To think sanitary pads are the work of the devil?

[theimposter]

Just had an op and not allowed to use tampax for a while so for the first time ever having to use pads. The most uncomfortable thing ever if you actually want to move around and do outdoorsy stuff. Who actually chooses to use these?! Any tips on brands and what doesn't irritate your lady gardens gladly received. I don't wish to have to go totally bald down there to reduce irritation as re growth will be even more painful!

I don't even get an hour out of them, they can be dry at the top and completely soaked with blood at the bottom and down the string - completely useless (as well as being uncomfortable to remove)

I have that problem too.

Chicky - yes periods ARE the work of the devil. I was lying in bed this morning with a self inflicted hangover, the past few days have had that nasty lower back period pain, then the cramping….

I had no codeine, Feminax etc and just had to neck paracetamol until I could feel able to get up and walk/drive to Sainsbos.

and F to all that rubbish (Bodyform adverts) who have roller skating etc at their TOM. At no time EVER during my TOM do I want to skip and dance around miserable old cow here who can't wait for periods to leave my body forever

Two words. Mirena coil. If you are able to use this OP then you can kiss goodbye forever to any kind of sanitary device. I love mine, haven't had AF now for over 10 years

dee - that is interesting - especially the bright colours! Glad it works though.

Scrambled if you're not blessed with kids (I'm not) then doctors won't touch you with the coil. trust me I tried this year.

MissMatched

now have a mental image a bit like a bedraggled dirty clumpy wolf.

that made me spit out my camomile tea wishes it was G&T over my keyboard!

Thin ones with wings, find them fine. Boots and tesco's own brand just as good.

SuperFly

SirChenjin the womb lining op is an endometrial ablation which Edieindwie1 and I spoke of. The lack of heavy bleeding has been a godsend, honestly but I now have symptoms of a period trying to arrive which are pissing me off but it sounds like it really helped Edieimdwie1 (I hope I'm remembering her name correctly!)

Normalisavariantofcrazy, are you waiting to be treated for your fibroids?

I have just had an ultrasound exam so I am waiting for the results. It seems that while it is my body it is their ultrasound machine so I am having to be patient. I was referred because of DVT possibly caused by anemia possibly caused by heavy periods possibly caused by fibroids. I sense that my records are being bounced round hospital departments until they stick somewhere.

In many ways I am hoping that the result will be hysterectomy. That way it is over and done with. It took the crisis of DVT to actually have my heavy periods taken seriously. IME doctors hear the words heavy period and assume it means long periods or irregular periods not regular periods just with abattoir levels of blood loss.

Scrambledeggandtoast I have a mire a coil for over 2 years now, I bleed for 6 days every 23 days, quite heavily. I have had my period for a month this time, yes, 28 days of bleeding, reusable towels have become part of my daily outfit!

Hello Chickie and Sir, Ewie here. Sorry to hear that for you ablation wasn't quite what you had hoped for. How rubbish. I still get PMT and my sleep and appetite alter just as they always did. But no actual blood so happy!

The procedure is called an ENDOMETRIAL ABLATION (not shouting; just making sure this is seen! ) it has been absolutely great for me and definitely worth enquiring about.

My GP was so helpful. Said no woman should ever have to worry about 'flooding' and should be able to wear white trousers everyday. (I've never worn white trousers but I like the sentiment!)

Good luck and I hope my solution works for others. I loathed periods!

I am also in the minority, like bellybutton and a few others, I hate tampons and have always used towels. Just feels vile to have them stuffed up there and always had an idea that one would get lost one day!!

Thanks for the info about the endometrial ablation - that sounds wonderful

Nothing they can do for mine whilst I still want more children as the fibroid are numerous but small and in the uterine muscle. So enough to cause griefy periods but in the totally wrong place to be treated by any means other than sterilisation.

One more baby. Just want one more and then I want the lot out.

Gnome been away for the weekend so just catching up with this thread now - my mum had a hysterectomy as she had fibroids which caused anemia from the v heavy periods, she has never felt better!

I can't use internal sanpro so use pads - v tempted by reusable ones.

Superfly - Are you in the UK? If so, go to another doctor, or go to a women's health clinic.

I had both an IUD and IUS (mirena) coil before I had children.

I use a cup and really notice the difference after a baby, I feel so manky I hate it. I hate towels, I hate that blood goes everywhere. I'm always glad to be past that time.

If anyone struggles with heavy flow, I started using my cup during a 12 week period where I was losing 100ml a day - I only know how much I was losing because of the cup - which is stupidly excessive and as I was EBF at the time I was in a bad way. The day I bought my cup I put a tampon in, left the house, travelled the 2 miles into town, went straight to the loo and my clothes were already stained. It's been the only thing that can keep up with those very heavy days.

When you can use them again, I'd highly recommend a mooncup. You have to learn to get 'down and dirty' and they don't tell you how squelchy it is, but used it for over a year and would never go back. Fabulous!

I have fibroids and very heavy periods, I had a mirena but it was expelled by my fibroids, had a scan, apparently my fibroids aren't big enough to qualify for a cervical ablation so I'm prescribed and anti inflammatory, Tranexamic Acid, which helps, without that I flood and life is very difficult.

YABU. Each to their own really. It is a bit like the Pampers v Huggies v washable v other brand nappies. What works for some won't work for others. I have no problem with any brand so long as they are thin, have wings and are changed regularly enough. Chaffing usually occurs when they are changed as often as they should be ime. I can't feel them 99% of the time.

I can't use tampons any more - since having children they aren't very comfortable. You shouldn't be able to feel them, I didn't used to, but I can no matter how much I move them about and shove them in. Something must have changed in the landscape up there!

I don't like the idea of a mooncup at all as I have a very short, light flow and I just think they are way over the top for dealing with that. I am considering washable pads after seeing a few of these threads in recent weeks.

Besides anything is an improvement on the sanitary towel and belt ensemble that I used to have to endure in the late 70's.

For those that find tampon's leak-I had this with normal tampax but now use tampax pearl -and haven't ever leaked again. They seem to be a different shape and absorb wide ways rather than just a long thin shape . They also have a bit of a 'skirt' thing going on at the bottom above the string to prevent leaking. Seem to work for me.

No, I tried those as well - I saw something about the skirt and thought that might do the trick, but sadly not. I must be a very weird shape or something.

I have always used pads, I did try tampons once but hated them, so changed back pretty quick!

I'm not too fussy about the brand, but I never use those ones with wings, as I really don't like those either.

Ewie I apologise, I did get your name wrong!

All this talk of matting and blood wicking down a tampon string. Get a mooncup now (or other brand). That all sounds mental!