Basics of dealing with a period

[Advice54321]

At 37 I feel like I should know this stuff by now but since having my children my periods have got really heavy and I no longer feel like I’m doing it right.

So can you please share with me your tips on:

1. I have to wear the largest tampon and a big pad to make sure I don’t leak through. Anything else worth trying?

1. How to get out the shower and dry yourself properly without getting any blood on the towel.

1. How to make sure you don’t get any blood on your bed, without fail I leak at least once every period. It’s so annoying!

1. How to explain to your 3 year old why you’re bleeding. She genuinely seems concerned for me each time and I don’t know what’s the best thing to say.

Any other basic tips for managing a period would also be appreciated!

Tell your daughter isn't nothing to worry about. It just means mummy doesn't have a baby growing in her tummy.

Tampon in before shower

If your period have got that heavy ask your go for some help. The pill or tranexamic acid.

Definitely go for a moon cup. I didn't get one until I was going into menopause and was annoyed that I hadn't tried one years earlier. Tell your three year old that you are having a period. No need to dress it up or make it into anything difficult. However if you use a moon cup she probably wouldn't even know.

I’m also a mooncup fan, solves many of the issues you are raising. And I am curious why so many feel they would hide it from a 3 year old? And bwahahaha at the pp saying ‘your 3yr old doesn’t need to be in the bathroom with you’. I’m assuming it’s a while since you had one. But I just explain to them in basic terms - blood comes out once a month, it’s part of how women’s bodies make babies, I’m not hurt and it happens to all women.

I'd visit the doctor and see if they can put you on cerazette (progesterone only pill). It stopped my periods and apparently it does in many women. They came straight back when I came off it.

Menstrual cup! I didn’t get on with the mooncup but bought a different brand (Saalt soft I think) and it’s genuinely life changing. I double up with a washable pad especially overnight and change the cup in the shower. I think I’ll try period pants too as I like the idea but I can honestly say the cup is amazing. I can even go swimming with it, whereas a tampon never stood a chance - I’d soak right through and nighttimes used to be awful. It can take a couple of cycles to get used to positioning it right but once you get the hang of it, it’s so easy.

Please go and see your gp! There are solutions. ..tranexamic acid or mirena for example short term ibrofen can lessen flow. check you are not anemic iron can be both a cause and effect of heavy flow . ..avoid a1 protein in dairy. .it may help.

periods pants and try a menstrual cup.,There are many with different capacities. dark clothes dark towels and dark sheets

I never hid it from my daughter. .just explain it's a period .,its natural and mummy is ok.
but most of all..see your gp..you don't have to put up with it. mirena was fab!

Mooncup is great for catching all the blood and solving the shower problem. However maybe you should visit your GP to double check just as it sounds like you are losing quite a lot of blood.

How do people stop their three year olds seeing? Do you never use a public toilet with young children with you? Personally I take mine in the cubicle so I know they are safe and not messing around.

I just told my three year old grown up ladies bleed from inside but not little girls don't. It's fine and it doesn't hurt. She is going through a phase of being fascinated by bottoms, especially her own, so she was interested but not bothered or at all worried about it. There are too many people still that think periods are embarrassing, dirty or shameful and I would not like to raise my daughters like that. (I am especially thinking of tampon marketing people here who are grossed out by blood).

My Mum was very open about women's natural biological processes. I wasn't fazed at all. When the girls of my primary school class had 'the talk' I was so blasé 😀

See your GP. I bleed really heavily but for sone reason it stops when in the bath and for a short time afterwards so I use the shower head to rinse and that stops it. I have pants with a towel attached all ready in the bathroom and get them straight on as well. I have done pants that are telly close fitting and put three towels in them, one at the front, one at the back then an extra one on top. I keep forgetting to get some period pants.

Sleep on a towel.

1. I use always nighttime overlapped slightly in the middle to make the pad super long.
2. I stuff a black hand towel between my legs as a bung and get dried quickly. Put in the wash. I have 3 towels on the go. Very cheap from Asda.
3. Put a bath towel folded once under the sheet and on the mattress. Sheet gets washed weekly when I change the bed, period lasts 6 days.
4. I'm not bleeding sweetie, it's period blood, it tells mummy I'm not growing a baby, it's normal. Shall we go to the park later?

GP. I suffered the most horrific and debilitating bleeding. Scans revealed my fibroids had doubled in size over a year. Just had surgery to have them removed and had a mirena fitted. Currently on my first period post-surgery and the flow is light, zero clots, much reduced pain, less laundry. Don’t just accept heavy bleeding.
Get those disposable nappy changing mats for your bed.

My periods were so heavy during peri menopause. I used largest possible tampon, extra long maternity night time pads, and I slept with an incontinence pad on top of our sheet and threw it away every morning. I was changing tampons and towels every 30 mins. I saw GP and hot some transanemic acid which helped for 2/3 very heavy days every morning month.

If it's that heavy please get referred to see gynae. Heavy bleeding like that is not normal.

I'm not as heavy as you but can answer 2 and 4.

1. I either wear a tampon in the shower or have one ready to pop in just before I step out. I also have some baby wipes ready to clean any blood off my hands and vulva from insertion.
2. We're an open household and my nearly 3yr old also gets concerned about my periods. I tell her that it's just mummy's period and she doesn't need to worry about me as I'm OK. She's asked if it hurts so I told a half truth and said no it doesn't. She doesn't bat an eyelid anymore.

1. Mooncup
2. Insert mooncup in shower then no blood on towel
3. Also mooncup
4. I told my daughter that mummys bleed once a month and it’s perfectly normal and it allows us to have babies.

I’ve just asked my GP for a mirena coil in the hope of stopping my heavy periods.
Get period knickers for night time, I still use pads in them but it stops the leaks.
As soon as you stop the shower dry your lady bits with loo roll and shove a tampax in before you dry yourself.

1-3 mooncup. It yours appear to be very heavy and others with more experience ate suggesting the GP.

1. Tell her what's happening in a child appropriate way. My ds's understood this around 3yo.

Who cares about blood on a towel after a shower! It'll wash off and that's one less worry. Sleep on a towel/sit on one on the sofa etc just in case of leaks, once again it will all wash out. Book an appointment with your GP (ask Receptionist if there is anyone at the practice who specialises in gynaecology and book with them for this appointment). Check iron levels with nurse if you are bleeding a lot and regularly.

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How do people stop their three year olds seeing? Do you never use a public toilet with young children with you? Personally I take mine in the cubicle so I know they are safe and not messing around.

This was what I was wondering. My DD knew what a tampon was (not what it was called) when she was about 3. If you have heavy periods and need to change frequently I dont know how you can hide it if you're out with v small DC. Weirdly I dont remember DS ever asking or commenting (,but hes generally less observant!)

I can't use mooncups due to birth injuries but can use Flex discs, Nixit etc. I use those during the day and period pants at night, doubling up on nights 1 and 2 when it's really heavy.

1. Modi body heavy flow period pants. Game changer. Never leaked since using. Sometimes use tampon too.

1. Use tampon.

1. See 1.

1. Simple explanation as pp.

But if flow has truly stepped up do go to docs as things can be done. Dont live in misery.