To today HATE being a woman?

[TookALittleLongWayRound]

Not seen my boyfriend for 2 weeks and have a big night planned tonight and lo and behold AF makes a big fat appearance. Four days early

Sometimes being a woman just sucks! There is zero point to my thread other than to whinge!

Due to my heavy flooding periods of at least 7 days in length (more often 10) I had womb ablation in the end - marvellous!

I was when SIL said that hers were only 2 days long.

Same, Random, I was incredulous when a friend mentioned that she only needed to use actual sanitary towels for one day, pantyliners for two and then she was done for the month

I'd always wondered who on earth made up the completely untrue and frankly ridiculous nonsense in biology textbooks about periods lasting 3-4 days as mine were never less than 6 or 7 from the word go. Now I knew! Some lucky buggers were bringing down the average for the rest of us to marvel at!

Being preggo I'd actually forgotten about periods. Fuckers.
I've got fibroids and therefore had stupidly heavy ones as in just don't bother getting off the toilet ones.
Defo getting a mooncup and reusable pads. Weirdly, doc told me not to use tampons?!?

This is why I cancelled my monthly leisure centre membership - after DC I now have vv heavy period for at least 5/6 days - not a chance of swimming without it looking like as a PP put it 'shark week' (I'm stealing that btw) and worked out the cost of my monthly membership* minus 5 days worked out the same as pay as you go

*tbf the monthly membership was a crap 'deal' anyway

Ablation is a miracle isn't it? Obviously of no use to anyone thinking of having children but if you're not, it's highly recommended. You're in and out in a few hours as a day patient.

From early 40s mine were awful. Came on every 3 weeks and dragged on 5 or 6 days. I used the largest tampax and a towel both of which would be saturated in a couple of hours.

I recognise the toilet bowl blood bath scenario. Frequently the tampon was so saturated that the effect of sitting on the loo produced a rush of blood which expelled it.

Pre-pg, no probs. Mooncup & liner, a few days & done

Post-baby. Fucking hell. Painful. Heavy. Leaking. Can't relax & 'get on' with anything, including sleep. Hence posting at this hour

Get tongue-tied & pissed off & had to concentrate so much when preparing veg earlier. I was sure if chop my hand off otherwise

Do you definitely have to use the different size mooncup after a vaginal birth..? Could that be it?

Not getting a coil & don't want to take hormonal contraceptives. So... Is this it

When I was in my teens and 20s, I didn't get why people went on about PMS and pain and flooding so much.

Now I'm in my 40s, I have rather more understanding, because I can create the Texas Chainsaw Massacre easily.

Mine came early right on my 40th birthday in Germany. Luckily, I found a supermarket right near where I was - which was not near my hotel and provisions I had brought for a few days later.

I do think it's poor evolution - I don't think it would bother me so much if it were like emptying bladder or bowel - you know you need to go, but you can wait for a bit to get to a loo, you get rid of an amount all at once and then you're sorted for a few hours.

Oh now we've opened the floodgates to competitive 'who has the worst period horror story'

If this was the experience of most women we'd never had made the advances we have over the last century.

Fwiw since no one asked and everyone made an arse of themselves assuming otherwise I've had my fair share of menstrual mishaps- staining my chair at work was a fab one to explain to my boss! The mattress we had to throw out it was so badly stained. Having to go home from work to change clothes. Coming on at a conference and managing to get 3 tampons in at once to save me.

Fine, I wouldn't go swimming on day 1 but I really refuse to let it 'win' by stopping me from doing what I want to do!

Oh bog off Jackie. My awful periods didn't stop me getting on with my life and work either. They had to be dealt with and were dealt with but life would have been far more pleasant without them.

I and and another poster mentioned ablation. I believe it's a relatively recent technique. Mine was done 8 years ago and I'd never heard of it before so I am not going to apologise for mentioning it here if can be of help to anyone else.

And your second paragraph makes no sense whatsoever.

When I was 10 years old my then-irregular period came the day I went to a much-anticipated residential "adventure" camp thing without my parents. Lots of the activities were water based but my Mum wouldn't let me use tampons that young. I remember feeling pretty bitter about my newly-discovered womanhood as everyone else tried wind surfing etc!

One of the activities was an assault course which I didn't realise when I signed up involved submerging oneself in a muddy pool to get under an obstacle. The trainer was this shouty guy who seemed to fancy himself as a a strict military type (at a camp for pre teens!) and there was no way I could say anything. Tramping back to the changing rooms soaking wet, tummy aching, and changing a sanitary towel full of muddy water was pretty rotten.

You have already reminded me that being post menopause is always something to celebrate.

Fine, I wouldn't go swimming on day 1 but I really refuse to let it 'win' by stopping me from doing what I want to do!

Apart for swimming on day 1, clearly. Well, some people have your "day 1" for more than just one day. It isn't a case of letting it stop you doing stuff!

My periods used to be very unpredictable and sometimes really heavy throughout, but since being on the contraceptive pill are regular as clockwork and never heavy for more than one dayday, sometimes not even that. I know its not possible for everyone, but I'd definitely recommend this option to those who could consider it. It really has made a big positive change in my life.

There is a 'Period Delay Clinic' within Boots' website where you can buy norethisterone to delay your period without visiting your GP. You have to complete an online consultation, pay and that's it.

You bloody marvel, Cavort!

here's a link to the Boots one

superdrug also offer period delay tablets.

The Boots ones are about half the price of the Superdrug ones, not sure if that is for exactly the same thing.

I agree completely. I'm on Cerazette and usually have very light, infrequent periods. Last Saturday, out of nowhere, comes the AF from hell. Actual Beelzebub hell.

I've been passing multiple big clots every time I stand up, I've been wearing black all week because I've soaked through my clothes at work several times (and in Morrison's), there's been blood down to my knees, I've leaked on my chair at work and on a taxi seat. I've got no energy and am white as a sheet. This weekend I've not gone anywhere. Went to the GP on Friday because I was worried I was having a MC (despite being on the pill and not TTC) but she thinks it's just an uncharacteristically heavy period.

It's absolute fucking shite and I sympathise with everyone's period problems here.

I mentioned the Boots thing on Friday

BitOut

Tried to order some but apparently I am 'not suitable'. (I get migraines and hve a close family member who has had a blood clot.)

I had a double mastectomy. My period - and associated diarrhoea - started the same day.

I must win. Surely.

Actually I don't win as a lovely nurse told me that hers started early during her actual operation.

Goodness there's no way I could get competitive - I've had friends say "gosh yours are bad" but they are really not compared with some of you on here.

Mine were fairly irregular before ds came along and quite painful, but not really really heavy. Afterwards, they were the same but not painful anymore so win win except that they still lasted about 10 days.

In the last 3-4 years they've become heavier, a bit painful (but nothing as bad as they were when I was young) but the worst thing is that I now have to get up in the middle of the night once or twice on my heaviest night. Not leaking is a miracle. And mine are at the end of the month. And when are most half terms? And when do I want to go on holiday?

I don't want to use artificial hormones, I am definitely not having a coil so I guess I just have to put up with it until the menopause. Not happy though - as someone said above why is evolution so rubbish? Either the lining should get reabsorbed or you should be able to control it like when you go to the loo normally.

muminhants if you have completed your family check out endometrial ablation.

I sat on my own bollocks once. Beat that.