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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

to be confused about what menstrual "heavy bleeding" means?

45 replies

PostOpOp · 21/08/2023 18:11

When people talk about heavy bleeding during periods, is there a specific meaning? I read things like "going through menstrual products more frequently" or "needing to change pads every hour or two". Or "overflowing and staining clothes". Ok.

But if I'm going though a "regular" pad every 4 hours, that's not the same as me going through some sort of "nighttime super maxi" pad every four hours. Or is it?!

Or is it entirely subjective, so if I always wear "nighttime super maxi" for 6 hours and someone else always wears "regular" for 6 hours and then we have to change them in four hours, is that equally concerning? Because if it is, then what about when the "regular" in 6 hrs user turns into a "nighttime super maxi in 4 hrs"?

And what if I change the pad after 4 hours because I like to feel clean, but someone else waits until the pad it's entirely full (let's just say that takes 6 hrs).

I've had leaks from regular pads that are full, but aren't totally full up (as in no white left). So is that a leak, or an overflow due to heavy bleeding?

This is not exclusive to pads or any other menstrual product, btw, it's simply about measuring blood flow and what terms like "heavy" actually mean. You can insert your preferred type in my examples if you prefer! Btw I know menstrual cups can measure volume. But none of the many I've tried have ever worked for me so that's not been a successful option.

This measurement system has puzzled me for years. There have been times I've wondered if I have a problem, but I just moved from "regular" to "nighttime super maxi" and avoided problems! Now I've hit perimenopause though and there aren't heavier duty pads.

So AIBU to not understand what this form of measurement means in reality? Or have I been living an uninformed life?!

OP posts:
PhantomUnicorn · 21/08/2023 18:16

its subjective i think.

I guess if you're flooding and soaking through the heavy/maxi-flow pads every couple of hours, or having to change the super-max tampons every couple of hours then yes, it can be considered heavy bleeding.

I'm not sure why you find it so confusing?

That being said, did you know they only started testing the absorbency of sanitary towels with blood, and not water, in the last year?

hdbs17 · 21/08/2023 18:17

For me, if you can feel the flow and you can feel that your pad is getting wet/tampon getting heavy then that's a heavy flow.

RufustheFactualReindeer · 21/08/2023 18:19

That being said, did you know they only started testing the absorbency of sanitary towels with blood, and not water, in the last year?

fucks sake 😳

TheHorneSection · 21/08/2023 18:20

Surely it’s just subjective? It means something that is considerably heavier than your normal flow, so if you normally do ok with a regular pad for 4-6 hours but start getting progressively heavier, that’s a change for you.

My normal periods would see me flood a super tampon and super towel overnight, it was always that way. But I know friends who call getting heavier moving from a thin pantyliner to a towel overnight.

GatherlyGal · 21/08/2023 18:20

Are you worried about your bleeding? Is it about knowing when / whether to see a doctor?

It is a hard one because it is so subjective. BTW when I was struggling with problem bleeding I used incontinence pads as normal period products were no good. If you are worried about the heaviness of your bleeding then go to the GP. You might well need iron anyway if this happens a lot. I was anaemic for years without realising and feel so much better now I've sorted it.

Lovehearts82 · 21/08/2023 18:24

Before starting the Depo injection that stopped my periods, my experience of heavy periods were when my menstrual cup would completely fill with a few hours all day, the pain would also be horrendous during this time, radiating down my thighs pain. it would only be for around 2 days of my period but in that second day I'd have to get up and shower (I'm an evening showerer) due to the cup being full and I guess moving in my sleep making it overflow, I'd get up with blood going down my legs. It's different for every women I guess.

TakeMe2Insanity · 21/08/2023 18:24

Hospital heavy bleeding is changing a thick/heavy pad every hour or wearing a pad and flooding through your clothing. Honestly you’d know about it.

PacificState · 21/08/2023 18:25

Are you worried about your health? If so I think doctors will be interested in anything that's not normal for you. I had bastard heavy periods for decades (going through an ultra lil-let and a nighttime pad in two hours or so) but it was normal for me, if knackering and inconvenient. If that pattern had suddenly appeared over a couple of months, it would have been worrying.

Aprilx · 21/08/2023 18:26

Thankfully these days are behind me now. The days I was able to use anything called regular would definitely not be a day I would describe as heavy bleeding. I would reserve that for the days when I needed to double up, tampon and pad, would be using super or super plus and changing every 1-2 hours. Never had any leaking through to clothes, although I would be in opaque tights and dark clothes those days. Definitely didn’t go roller blading in my white hot pants.

OHVanessaShanessaJenkins · 21/08/2023 18:28

i don’t think that it’s quantifiable in terms of pads, it’s what is not normal for you.

I thought that looking someone in the eyes during a casual conversation while a jellyfish sized clot slides out of my vagina followed by a big gush of blood that may or may not leave a pool on my chair was normal.
Because I’ve always had this.

Turns out it’s not.

Similarly I’m having to get up in the night to change everything due to the tidal waves of blood pumping out of me isn’t normal.

Who knew!

troubleanstrife · 21/08/2023 18:36

I’ve wondered this too.
The word ‘flooding’ often confused me. The mental image is… horrific?!

Heavy for me is the first day, when I’ll use super / extra absorbent products for the usual amount of time (3h ish for a pad- but I don’t wait for it to be full, 6ish for a tampax).

But I don’t think this is necessarily that heavy for others?

Londontown12 · 21/08/2023 18:48

Heavy flooding for me was putting on a nighttime pad and it flooded meaning full within 30mins to and 1 hour and that was the first day ! 2nd day probs filling pad in 1 hour ! U cannot leave the house because it’s scary knowing u will flood pad in 1 hour ! Mine was due to polyps on the uterus x

Bakedbeansandtoast · 21/08/2023 18:53

For me, heavy bleeding was when I realised I couldn't do the school run without bleeding through two night time maxis and heavy duty period pants. It was rough.

Birdienumnumm · 21/08/2023 18:55

Normal is 30-40ml. Above 80ml is heavy, but it’s really difficult to measure, for obvious reasons, so the descriptions are like ‘symptoms’. I measured mine a few times (mooncup) as I have been diagnosed with menorrhagia, and I could fill a cup up a few times over the course of a period, so I was prescribed medication.

I’ve also experienced flooding, and it’s like how you imagine. You can feel a ‘gush’ and quite a bit of blood comes out in one moment. Usually means a leak, or a soaked pad. I have to go to the bathroom to sort myself out as soon as I’ve had that feeling.

BlowMyBubbles · 21/08/2023 18:59

I have a heavy flow and flood with it. Heavy is just filling a super duper pad or incontinence pad quickly but cant feel it happening. Flooding is when I can feel it pouring out of me and I gotta get to a toilet quick or it'll leak to my clothes.

Thefamilywaster · 21/08/2023 19:07

I’ve always wondered this.
tmi ahead. - I can fill a tampon in 30mins to the point it leaks off the string but my anatomy doesn’t really allow for my period to fill to fill a pad if that’s all I have (unless I’m lying down),. The blood just kind of gathers and I need to well, collect it when I wipe and it’s always thick and a bit like a massacre scene. I find it odd that wouldn’t be considered heavy because it doesn’t flood a pad in an hour.

Beseen22 · 21/08/2023 19:08

I think the general feeling is that you shouldn't really have to double up and the actual volume of blood shouldn't be disruptive to your life. But yeah it's not a normal day to day conversation about the actual volume so 'heavy periods' is fairly subjective.

Light tampon 3ml
Super tampon 12ml
Fully saturated night pad 15ml

I have heavy periods, I think they have got heavier since having children. On day 1-3 I wear a cup and change it hourly. It holds 25ml. I bleed through things at least once a month so if I'm not at home I also wear a nighttime pad. Through the night I wake at least once to empty my cup and change my pad and I often leak at that time.

Utereusbegone · 21/08/2023 19:11

My heavy bleeding was soaking through an ultra tampon and nighttime towel in around an hour.

Personally I wouldn't consider a period particularly heavy if you weren't at least using the maximum protection level of whatever san pro you use

AlmostAJillSandwich · 21/08/2023 19:12

I always hated navigating sanitary towels, only tried a tampon twice in my life and never even got them in, so i was pads all the way. For me, anything other than the nightime pads just weren't long enough for my flow to not just go backwards and off the end of the back, while still filling the front completely. Infact, i wore two at once, one to the very back of my underwear right up my whole bum, then one on top coming further up the front, so about a third of the pads would overlap in the middle (where there is the extra layer of material in knickers) and that would just about contain the back leaks. The other issues i had was i retained so much water i could go 48 hours without needing the toilet, even if i drank loads, so i had to go to the bathroom just to change. Also when i went to sleep, i had to be sat upright as much as possible to not back leak, and i'd inevitably flood as soon as i stood up in the morning. Just the run from bed to bathroom id overflow and thats with a change right before bed.
Implant changed my life, i hope to have them until i hit menopause if thats even allowed.

Doingmybest12 · 21/08/2023 19:12

Generally I think woman put up with too much before seeking advice from a Dr. So if you think you need to you probably do. I ended up worrying about if I could stand up after meetings at work or if I could plan to go out for a walk with friends. I began wearing massive incontinence pads and became anaemic . I think I should've gone to the dr way sooner.

frippu · 21/08/2023 19:14

@GatherlyGal I need to use incontinence pads the first 2 days. Did you go the GP about that?

AlmostAJillSandwich · 21/08/2023 19:16

Wait, is it not normal to always feel any kind of fluid coming out of you? Like i'd feel every time blood came out of me, wether a flood or just small ammounts, and even now i will always feel when discharge leaves my body?

frippu · 21/08/2023 19:17

Flooding is when I can feel it pouring out of me and I gotta get to a toilet quick or it'll leak to my clothes

I definitely noticed this, it's horrible as you just want a shower.

mycoffeecup · 21/08/2023 19:18

Varies by person, what they consider to be heavy. As a GP, the things I ask are:

  • if you were using a super heavy pad/tampon, how long would it last
  • do you set your alarm to get up in the night and change protection
  • if you don't set an alarm, do you flood at night
  • do you ever flood in the day
  • do you ever use double protection
  • does your period stop you doing things