How often is it normal for sanitary towels to leak?

[SettingsO]

I have a DD who uses sanitary towels. Personally, I have not used sanitary towels in over 30 years, so I’m struggling to remember what’s normal re frequency of leaks. My ex DH wants me to speak to her, as he thinks there must be something she can do about it. I will tell him that the leaks are normal, but I also wanted to check if the rates she experiences are normal.

I have name changed in case I decide to show him this thread, it’s not a first post due to being some kind of weird period troll

@SettingsO could you try her with period pants and she could still wear a towel in it too?? Leaks do happen but if she’s only fairly recently started maybe her flow is still abit up and down.

It all depends on how often she is changing them tbh. If she is just using a new one every morning and then leaking by the evening then she needs to change them more often. However, if she is leaking after an hour or so it might be worth seeing her gp and see if something like Transemic acid would help her. Even taking Ibuprofen can help reduce flow.
I have always had very heavy periods which have got worse with age and now due to polyps and fibroids. It is awful, you can't relax, and a I am sure it s not helping her when her dad makes comments.

I use night time ones all the time. Without wings because I hate them. There is a long end and a short end an I find I need the long end forward at night and backwards during the day.

This. I need them longer, just seems to be how things work. I went through most of my 20s and 30s without leaks, but not my 40s, where they have been spectacularly heavy at times, and I've usually got cup and towel together. I leaked with some of my teen ones till I realised my period had a pause for a day or so, then came back, and it stopped taking me by surprise.

I would ask her if it's timing - she has yet worked out signs of when her period will start; or if it pauses or something; if she needs to change more often; or if it's very heavy flow and current pads just can't cope; or if a different makes/shape (e.g. longer) would suit her better. Also look at period pants and tampons and menstrual cups.

Are her periods very heavy and hard for her to manage without leaks? I used to leak all the time, very heavy periods, step mum tried to embarass me about it once, turns out I have endometriosis. If she is trying to keep on top of them and not leak, then maybe think about getting her checked out. But either way do NOT embarass her about it at all, and Id be wary of your dh having too much involvement in these conversations if he's going to be in any way judgy, considering he has no idea at all what its like.

I used to regularly use 2 or 3 pads, 4 or 5 when very bad, to give me the length I needed and also to cover the width of my pants as well

Also, forgot to say, the most leakproof ones I have found are Bodyform nighttime ones. They are cottony too so no irritation like Always scented ones can cause www.superdrug.com/Toiletries/Menstrual-Care/Sanitary-Pads/Bodyform-Ultra-Night-Sanitary-Towels-with-wings-20-pack/p/798206?gclid=Cj0KCQjw37iTBhCWARIsACBt1IxLbYYCy9Cm7xBJbcgjJKagodD8rSTgrL5252GVk7vofmKLNOokdA4aAv7TEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds

Rael brand do very very good ones for heavy flow (even night time) Worth it.

I would leak more like that than the other way round.

OP if I flood I'll get leaks, there's no knowing how often. Its not the volume so much as it comes out faster than the sanpro can soak it up. As a teenager I used tampons and towels together (hate tampons but had no choice) and changed as often as I could bit would still sometimes get leaks. As an adult I always have a hoodie with me so if it comes through my jeans a bit I can tie the hoodie round my waist by its sleeves so nobody sees anything until I'm home and can change.

One thing to check, is her father providing enough sanpro and not making any comments about how much she uses or anything like that? I had a friend as a teenager who struggled because she had little money of her own and her dad didn't buy her sanpro at all, like he'd just forgot she was female and she didn't want to say anything to him about it. So she wore them too long because she couldn't afford to change them when they were only halfway used up and you couldn't go to the toilet during lesson time without explaining the reason why, which nobody ever wants to do.

It's often about finding out what works best for you? Also, what are school toilets like? We only had sanitary bins in 1/5 of the cubicles (girls' school so over 500 girls on the premises!!) and breaks were short. I was often too embarrassed to be seen waiting for the right cubicle to be free so would wait longer than ideal to change.

I still get leaks now but I have fibroids and on my heaviest days I do leak unless I change every hour or so. I really need to go to the GP about that... So check absorbency/sizing. I've also found the organic and/or bamboo type towels work better for me.

I also have a pair of dark coloured PJ bottoms i don't like much that I wear at that time as it means only potentially one set of PJs stained.

I'd buy her the nighttime ones as they are longer. There is less chance of leaks if she is lying down. Or maybe even use two stuck in the middle.

She may have heavy flows. I did as a youngster and so did my daughter. Regular changes and wearing the longer and greater capacity night pads in the day is an answer. In both mine and my daughters case we ended up on the pill to help, as it was very impractical and we were fainting too.

So, even if its not normal for others, it may well be for her.

I also had flooding during the menopause. I had to wear heavy flow pads, change regularly and also incontinence pad pants to catch leaks too. Grim time.

Buy her period pants. No teen should have to deal with leaking these days given we have so many products to keep that from happening.

Longer towels, always with wings so no side leaks. Night ones for night time.
Also get pack of period pants to wear while on period as this helps. Like these for teens :)

INNERSY Girls Cotton Underwear Menstrual Period Pants Leakproof Knickers for Teenage Pack of 3 https://smile.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07RMH9XBV/ref=cmswwrcppapiii_XHEVRWQ7NB83314ZN9PP?psc=1

I've always had leaks - mostly very tiny, no big deal.

But then my periods got heavier with adenomyosis and possible endometriosis in my twenties, and now in my thirties I get legit gushers

As a teen I could not use tampons or a moon cup due to vaginismus. I still cannot insert a tampon on the first day of my period now, I have to wait until all the muscles chill out and relax and then I can use them for the rest of the period.

Things aren't always straightforward.

Leaks are annoying, but a part of life for plenty of women. If the medical establishment was more interested in dealing with things like endometriosis and women did not have to wait years to be diagnosed, things would be easier all round.

As an adult thats had periods for 20 years, I have come on very heavy, and leaked though my trousers today while out.

It happens occasionally to the best of us.

I hope your hubby hasnt made her feel bad because of it.

Its great to hear he thinks she can control it. Please can you ask him how to do this for me ? I would really appreciate the insight, hes obviously very knowledgeable.

I think i might have guessed why hes an ex

I tried pads when I started at 11 and leaked with every one I used. I last 2 days, switched to a moon cup (which I bought from Boots without my parents knowing) and never looked back.

I know all my friends at school were constantly bleeding through and asking other girls to check them

9 times out of 10 I leak on days 1-3 of a period

Very rare I don't leak at least a little bit.

Found the Always night level 5 a bit of a game changer. And it's not as bad. They're longer so cover more of the knicker as well as more absorbent

I always leaked when I first started my periods and would carry 2/3 spare pairs of pants in my bag. Sanitary towels were never enough, and even once I started doubling up with tampons I used to leak and sometimes had to change once an hour but that's not always possible in school (or wasn't in my day!) I think like someone has already said it's a combination of the volume and the speed it comes out but also for me I think also the thickness of the blood (sorry tmi) as tampons never really absorbed it properly. I went on the pill as soon as I could, but when I came off I used a mooncup which was much better but also because I could see the quantity I realised I bleed much heavier than the average .

Get her some period pants and be done with this cloak and dagger bollocks.

I'm a flooder and have loads of leaks. I bought reusable long/wide pads from Amazon and it's been a revelation.

Washable sanitary pads

They might do the trick at nighttime for her, and they just go in the wash with all the other clothes.

Same here with the leaking. I have floods on the first 2 days and often leak around the sides even if I wear pads with wings. So often my knickers are completely stain free but the leak has gone onto my trousers from where the blood has gone off the wings and underneath, so I get two seperate stains one each side. It's really frustrating and happens even if I wear period pants as well because the gush often happens so quickly it can't get soaked up in time before staining.

He is a twat in my opinion! Sounds like typical male ignorance when it comes to periods.

My Dd uses period pants and reusable fabric pads. The night time ones from honouryourflow are very good is leaking then is an issue

PERIOD PANTS
PERIOD PANTS
PERIOD PANTS
PERIOD PANTS

Better in which way can I ask, as interested to know if there is a better alternative. I have used some of the newer Always towels that are out, night ones etc. Plus the classic ones that they brought out with wings, but thick so like the ones you get in the larger pack without wings.
Stopped using the purple ones as they weren't enough.

@Hatinafield beat me to it period pants are your answer here. Far better than towels.