To be really shocked about periods

[Belindamaee]

My periods have always been what I considered normal.

Small amount of blood. Definitely not enough for any leaking. One normal sized pad will do and I could keep it on all day before changing it but change it every few hours for sanitary purposes.

If I buy a tampon it will stay in for about 5 hours without leaking nor needing to be changed.

There just isn't much blood. No pain. Nothing. In fact, I forget I'm on my period.

I do however have horrid symptoms prior to my period so it evens out. Awfully sore boobs, water retention that makes me look a stone heavier, headache, low mood.

So I don't have it easy!

Anyway, this has come up as my friend was telling me she has to use a pad with a tampon as a tampon would leak if it was just used on its own. She said she has to lie flat in bed when using a pad because otherwise she would leak and she has to change her pad every three hours.

I was wondering what was normal?

AIBU to think my circumstances are more common than hers? Or do my periods seem unusually light?

My (female) GP told me that if my periods necessitated changes to my life they were not normal and I should let her do something. The something was a Mirena coil. Never looked back.

Mine swung from incredibly light and kinda pain free one month to incredibly heavy and painful the next. Doctor assured me this was normal.

Mine are like yours OP. I just count myself very lucky, and that's that really!

Whoever it was said you shouldn't use tampons overnight should come change my sheets after I've tried sleeping with just a pad.

It's fine to use tampons overnight as long as you don't sleep longer than about eight hours.

I really do AF. The doctors were keen to just remove one of the fibroids (I had 3 small ones) in order to get back to normal, and were adamant that my normal would be fine if I had a mirena (synthetic hormones make me suicidal). I successfully argued for a hysterectomy but they wanted a psych evaluation so I went private in the end. Early days still but it's one of the best decisions I ever made. As a PP said I didn't realise how debilitating it was until I no longer had to deal. For the first time in nearly 30 years I'm not anaemia and I don't have to plan my life/wardrobe around my periods.

There is a very wide range of normal. You sound like you are at the lighter end of the scale, your friend at the heavier.

I used to be about average, but having hit perimenopause in my late forties they have become massive floods. I hate them.

I am 51 now and would give my right arm for each one to be my last. I truly hope not too much longer, but for now I am still stuck with them.

I have experienced both.

I used to have heavy periods - probably not as bad as your friends but bad enough that I had to wear black for the duration just in case of leaks etc.

6 months ago, they suddenly changed to exactly how you describe yours are. Very light, barely notice them, could wear a pad all day without any issues. I also get one every 6/7 weeks although this has always been the case.

No idea what caused the change (GP did full check and found nothing).

However, it really is a revelation so just think yourself very lucky

Mine are really heavy but I have 'problems' and it is a shock to hear about such light periods but women have them and they are perfectly normal! Everyone is different

Mine have always been capable, not too heavy flow. Until recently.

No more pain since having DC, but this last month was awful: I can't use tamping - flooded a towel every hour, lots of clots, flooded all over the school minibus :(

I'm 40, but I'm identifying with some of the slightly older pp here who say they are perimenopausal - could I be there too?

Ha! Copable, not capable.

scoobydoo1971 that's good to know. I'm currently waiting for a scan for fibroids; periods so heavy my menstrual cup overflows and soaks through a night pad in an hour sometimes. My ferritin is 8 and I feel like shit. I don't think we want any more children and can't do the niagara falls every month anymore, so whatever works quite frankly! Tranexamic acid hasn't helped that much.

Have always had horrendously heavy periods. The last two years have been unmanageable, and Mirena x 2 didn't work, noresthisterone stopped working, and tranexamic acid never did nothing.

A laporascopic hysterectomy changed my life. I was up and about the same day, and home and doing everything as normal from then on.
I have more energy, don't dread the periods any more obviously, have become much fitter and have lost 2.5 stone.

I'd recommend it to anyone who knows they don't want any more children.

Hmm

Got a Mirena coil 2.5 years ago, best thing I did. Didn't realise how bad I'd actually been. I could go through a super plus extra tampon in 5-10 minutes on a bad day. Had to change my trousers at work once because I'd been to the toilet and changed tampons, gone back my desk and sat down, a few minutes later I was leaking already.
I'm just like the OP now. I have to actually remind myself to change my tampons, and I use the smallest ones now. I could get away with pantyliners but I prefer tampons (I feel cleaner).

Sorry 'never did anything'

Both are normal. Everyone's different I guess. Mine were light ish but painful pre baby. Now they're extremely light, shorter and generally same amount of pain but I get the most horrendous back ache and also, like you, water retention.

I used to be like you op a all of a sudden after my last child they are now horrific.
Every 20 mins I end up looking like a slasher victim. It has boggled my brain

I sleep with bath towels under me and I sometimes have to avoid leaving the house because its like Carrie's prom.

I had horrendous periods, bled 3 weeks out of 4, was anaemic. Several Large fibroids. Had a hysterectomy several years ago, they removed everything except my ovaries. It was the best thing ever. I hadn't realised how much revolved around my periods until they were gone.

Mine are horrendous. On the worst 2 days it will fill a moon cup every hour :-(

I so envy women who have light periods. Oh the hell of 30 minute super plus lilet changes in first three days and that awful waking up in middle of night not knowing what the hell you're gonna find. Urgh it affects the 7 days a month I'm on period so so much.

I hadnt realised just how anaemic I was. When I went to the GP and said my periods were very heavy they were only interested in the length not the amount of blood lost.

It was only when I had a battery of blood tests in hospital connected with a DVT that the problem was taken seriously. My blood levels were so low that I would have had a blood transfusion except that I had the DVT to contend with which was more acute at that point.

The endometrial ablation procedure was carried out under GA using the Novasure (radio waves) procedure. Absolutely no complications. In fact I wouldnt have known I had had it done except that my periods have stopped completely.

AnyFucker I understand that you dont want unnecessary medical procedures but if you are anaemic this will be affecting your life.

Mine were awful before DC. Painful and heavy. Then after I gave birth they were great. Light, no pain.
Then I had a miscarriage and they became worse than pre DC! Really terrible. Very heavy, lots of clotting. 2 days out of 7 day period I couldn't leave the house.
They have gotten a bit better recently but still not great.

Also I have PCOS. Add to that I get very bloated