Period / sanitary products - poss TMI

[TammySwansonTwo]

Wondering if I'm the only person to have this issue so mainly posting for traffic!

I have endometriosis and therefore very long and heavy periods. I can't use anything internal as it's too painful, far too messy and heavy, and I worry about the possibility of retrograde menstruation since they're so heavy.

The problem is that within a couple of days of my period starting, it feels like all the skin has been removed from my undercarriage. Because it's so heavy, no sanitary product absorbs quickly enough and I end up with serious chafing.

I bought some of those Always foam filled ones which were better (and less rough surface so less nasty rubbing) but even those now are causing bad chafing - only four days in and feels like I've had acid poured all over me.

Is this normal? What do other people do? Have tried fabric ones but they were even worse as the surface stays wet and that causes more chafing.

Off to raid my stash of nappy rash cream I reckon, but would love any suggestions. I'm wondering if it's like joggers nipples, where they become super sensitive to chafing.

Am I alone and weird or is this just another joyous thing we are expected to put up with?

I think maybe a good barrier cream would help. Cavilon is fantastic stuff bit pricey but it does the job. www.completecareshop.co.uk/continence-care/barrier-cream/durable-barrier-cream-92g-tube

Have you thought of trying thinx?
They are all in one absorbent pants that hold 2 tampons worth of blood while staying dry to touch.

www.shethinx.com/?gclid=CjwKCAiAo9_QBRACEiwASknDwUosZG5OW8wTmpvM5XIEiq37kkn2-zqIgJgpp1nz0UNQLM5-d9Z9-hoCLQAQAvD_BwE

Or for cloth pads minki topped ones feel dryer than cotton topped.

Could you try layering & wicking materials - I don't know if this would work, just guessing - so dryfit knickers, pad, normal knickers to hold the pad?

I once bought a pack of incontinence pads by mistake and they were blissfully soft.

The most comfortable things I use are at night - I cut as big a square of fabric as I can from old t-shirts too ratty to put in the charity bag, fold them up into a really thick pad, then use them in close-fitting big pants at night. They are absorbent, really soft and comfortable (once you have got used to the bulk), don't leak (for me), and you can make them as huge and as thick as you like. I have been known to fold two together when I've been really heavy.

In the morning, put in bucket of cold water in the bath. In evening, rinse out, bung in washing machine. They dry easily because they are just a big square of fabric.

Emphasiser checking in. My friend recommended incontinence pads instead of maternity ones, I ended up not using them as it was literally the lightest bleeding I'd ever experienced so could use bog standard pads, but they've been amazing for my periods since.

Also don't forget to be choosy about your loo paper. Ideally water to clean and pat dry, but it's worth experimenting with different brands or buying a load of cheap flannels (you could cut them in half) to use and boil wash if it helps. I've ended up with 'nappy rash' a couple of times on particularly heavy periods. Yours sounds awful though

www.natracare.com
Try these, they're unbleached.

Thanks ladies - sorry others are dealing with the same. My little twin gets awful bleeding nappy rash (which I've tried everything to resolve and now seem to be having some success cutting out all fruit temporarily) and I feel so sad for him if it feels anything like this (probably worse with wee against it) but means I do have an array of nappy rash and barrier creams to try out.

It does seem to be a problem with moisture against or on the skin, so when I've tried fabric things it has been worse because there's no dry top layer as there is with disposable pads. Where there's any slight gap between the pad and the skin, moisture sits there and then is rubbed by the pad as I move. I think that's it anyway. Will try some new products but not sure how successful any will be at eliminating this - might have to rely on creams too for now.

Can't do mirena coil again (was a year from hell!) but changing pills to see if that makes a difference for now.

My Mum had something similar.
After years of dealing with it, she's actually having a hysterectomy next week. Bit of an extreme solution but it will work.

I suffer from this too and find that some of the cheaper pads are actually better, lidl or Tesco ones seem a bit better, I can't wear always at all. I often have 2 days where I can't leave the house

Agree that you really need to get to the root cause of all of this.

I had a hysterectomy exactly a year ago to deal with a fibroid which was causing my all sorts of problems - bleeding for 10 days every 3 weeks, soaking through the mahoosive tampons and maternity pads, making me anaemic. It is hands down the best decision I made. Yes it's major surgery and yes the couple of weeks after surgery aren't great but it really is a life changer. I would ask for another gynae referral to discuss things further.

The gynae has sort of discharged me and told me to call them when I want a hysterectomy - this was only a couple of months ago so I'm still trying to decide what to do and when (wouldn't be able to have it yet anyway as the twins are 14 months and wouldn't be able to lift them after surgery - was hoping to delay it until they can move around more independently!). There's really not much else they can do for me at this stage - things are a real mess (endometriosis, adenomyosis, adhesions, nerve damage). Nothing is going to fix it completely but no periods would be a big improvement obviously. Still deciding if I am really done with having babies - the twins were a shock, and I just don't want to make the wrong decision and regret it. It's tricky.

I get really sore too. It’s horrible. Defo nothing scented - Tesco ones aren’t thankfully. I’ve ended up with “jock itch” - basically like athletes foot but athletes foof - joy. But got some clotrimazole 1% cream which has really helped.

If you remove your undercarriage hair then that might be exposing the skin to the irritant of the pad/fabric so you may want to consider growing the hair there.

I second minky and or fleece pads and cheekywipes.com do a good range. Tighter fitting pants is probably a good idea. When I had very bad continual bleeding, I found that a minky lined reusable pad with 2 pairs of shortie style pants really helped.

I agree with the posters who recommended the tesco maternity pads. They were the only ones I used after giving birth. They are very soft and comfy (I had stitches), and provided cushioning.
Though the whole thing sounds awful. I hope you can get it sorted.

How old are you Tammy?

Agree that if you can tolerate the symptoms until your twins are more independent may be sensible - you certainly wouldn't be able to lift a toddler in and out of the bath or onto a changing mat. The average age of the start of menopause in the UK is something like 50 so you need to think about how many years you have to put up with it for. My every sympathy, gynae problems are shite. And so many people are unsympathetic.

Have you co side red maternity pads? They tend to be quite gentle. A drop of lavender oil on the pad can be quite soothing too.

Haha, definitely no removal of undercarriage hair here - who has the time for that? I'm lucky if I have time to shave my legs

Lots of votes for Tesco pads - will get my husband to pick me some up tomorrow

I'm 35 now so if I do have any more it will be in the next couple of years - but then I realise that will massively delay me having the surgery too (although if I could have it when the baby is smaller might be easier... I don't know). Definitely can't live like this for another 15 years or so.

I second the 'period pants'. I'm in Australia so here we have Modibods. They draw away the moisture so you don't feel gross and I don't get chafing with them.

Will definitely order some - suspect I wouldn't be able to afford enough pairs to wear them constantly through my period even with washing and drying each day but will order a couple and see how long they last.

Second the cavilon suggestion, it's used for those wearing incontinence pads and although doesn't stop it all together, it reduces it for me. May not be an option for you but when it's bad I cover the bed in a few old towels and sleep for a few hours 'all fresco' and then get up wash gently, change towels and go back to bed. It's messy, I won't lie! But I do sleep alone and sometimes I get more sleep even getting up a couple of times to sort myself out than if I slept in a pad. Have you checked for BV? (Don't know if it's already been mentioned) but it's worse if I am starting with it but not caught it yet.

Another suggestion theres a good barrier spray called Sorbaderm, they use it on people in homes who cannot get out of bed and are incontinent. I used it on my DD when she was a baby as she had nappy rash that bled during teething and barrier cream would not stick to the raw skin. Its about £12 for 28ml but goes a long way and is a fine spray that lasts until you wash.

I think a barrier spray might be wise - I do have some Cavilon spray somewhere, will try to find it!

No sign of BV - it's one gynae thing I've never had (touch wood!)

Can you genuinely not put anything up there? I was thinking a sponge not a cup or a tampon? And still wear a pad but tighter knicks so there is less movement?

I really can't - it's super painful to touch, and on the rare occasions in the past I've tried it causes awful spasms and contractions. I've tried a sponge before - wasn't so painful getting it in, but getting it out had me in tears.

I realise this isn't normal now but didn't at the time - remember finding out that some people have sex during periods and I was completely perplexed as I can't think of anything more painful!