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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

to ask what you use if you have heavy periods?

99 replies

soggy14 · 17/05/2011 16:19

Am struggling to find anything that isn't "ultra thin and useless"?

OP posts:
dontsweatthelittlethings · 17/05/2011 21:26

i've suffered no side effects from the mirena coil (unlike other contraceptives i've used in the past) except the lack of periods although i did bleed almost constantly for the first three months but only very lightly. Hope you find something that helps OP

claretandcheese · 17/05/2011 21:28

Can anyone tell me if I would need to use the post childbirth size of mooncup or not? I have only had C sections?

IwishIwasmoreorganised · 17/05/2011 21:29

I've used a mooncup for the past 8/9 motnhs after reading so many posts on here about them!

I have heavy periods and need to empty it at least every 2 hours on days 2 and 3, and so I still wear a towel on those days but after that I empty it much less.

i don't know how but I do get much less cramping than I used to when I used tampons. I also find it brilliant at the end of my period when I can just leave it in all day, no need to change when the tampons when they're not fully wet and get that horrible dry, scrapy feeling.

They're sold in Boots and even though they seem expensive (about £20 iirc) you can use Advantage points to pay and they save a fortune in the long run.

thefirstMrsDeVere · 17/05/2011 21:31

Just had my first since DC5 and it was awful. Never had anything like it. I couldnt leave the house for a couple of days. everything soaked.

I am really worried about how it will affect work because I am playing with kids and visiting families at home.
Didnt get any pain so very lucky in that respect.

I just cant quite face a mooncup. I am going to have another look though.

puglet123 · 17/05/2011 21:32

I too am a Mooncup convert! I found I get less cramps (is it something to do with the fact that it sits lower than a tampon?) and love the fact that you can use it when you think you are going to come on so no surprises when out and about!

doozle · 17/05/2011 21:35

Simply taking nurofen will also reduce the flow.

exexpat · 17/05/2011 21:43

I was just going to post about nurofen/ibuprofen too - it was a tip from someone else on MN a while back, so I tried it and it really does seem to work.

I usually get the horrible day or two at the start when a super-plus-extra tampon plus night-time pad need changing every hour or two, and taking nurofen over those days really seemed to lighten the flow. I think it just stretches it out over longer, though - so instead of two really heavy days, then almost nothing for a few days, as usual, I get three or four moderate days. But it does save dashing to the loo so often when I'm out.

confuddledDOTcom · 17/05/2011 21:44

"Can anyone tell me if I would need to use the post childbirth size of mooncup or not? I have only had C sections?"

Yes, it's post pregnancy not post childbirth.

WorzselMaamage · 17/05/2011 21:45

Mooncup and pads and i still have to get up in the night and change both. [grr]

sherbetpips · 17/05/2011 21:49

Superplus tampon plus nighttime towel and tight knickers. Always ultra really barks me off though. The old plastic lined one was perfect, never leaked and you could literally fill a towel but now they are so bothered about the 'feel' they don't seem to care that they now leek from all sides!

HidingInTheUndergrowth · 17/05/2011 21:53

I had a mirena for 4 years so had almost no period which was amazing and I loved it. Had it taken out though to TTC and the first few months I was sitting in the toilets at work in tears during my periods because they were so heavy and painful.

I was very unsure about it but tried the mooncup as a last resort and it really is amazing! I would never go back to anything else. It took me a couple of months to really get the hang of it but like others have said it seems to have both reduced the cramping and made my periods at least seem lighter than they were. I change it a few times a day during the first few days and then just once for the last few. It is also so much nicer than a tampon to use if you swim or when you have a bath.

If I ever manage to produce a child or finally give up on the whole idea I will get a mirena put back in but until then my mooncup is my best friend. Really, give it a couple of months and you will be converted. It's kind of like a cult...but a nice one that makes things better, not the kool aid kind...

dexifehatz · 17/05/2011 21:55

Teatowel.No joke.

claretandcheese · 17/05/2011 21:57

Thanks Confuddled!

compo · 17/05/2011 22:03

Having read the thread a couple of questions

does nurofen realy work?!?

And where do you get tranamix (sp?) acid from? The gp?

Nunk · 17/05/2011 22:10

You can get transamic acid from the GP or over the counter at Boots it is about £9.00 though.

doozle · 17/05/2011 22:12

Compo, this is from the NHS website - about nurofen reducing flow

Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) may also be used to treat menorrhagia as a second choice treatment if LNG-IUS is not appropriate.

NSAIDs have been shown to reduce blood loss by 20-49%. They are taken in tablet form from the start of your period (or just before) and until bleeding has stopped. As with tranexamic acid, treatment should be stopped if your symptoms have not improved within three months.

The NSAIDs that are recommended for treating menorrhagia are:
mefenamic acid
naproxen
ibuprofen

These are usually taken three or four times a day.

NSAIDs work by reducing your body's production of a hormone-like substance called prostaglandin, which is linked to heavy periods. NSAIDs are also painkillers. They are not a form of contraceptive. However, if necessary, they can be used with the combined oral contraceptive pill (see below).
Common side effects of NSAIDs include indigestion and diarrhoea.

NSAIDs can be used for an indefinite number of menstrual cycles, as long as they are relieving symptoms of heavy blood loss and are not causing significant adverse side effects. However, treatment should be stopped after three months if NSAIDs are found to be ineffective.

Mandy2003 · 17/05/2011 22:18

Pub beertowel folded in 3 lengthways Sad

After a year or so like that in my 30s things then went back to normal with no treatment Confused

MayDayChild · 17/05/2011 22:26

WOW great thread
Never heard about the NSAID thingys - wish someone had told me!
Interestingly for me - not one of you has said you use TAMPAX!! Lots of LILLETS mentions.
I personally think Tampax are crap crap crap for heavy periods and far too long so mega uncomfy.
I have had surgery for endometriosis twice and have horrid periods.

My mirena has been in for 6 months and I love it. But I wouldn't have had it unless I was finished having children. I had it fitted after just one period after my last child. That horror was enough - it was like murder all around the house.
My periods seem to have stopped, apart from staining (panty liner only) for about three days every 8 weeks.

Before Mirena
I used the mooncup and much much prefer it to tampons as it does hold more but mine did trickle leak and I always used it with a ultra thin towel. How awful does this sound but I think I could have done with a slightly wider and shorter cup!! And I cut all my stem off!

Once I can't have mirena anymore (no weight gain here, spots all gone and mood swings are more even) then I would certainly go back to mooncup.
Actually mine was a different brand... can't think of the name.
x

BadRoly · 17/05/2011 22:33

I used a mooncup and found it a bit hit and miss. However, after no4 was born I had a mirena fitted and haven't looked back! I did have mini periods for about a year and used the mooncup but now I have occasional spotting.

Don't know if I have side effects as I had the mirena when ds2 was 6 weeks old and I was still fully breast feeding so didn't get a chance to return to "normal"!

flamegirl77 · 17/05/2011 22:46

I love my Mooncup. Its biggest triumph was when I ran a half marathon wearing it with no discomfort or leaks.

daftoldbat · 17/05/2011 23:04

Mooncup + pantyliner. Like Honeydragon time between changes can be less than half an hour on heavy days. Added bonus much less period pain than previously with tampons. Cant recommend it highly enough.

Original poster
soggy14 · 18/05/2011 00:01

Clipart yes - have been to see GP and had assortment of tests - seems that is is just "to be expected at your age" :( My mother had a hysterectomy at about my age but I don't want one. Am not good with anything hormonal.

OP posts:
springydaffs · 18/05/2011 00:07

I'm a convert to the mooncup too - changed my life! TOTALLY. the biggest triumph is wearing WHITE TROUSERS (sorry for the shouting) on the first day of my period (resisted shouting about that, but could). I only wear a very thin towel on the first days when my period is heaviest, but only to be on the safe side. You don't put it in far, it sits close to the exit [euphemism alert] and seals in place: to get it out you 'bear down' and it comes out easily. tip it out and clean it with loo roll if there isn't a sink in the cubicle. I cut the stem right off because it chaffed if I left even the smallest stem. I also started off with the post childbirth/30 one but it was too big and the smaller one is just right (I also had c/s births so perhaps that's the reason?).

Before I discovered the mooncup I remember one day in the supermarket q with my trolley piled up with every sanitary protection known to .. woman, feeling miserable that it was a constant battle in the first days. I often didn't go out because it just wasn't worth the stress: many's a time I had to take off my jumper and wrap the sleeves round my waist to cover my bum until I could get home to change. TMI but I once felt it dribbling down my leg (not the jumper). Then there was the HUGE stain on the sofa. Horrible. Nothing like that with the mooncup, ever. Do try to get over your reticence OP - if you can shove up a tampon then the mooncup is simple. It took me a few periods to get used to using it but so glad I perservered. They're expensive but once you've got one, that's it: apart from super slim towels for a few days I don't buy any more sanitary protection. I used to have a big bathroom cabinet stuffed full with sanitary towels/tampons but I got rid of it because I didn't need it any more.

Sorry to gush (excuse the pun )

Olifin · 18/05/2011 00:15

I LOVE my mooncup and have been using it for a few years now. I only have one day of heavy flow on day 1 or 2 and the mooncup copes fine being emptied every couple of hours. I find I can't quite go overnight; it tends to need emptying at some point in the early hours of the morning so I use a pantyliner for back-up.

Once I'm past the heavy day, it's a dream and only needs emptying two or three times a day. My periods tend to last 3-4 days now; they used to last 5, I have no idea why.

Mooncups rock.

LyingWitchInTheWardrobe2726 · 18/05/2011 00:20

marrow in a rainstorm... I'm laughing so much at that. Grin

I'm thinking of trying Mooncup too but wonder whether they work for women who can't use tampons. Does anyone else have that problem? Whenever I've inserted them, they feel uncomfortable to the point of painful, and they don't seem to 'stay', whatever size I've used.

Are Mooncups more forgiving and, how do you know when they need to be emptied? If you can't empty them when they're full, do they hold the flow still?