I just dose myself with paracetamol and carry on. Now I’m 50 they seem to be getting lighter if more frequent. I won’t miss them when they stop.

🙋🏼‍♀️

I've had desesteogol (sp?)

Then northisterone

Then coil (which came out)

Then northisterone

Then coil (which came out)

My periods last 12-14 days.

I take tranexamic acid and Mefenamic acid.

Trans acid controls it for 4 days which I can take it for and then it goes from heavy to the sublimely ridiculous.

I'm on iron and my last ferritin levels were 6!

My periods also stop and start. So I'll have an extremely heavy bleed which floods a tampon and pan in 20 minutes and clots twice the size of the tampon come out with it for 3-4 hours. Then nothing happens for 12-36 hours. Then I'll have a sudden massive bleed again which lasts 3-4 hours. This goes on for 12-14 days and cycle is every 25 days.

This morning I ended up with my HR going up to 127 whilst resting and it took 5 hours to come back down below 90 on resting. Currently 80-90.

Just happened to be due a blood test for iron levels today anyway.

Waiting for GP to call me as coil came out again last Thursday.

Ultrasound last October showed bulky uterus with multiple patches.

I'm asking for long term northisterone again, more iron and enough is enough - I want a gynaecologist referral now.

Mine are very similar. When I'm at my heaviest it's inconvenient to be too far from a bathroom, I used to use a superplus tampon and maxi pad which lasted 30 mins.Tranexamic acid has been a godsend. I've had 2 iron infusions for aneamia as my iron has been so low, but I'm.finallt feeling better. I've had a hysteroscopy and now debating an ablation, but unsure as the tranexamic acid works so well.

I think your periods sound exceptionally heavy. Mine are 7 days, with about 3 days of what I consider heavy flow - I use cloth pads (honour your flow) and use their largest ones & change every 3-4 hours, with a lot of clots. I am anaemic due to them. My doctor offered a gynae referral to see what could be done for them, but I am happy at present to just take ferritin. However, if they were as bad as yours I would definitely have accepted the referral, and I would suggest going back to your GP and asking for one.

My magic combo is transanemic acid and Mefanemic acid. Previously I'd be curled round the toilet bowl vomiting and in genuine agony. My husband found it very hard to watch me in so much pain. You need to speak to your doctor and request these tablets

At my absoulte worst just before having DC - I was better than you blood loss wise though got up to 10 days with heavy period though the pain - labour pains weren't as bad for me.

I found GPs would mention transexamic acid then insist on pill which I didn't get on with and I've been resistant to mirena coil.

I got very lucky with pg and bf with no break for years reset my system - though have couple of heavy days some months worse than other it's so much better I ma in my 40s now.

I think GP should be doing something for you - and I do think you sound very heavy but getting a GP to help - no idea what to suggest there.

I also had transexamic acid which I took on day 1 for 4 days, but this didn’t really make much difference tbh.
I couldn’t use tampons for the first 3 days as they would just get sodden and fall out within an hour of insertion. So, extra huge nighttime pads to change every couple of hours for the first 3 days.
Eventually had a mirena coil fitted which caused my period to stop completely after 4 months. Bliss!

I take tranexamic acid too for heavy periods. Go ask for that. You can buy it over the counter but obviously will be cheaper and you’ll get more tablets on prescription.

@Aperolontherocks my periods used to be like yours - I would frequently use 2 x super plus tampons at night and still have to get up 3 x to change them. Then I discovered mooncups and whilst I was still heavy and changing the cup every 90 minutes during my heaviest flow it was less painful and definitely much more bearable. I read somewhere that tampons leave microscopic bits of cotton/material inside and this can adversely affect those of us who have naturally heavy flows.

Finally I got a coil fitted and now have perfectly manageable periods!

OP your periods sound similar to mine - bigger than 50p sized clots, changing Lillets Super plus extra tampons within an hour plus pads . I had some investigations done but no reason was found. I discovered the moon cup - and that helped a bit, but I then went for a SuperJenny XL cup which holds a lot more and I can go a number of hours without even a little leak even on heavy days. I wear pads too still but I’m not frightened to leave the safety of the toilet any more. If you are interested definitely google the SuperJenny.

Tranexamic acid OP, it’s a game changer. You’ve just reminded me I need to call the surgery for a new script. If I start trying now I might just get through for when I’m due in 3 weeks.

Mine were similar, super plus and a pad and for a day or two I could easily change every 30 minutes and leaving the house was practically impossible....... Anaemic and it was a struggle to try and get my levels up.

I had a hysteroscopy and laparoscopy last year and my endometriosis was severe. Had loads removed and a coil put in and it’s made so much difference.

I still get periods but they’re getting lighter each month - maybe 2 days where I can just use a pad then a few days of spotting and only needing a panty liner.

Looking back I can’t believe I coped with them so heavy for so long - it totally dictated my life and I would avoid social outings, we planned holidays around when I was due etc. Now I can just go about normal life and it’s a revelation!

I found the GP pretty useless so went private in the end, next step would of been an ablation of the coil hadn’t worked.

Mine are like this. I've been on tranexamic acid for years. I don't know why I thought it was normal. I don't know why I thought the anxiety and utter, bone crushing exhaustion were normal.

It is not normal.

Go to the doctor. Insist on treatment.

I used to have to use super plus extra tampons and a pad which needed changing every hour or two on my heaviest days. I would also set an alarm to get up in the middle of the night to change otherwise I would ruin the bedsheets. As I got into my 40s it was getting worse and worse & the GP recommended Mirena. As PP says, it's been life-changing. My periods calmed down then more or less stopped altogether.

A couple of years ago I needed a scan for something else and was told I had fibroids which made sense with the heavy periods. The Mirena basically controls all my symptoms and I can keep it in until after the menopause.

Sounds like mine. Some days I just don’t bother getting off the loo for a long time.
It’s the unexpected gushing. For days 2-3 I can get through a super pad every 15 mins. Or there’s nothing for hours and then it’s off again
I’m always reminded of the tampon lady at school. “You’ll only lose half an egg cup full”

I don’t get on with the pill but that’s all the doctor offered me.