Do you not think that periods could have been better designed

[Abigail47]

I'm 40.

I have my period.

The older I get, the more periods I've had, and as I look back, it seems like a long, long history of periods.

I remember all the issues they caused me:

Worrying about bleeding through clothes. Actually bleeding through clothes sometimes.

I remember being curled up in pain in a toilet at age 22 in my workplace. Having to get up and go into a serious work meeting with the whole department.

Pain so many times.

Not being able to go to the swimming pool when I feel like it, as I dont trust a tampon in a swimsuit, I can bleed through a tampon.

So much pain and cramps over the years.

I am 40, I was sitting in work today, having cramps, and in pain. I got up to go to the bathroom to change a tampon, and i was walking to the bathroom (a bit of a walk in front of a hundred people in a large department), again I was worried that I had bled through my dress as I walked.

I went back down and sat at my desk, and I felt angry at my male team mates who have never had to go through any of this once.

Its just so badly designed. Why do we get periods so frequently.

Why not just build up the womb lining and keep it there for a couple of months? What's the point of it.

Shedding the womb lining every single month causes so many problems for so many women.

Or women like myself who just bled constantly on progestogen only methods. Plus a side order of low mood!

Yep, I think mum having to have “the talk” to a 7 year old was quite difficult for her at the time, but my maternal grandmother started at 8 and my maternal cousin started at 8 too! But yes at 7 years old really is too young, your still a small child and your body isn’t capable of such a drastic change, due to the amount of pain I was in I was put on the mini pill at either 8 or 9 ☹️

😂

Oh @Ineedwinenow what a shame! It's horrendous isn't it? Xx

YANBU. I'm 41 and so bored of periods (but equally don't want menopause). It's all a bit crap tbh. All that pain, worry, planning etc. 🙄

Sounds like you have a problem with your own periods being heavy, I don't have issues with mine really. Can you go on the coil, pill etc?

Just a suggestion and I know not everyone would fancy it,but have you considered a Mirena IUS? I had one when I was 35 for the very same reasons that you are experiencing and it literally transformed my life. I did get quite light,pain free periods until I was about 40,then when I had the first Mirena removed and the second one fitted, within a few months I had no periods at all! It was brilliant. I'm now 60,and haven't had a period since I was 40.

No, I bet literally no one has considered it at all... 🙄

Whenever I see a documentary or news about some explorer (always a bloke) or war (blokes) I always think this just wouldn't happen if men had periods. The world would be so different.

Or if women didn't have them, think of the stuff we could've got on with over the years instead of being debilitated and stuck washing rags.

Well, yes, I did consider it and had one fitted as am permanently anaemic and knackered. Instead of bleeding violently for one week a month I bled a little bit every day which ruined all of my underwear, some of my wardrobe and most of my sex life. Plus i had a 10kg weight gain in a matter of weeks. Then the damn thing bled itself out after after about a year and I had to go for a scan to try and find it. Never did locate it and I politely declined having another fitted. Doesn't work for everyone no matter how much you extol it's virtues!

OP you are not wrong, there must be a better way!

I remember going to Drs aged 14 with period issues because I had to stay on bus way past my stop as couldn’t get up with the pain and constant flooding.

Dr told me nothing to worry about, once I got pregnant it would all be better. Only years later and taking pictures of the clots and saying it was impacting my life was I taken seriously

saying that after a lot of trial and error I’ve finally found a mini pill that means I haven’t bled for years. Again I know it doesn’t work for everyone

It’s so unacceptable what was acceptable, and perhaps still is. So basically saying you can manage for 10-20 years?!

Pre peri-meno, I had almost zero symptoms. V light, no pain, regular, tiny bit of bloat but nothing. My DSis, massacres every month since she was 12. Just awful that got worse. Fobbed off for years. Tolerated it for years. It’s impacted her life so much it’s unreal and she’s v assertive normally but not about her female health (she’s over 50 so lived in a ‘put up with it’ attitude).

Because I’ve not suffered but have seen it, I have a bit of a zero tolerance policy to being peri-meno. I’ll live with some mild symptoms but beyond that I expect simple medical interventions to be available that I know exists. I thank my DSis for that because she gave me perspective and a way to advocate for myself.

Absolutely agree with you. Who decides what we can get fobbed off with and what we can 'PUT ' up with for most of our life.

I have Adeno. I'm often admitted to hospital for pain management during my periods. Pure hell.

I have heavy periods (now in my 40s) but l voted YABU because the body evolved, it was not designed.

And whilst we are at it, all that nonsense I've been told for years by the medical profession that I only bleed tablespoon or two during the whole period.

What a fucking lie.

Dr told me nothing to worry about, once I got pregnant it would all be better

DD was told at 16 that her period pain would improve when she'd had her first baby.

Two years ago. By a female GP. It has put her off trying to get help again.

Nothing has changed.

.

Right?!

With the use of mooncups, how have they not figured this out by some sort of clinical research as they’d have a gazillion data points in a month.

Day 8 wahhhh
Allthechaos I've actually spoken to my daughter about it today and we've had a laugh. Meno, peri, it should be called the shitbeforethepause

You'd think in this day and age of modern technology I could just Bluetooth it straight to the bin, or at the very least get text message to say "yo girl, you're not pregnant" 😂😂
I'm 45 BTW and peri is starting to become prevalent!

I've spent years believing it, that I must be overestimating the amount of blood I lose, but yes it is mooncups that have opened my eyes to the sheer volume .

Tablespoon approx 17ml
Mooncup holds approx 29ml

I have to empty every 3/4 hours and it's full. It isn't other fluids either before some arse tries to tell me it is.

Menstruation is result of evolution. Not design

That’s really interesting.

I think you've misunderstood the thread.