to ask you please to come and talk to me about period pains and disposable sanitary protection ...

[fluffyraggies]

Following on from the informative thread about disposable pads - there was mention of the toxins in disposables contributing to period pain.

One of my DDs, 14, suffers with awful back and tummy pain for a week before her period and for the first few days. She's in tears some days. She has seen our GP,who has prescribed pain killers. They give some relief, but i hate seeing her popping pills for 10 days a month. (She uses those sticky heat pads on her back or tummy when she's at school, and a hot water bottle when she's home as well)

My question is - has anyone had experience of menstrual pains lessening when they gave up disposable pads and began using washable ones?

I'm thinking it might be difficult for her to use re-usable internal protection while at school, such as the sponge, but what do you think?

It would be so worth it if it would help her, but is there much evidence that it would? I can show her this thread :)

[thesnowmanrocks]

I used to suffer really bad with the pain. Would have to hold on to wall just to walk. Would have days off school because I couldnt move.
No pain killers really touched it until the dr put me on the Pill at 14.
It changed my life and not dreading the "monthly curse"!

[BMW6]

I suffered appalling period pains - like 3 hour labour every month with proper contractions, vomiting, running with sweat and once hallucinating with the agony I was enduring. Most of my sisters had the same problem.
I was taken to GP aged 16 with Mum and was told the pill was the only solution and by God he was right!
I can't see how the method of blood collection would make any difference to the internal pain TBH.
I think see GP - my experience was donkeys years ago and I would be surprised if there isn't a medical soloution without the pill nowadays.

Your daughter has my very deepest sympathies & best wishes!

[fluffyraggies]

I don't understand the science behind it either rainbow, but so many women are saying it has made a difference that it has swayed me for sure.

I wouldn't have thought of it without reading about it on the other thread. This knowledge should be much more widely known!

I feel so genuinely sorry to hear about all the pain and misery some women are in every month :(

Thank you all again for all the info. Still reading.

[brighthair]

With pads - 5/6 day period, flooding, cramping, horrible back pain going into legs
With mooncup - 3/4 days, no cramps at all, no flooding
I don't know how it works but I was going through a pad every 1-2hrs, now I can leave the cup in 8hrs without needing to change

[hugoagogo]

She may be more open to softcups they have a less hippyish image than moon cups.

It sounds horrible I remember friends having to take time off school every month with their periods, I am the other way once in a blue moon and hardly anything. sorry.

[SuzySuzSuz]

Tampons/pads/mooncup have never changed my heavy bleeds and severe period pains, the only relief I got was from going on the pill which was a great help and since have been off the pill I now use a mix of co-codemol and naproxen which reduces flow and pains.
At high school I hated using pads as you're constantly sat bolt upright at desks and would always get that feeling of release when you stood up and the pooled inside blood made it's way out (sorry if tmi!).
My mum wasn't keen in me starting the pill but it really gave me that week of life back.

[HecateWhoopass]

Yes, me. I mentioned it on the other thread.

i use washable pads.

When I used tampons, i was really ill. Fever, horrible horrible stomach cramps, diarrhoea. It was dreadful. Pads weren't much better!

I used to have the most godawful period pain. I would be on all fours, rocking backwards and forwards.

Now, when I have one (I have PCOS and they're all over the place) I have barely any pain at all. Mild discomfort, mostly on the first day.

I'll never go back to disposable stuff. (although it'll be a cold day in hell before i subject the old girl to a sink plunger )

[SausageInnaBun]

My periods seem lighter with washable pads. I only have mild period pain after having children so haven't noticed a difference. Mooncup gives me awful cramps but I think I'm in the minority!

[ILikeBirds]

Mooncup and washable pads make no difference to me painwise, no worse no better. The pill didn't help me either.

[Vigilanteawarenessraiser]

If you pm me, OP, I can pop a couple of suitable ones in the post when I get home.

Anyone who is suffering badly should get it checked out, I'm afraid - with a gynae who specialises in endometriosis.

[cerealqueen]

I had a lot of success with magnesium supplements which ease muscle spasms, with ibuprofen taken day before period due, every four hours religiously. I'd used to be in such agony with cramps every month doubled up on the bed, but this combination worked for me until pregnancy, which cured me.

Sorry, more pills which isn't what you wanted but worth considering.

[GobblersKnob]

If anyone want to try anything else, I get that dull pelvic pain and also an urge to wee with a ridgid cup like a mooncup or a lunette, but meluna make a soft version which doesn't seem to suction on quite so firmly and is far more flexible and I get on really well with that.

Not for everyone but I think some of us just have more sensitive vaginas than others

[Dawndonna]

My sixteen year old twin dds both had awful cramps etc. one worse than the other, they both state that there have been significant improvements and have both reported a lighter flow, using washable towels. Neither have tried cups (eughhhh, apparently!) or the linen tampons yet. They both love their towels though.

[AuntieMaggie]

Hopefully this is less of a taboo amongst young girls than it was when I was your DDs age. I used to be the same but no heatpads, used to go through double protection every hour, and walk around doubled over from the age of 12 to 16 when I went on the pill. It was so humiliating as well as getting in the way of life. For that reason if the other suggestions don't work I would seriously consider letting her go on the pill. I know its not ideal.

[flattyre]

Thank you for starting this thread - I also read the one about disposable sanitary products and was struck that my monthly bout of diarrhoea may not be the period itself but tampons. I am going to order a moon cup and hope I don't need it for a long while as TTC!

[Boomerwang]

I used to get terrible pains and incredibly bad PMT. I started taking magnesium tablets and they were so good that I would have 'surprise' periods - i.e. it would start and I had no indicators beforehand. I've never bothered to keep track of when I'm due.

Really made a lot of difference to me. I'm the sort affected terribly by hormonal imbalances. I used the one a day tablets. Not expensive ones either, the Tesco 3 for 2 ones which cost about £2.50 each.

[Boomerwang]

Oh and tampons always gave me a killer pain which made me walk funny. It's well known they can cause toxic shock syndrome and lower back/abdominal pain. Get her off them immediately.

[Boomerwang]

And one more thing, when I went on the pill I bled every single day. If she can put up with that then sure she should give it a try, but it pissed me off personally.

[fluffyraggies]

Thank you for the continuing posts.

The supplement idea is appealing. It's pills but not in the same way as painkiller pills, so better.

DD has just finished her period this cycle, all disposables. I'll report back here on how she gets on with her new sanitary gear. She's pretty open to anything which might help with the pain.

DD an i are so grateful for this. MN at it's best :)

[IneedAsockamnesty]

I used to get bad pains the mooncup stopped them.

But I notice ou don't think she would get on with a mooncup ( I have 2 girls who use the soft version of a mooncup made by meluna one still at school with no probs - just FYI)

Anyways I used to have dreadful problems with thrush and cystitis bloody constantly I have not had it since I stopped using disposable tampons or pads so its always going to be a combo of mooncup and washable s for me now.

[fluffyraggies]

See! There's another thing! Cystitis! That's my bug bear. (not thrush, thank goodness. I thank my luck start for that) but i never connected it to using disposable tampons. Such sympathy with cystitis and thrush sufferers.

So the washables/organics could help with that too? This is a revelation to me :)

(have PM'd you vigilante)

[fuzzpig]

Wow, I never knew the type of protection used could actually have an effect on pain. That seems weird to me - not disagreeing, I just can't get my head round the idea IYSWIM.

I've been considering trying washables.

[fluffyraggies]

start? stars.

[Badvoc]

Are the washable lads very expensive? :(
I have had 30 years of hellish periods, only helped by going in the pill age 18.
Sadly I am now considered a stroke risk (hemi plegic migraines) and so had to come off the pill.
Have tried...painkillers both OTC and prescription. Depo injection (put on 2 stne and bec,ad sociopathic!) cerazette (nothing changed) mirena coil (5 months of continuous spotting/bleeding)..nothing has helped.
I get a week of black-brown sludge (sorry this is really tmi) and then 2 really heavy days...clots, flooding the works.
Then 3-4 days of normal bleeding.
30 fucking years.
I get horrific headaches, nausea, and dreadful pain. And I had 2 dc with no pain relief but my periods can have me almost crying in pain :(