Flooding periods and office work

[Conflictedboobs]

I’m about to return to the office from maternity leave (DS is 7 months). Since giving birth, I’ve had a problem with absolutely insane periods where all of a sudden, my body ‘let’s go’ somehow and I suddenly lose a lot of blood all at once. It’s usually around half a pint but it has been more and there’s a lot of large clots. I have these floods around 2-4 times a month, usually close-ish together but often with no warning at all. So I won’t have any bleeding or anything and then all of a sudden it will just come and there’s nothing I can do.

I’m going back to work on 29th. I’ll be 3 days from home and 1 day from the office but what if I get a flood on an office day?? How on earth do I deal with it? What if it happens on the train?

I currently wear period pants whenever I leave the house because I do get other random smaller bleeds all the time but they can’t cope with a flood. Today for example I had a flood wearing period pants while sitting on the kitchen floor feeding DS - I had to mop the floor and the puddle was about a foot diameter once I stood up.

I’ve been to my GP who has referred me for an ultrasound but the referral wait time is almost 10 months in my area. I’ve had bloods done and I’m waiting for those results too.

Any thoughts on how I manage this or anyone with similar experience who can give advice much appreciated!

Aldi do a version of Tenalady knickers which according to my friend on a similar situation which work well and a third of the price of Tena.

Go back to the GP, tell the it's stopping you working. Keep going back - it's the only way.

The same thing happened to me after dd2. I ended up in an ambulance due to lack of oxygen due to blood loss. It was like turning on a tap. Blood just poured out.

The only think that helped was getting a mirena coil fitted. Had some spotty blood for a couple of weeks then no bleeding at all. Even when period was due. They tried the mini pill first but it made no difference.

I've had the mirena in for 3.5 years now and the bleeding has never happened again.

I am so frustrated for you, OP. Have you had an ultrasound? I had this for 4 months after my second pregnancy and it turns out I had a tiny amount of retained placenta. My GP wouldn't believe the flooding was so bad that I sat on the medical couch and it went everywhere .... He referred me there and then.

I highly recommend spatone. My iron levels were poor - I had a PPH and my lovely independent midwife recommend spatone over iron tablets. Even though the iron is lower than tablets, my body absorbed it much better. Worked a treat and I tried them when pregnant second time around. I felt so so much better for it.

Have you considered going on the pill? I had similar issues (although not as bad as yours by the sounds of it) and was reluctant to try the pill but honestly it’s totally worked for me.
I had also had transexamic acid which did help so I would push that as a minimum if you can

Lots of good ideas but I definitely recommend the Mirena too. I had years of flooding and terrible anaemia. I just wish I'd had it put in years ago.

Oh, look, these are all great suggestions. But you GENUINELY can't work in an office during your period. No way.

Tell your boss. It's their job to let you work from home.

Good luck.

Oh OP you have my sympathies! I flooded regularly and found it so embarrassing. I was the only female in a team of ten males and we had long meetings... I knew I couldn't last an hour without changing and the fear of getting up and leaving a mark or dripping everywhere would send my tummy in knots. I developed some (probably seem silly) coping strategies but helped to deal with the panic side. For example, if I knew I was about to go into a meeting I'd just nip to another part of the building or office so when I came back in I had a reason for having my long coat with me which i could either sit on or would be used to hide any leakage. I always wore a fashion scarf and would take it off and place on my lap to hide anything from the front. Always wore dark shoes or socks. I also wore knickers with a pad in, then the period knickers types over my underwear. Thick tights under my trousers too and it would stop some of the leakage onto my outer clothes. I appreciate that it's only blood and nothing to be ashamed about, but these little things just gave me confidence. Hope you manage to get it sorted soon :)

Do not believe everything they tell you about the mirena and definitely don't agree to one until you've been fully investigated. It made my already heavy bleeding even worse!!

I have flooding for two days of my period and it is insane. Clots and alsorts. No way does it not go ALL OVER THE BATHROOM.

I use the biggest tampon available. Biggest pad available. Change every 1.5 hours or whenever I feel the clots pushing out the tampon. Extra knickers with another pair of knickers in them like a second pad. Wear dark clothes.

I also have tranxemic acid I can use.

It's really awful isnt it. This week I went through 6 pairs of knickers and 3 pairs of trousers in one day. Up every 2 hours during the night to change.

I take a lot of spare clothes to work! I’ve got fibroids and PCOS so my periods are thankfully rare but in full flow I soak through and flood a super heavy tampon and a night time sanitary towel in less than 15 minutes for about a full 24 hours and then after that it slows down to every hour. So while at work, I take about 8 pairs of leggings and underwear and hope and pray that I can make it to the loo before I fully flood through all my clothes every time.
It’s fucking exhausting (I’ve never been able to get to the source of the problem, tranexamic and mefenamic don’t seem to help at all).
I sit on a plastic chair (classroom) and can be wiped down easily enough. I’m not remotely embarrassed about it but it gets me down that it’s so momentarily debilitating, I tend to sleep on the toilet for a few days. I wish I was joking
Take lots and lots of changes of clothes, flannels for cleanups and some carrier bags to put the messy stuff.

I don't have experience on this exact issue, but please ask your GP to expedite the referral. Chase, chase, chase and chase. Tell them how it's affecting your daily life and mental health. Hopefully someone will pull a string and you'll be seen sooner. This sounds awful to have to deal with. You're doing fantastic x

It's fucking disgraceful that women have to put up with an issue such as this. There must be a way for it to be sped up?

A private ultrasound will be much cheaper than a private gynae appt and might be manageable?

I would definitely push for an urgent referral.

I had the same after having my baby last year. Periods returned at 4 months (despite EBF) and were insane. I got a scan pretty quickly and am taking tranexamic acid each month which helps massively although I usually still have a flooding per period. Can you ask to take that whilst waiting for the scan or the coil is another option.

@Postmanpatsucksdick

It's fucking disgraceful that women have to put up with an issue such as this. There must be a way for it to be sped up?

Agreed. If a man was regularly leaving a 1 foot diameter blood pool around him he would receive treatment immediately.

I'm so sorry you're going through this OP and I can't add to the brilliant suggestions you've already had. However, you definitely can't go back to work in the office. Apart from the awkwardness / messiness of flooding your anaemia must be making you very lightheaded so you risk fainting and hurting yourself.

Your wait for an ultrasound is ridiculous. I had one a few weeks back and it was a 4 week wait. Mine wasn’t even urgent, my iron levels were a bit low but I wasn’t anaemic. I could have actually had one the same week but couldn’t make that appointment 🤭 Go back to your GP and pester them. I actually said to the Dr, will it be a hugely long wait for an appointment and to my surprise, she said it would be around a month.

If you do go back I would ask for a dark office chair. I sit in a room with 7 men and when this happened to me it went all over my chair and I must have looked very odd shuffling out to the loo and kicking chair under desk. Though I would definitely ask not to go back and would be surprised if they said no.

You absolutely should ask to work at home on those days. Your employer has to accommodate you.

And I agree push push push the GP.

Naturally I have very heavy periods with flooding although doesn't sound quite as bad as yours as the blood flow is more gradual which is easier to manage. My recommendations:

• Try a mooncup.
• Modibodi period pants, the biggest absorbency, they do overnight ones and some newer even bigger ones. Could combine this with mooncup and/or massive pads. Maybe even maternity pads? Lil Lets do massive soft maternity pads which ive used PP both times and never leaked from.
• Speak to work about it definitely.
• Medication to try: mefanemic acid or tranexemic acid, or contraceptives like the combined pill. I'm always eirher on the combined pill or taking tranexemic acid, I find both very effective at substantially lightening my bleeding.
• Spare change of outfit etc at work and another one in your bag at all times.

My periods were the same and I found using the mens incontinence pads that look like giant Sani pads with period pants helped.

I also would just get a sudden flood but I often got some cramps beforehand as a warning.

Have you tried the pill or considered a coil? Neither worked for me but I know some people who swear by them for stopping periods.

Yikes op, this sounds like a nightmare

Would you consider combined pill so you can predict your bleeds better? Or progesterone only pill to make bleeds lighter?

Or Mirena coil?

All depending on your family planning and other things

Doesn't sound remotely manageable right now, what a nightmare with a baby to care for as well. Good luck

And a two-hour commute each way.

I totally empathise. All good advice above. Def tell your boss and ask for reasonable adjustments.

But also see if you can have a try to challenge your anexiety about it. Ie - what is the worst
Thing that could happen? Someone might see
That you are a female and experiencing unusual
Levels of bleeding. I totally understand why that can feel embarrassing- but if I saw
That all I would feel is empathy - and if someone judged me for it - well - what a weird thing to judge someone for!

So - my advice is take steps to let your management know and manage the situation- but also try (not easy!!) and manage your own emotions about the worst case scenarios.

Honestly the older I get and the more awful
Things I see in the world perpetuates by men and male violence the less I can get worked up about some natural menstrual blood xxxx

@Conflictedboobs I would be pushing the GP for more urgent referral, what you are describing is not normal and can be a sign of some quite serious issues.

My "normal" periods are as you describe in terms of nothing and then the flood gates open and whilst I can saturate a normal pad I under 30 mins I can feel when it is happening so can get to a loo before things get too bad. Tranexamic acid didn't work for me but others I know have had great results from it so definitely worth a try