To be so embarrassed?

[Carlie97]

I have endometriosis and bleeding is out of control. Very heavy that I can have a whoosh moment and flood a super incontinence pad. I've ruined so many bed clothes, clothes and my sofa cushion covers see more of the inside of the washing machine than they're on the actual sofa!

I was eating out today. A real treat and I very much enjoyed the meal. As I stood up, I felt moist but thought perhaps it was a leak of wee or because I had been swimming. As I turned round to close the door on my way out, I noticed at the place where I'd been sitting, a pool of blood on the floor about the size of a round drinks coaster.

I went off to the shop across from the place to get some floor wipes and spray but honestly when I got back I couldn't bear going in and cleaning the mess up. There were lots of people sat there. I've only just stopped bleeding from a two month mega bleed, or so I thought. The woman in the cafe was so lovely too. The bus journey back was horrific as I didn't have a spare pair of bottoms on me.

I'm really sorry that you are going through this. Have you tried tranexamic acid? I used to have really heavy bleeding with frequent flooding but since I started taking this my flow has been much lighter. It's been life changing.

Sounds so difficult, I was a heavy bleeder and recently had the Iud Mirena inserted, which has stopped my bleeding. Is this an option for you,

That's awful. You're not unreasonable to be embarrassed. Sorry you're going through this

Flowette period knickers might help too, with a pad ..

You should not be going through this.

You need gynaecologist appointment ASAP and hysterectomy or at very least an ablation. The NHS is failing so badly leaving women in this condition. Surely if men had to deal with it there would be more solutions? I dunno maybe not.

Huge hugs.

I went through this. The mirena helped for a while but then suddenly it had seemed to come out and I had the masses of bleeding again. Hysterectomy 2024 and never looked back. Push for it, pay privately if it's an option but please don't just live with it.

Keep pushing for more help, this is not something you should just quietly deal with! I don't have endometriosis but can't quite believe that women are just expected to carry on as normal with all the horrendous symptoms.

Bless you OP sorry you're going through this x

I was in a nice restaurant and the same thing happened. I stained an upholstered chair 😭 Restaurant was lovely though. Really embarrassing but that’s life. Periods were the bane of my life (that wasn’t the only incident). Thank god I don’t have them anymore. (Full hysterectomy).

A family member has this and she stopped using pads for the same reason, she wears period pants at all times as there basically knickers and tena pants for when it's very bad and the difference once she did she became more confident again and stopped worrying about going out etc

Go to your GP this week. This is no way to live.
if they can’t help demand an NHS referral to specialist gynae.
are you wearing period underwear to prevent leaks ? I love wuka and modi bodi - -they do a super heavy flow pant.

I had heavy bleeds towards the end of perimenopause in spite of HRT.

The worst was the day I was having to run from my classroom to the loo (shared with pupils...) at the end of each lesson. At the very end of the school day, I realised that I hadn't even lasted the 50 minutes of the final lesson. Fortunately, my suede skirt was thick and a very dark navy.

Cleaned up, used yet another night time pad, drove home, ran indoors, saw to myself and then had to clean up the car seat.

I compared notes with another woman at work who'd had the same problem to the extent that she had to stay off work. In the end, she had an ablation and that sorted it permanently for her. (In my case, I was fortunate - I think it was the last 'hurrah' of my endo.)

Depending on your age and family circumstances an ablation might be a solution at some point OP?

Oh no, you're spot on. Men would never have to put up with that kind of shit at all. Someone said on here a few weeks ago that if men suffered the debilitating cramps some women do, there's have been a pill or something created to stop it. She wasn't wrong

This brings back memories, none of them pleasant. I once had a heavy period which lasted 16 weeks. If I stood up, the blood ran out of me. I,too, was a teacher and once had to leave the class walking backwards to the door because of flooding. Mines was perimenopause exacerbated by an underactive thyroid. Once I had a mirena coil fitted, it all stopped. My sympathy

Am dealing with similar at the moment, I work in the community and always sit on the floor as I am scared of sitting on people’s furniture in case of leaks.

Please call your GP, even if they have done everything eg waiting lists and referrals- if you keep calling they will get a picture of how persistent this problem is for you. Hugs!

Huge sympathies. I've been there and so have many others. It's not your fault.

Some suggestions:

• Go back to your gynaecologist and tell them this keeps happening and that you need to be given additional help
• Ask about contraceptive and surgical choices (ablation really helped me - from struggling every month to maybe only 3-4 really bad periods a year)
• Use a period tracker app & record everything from flow, pain, leaks, number of painkillers etc (it can be used to demonstrate how bad things are to the medical professionals)
• take transexsmic acid (I find taking it 2 days before period starts & for the full period really helps)
• get some heavy flow period plans (I find the Primark Heavy Flow 3 back some of the best)
• Wear them and double up santiary pads (one lenght ways & the other sideways across the back for heavily days and a heavy flow tampon - I know it's three times what most people need but it does work - while you are waiting for other solutions)
• Only buy trousers that are dark in colour and have heavy material (where possible, I know not easy in Summer). Yes, if you leak, it will stain the trousers but it's another layer and it keeps it from staining seating and furniture if the trousers have soakage.

It's really unfair and savage how many women are suffering like this with so little investment & research in this area Very wrong but I hope you find a solution that works for you.

Really feel for you. I was the same and it only stopped when I had a hysterectomy. Would that be an option for you?

I've just processed the OP's username. If I'm right, she's probably too young for a hysterectomy or ablation if she would like to have family.

I really do think she needs to go see her GP and to stress that her quality if life is impaired. She should have an urgent referral to an appropriate consultant.

Ive been through this & its awful so you have my sympathy OP! I had a hysterectomy at 36 its been genuinely life changing but did have to go privately.

Agree push to see a gynaecologist. I had this. I was consistently fobbed off to the point that I ended up in a&e needing a blood transfusion. Prior to that had been consistently told “some women have heavy periods, take iron”. I bled through chairs at work, had to carry inco sheets around with me etc as the whooshes were uncontrollable even when sat down.

a&e patched me up and arranged an appt with gynae. Turned out I had adenomyosis and endometrial hyperplasia . Mirena coil helped but the endo hyperplasia progressed (had to have regular endo biopsies at hospital) to endo cancer and so I’ve now had a total hysterectomy at 46.

the state of womens health is scandalous.

You need better treatment. See your doctors.

I’m so sorry you’re going through this. Agree with everyone else saying head to the gp because it is not ok to suffer like this.
in the meantime was going to suggest, period pads with period pants (I use Love Luna period pants from Sainsburys TU range) and then I use reusable bamboo night time / maternity pads from cheekywipes and they hold a lot more blood than regular disposable sanitary towels. You could then triple up with a tampon too. I’m so sorry, being a woman sucks a lot of the time. X

Good evening everyone. Thank you so much for your replies. I honestly thought you'd all be shouting at me for not going back in the eatery and cleaning up my mess.

Someone upthread mentioned hyperplasia. I have that too. The Provera my gynae gave me to slow down the hyperplasia from developing into cancer made me bleed even more (I didn't know that was possible!) and it wasn't stopping after months and months so I tried the mirena coil and that made me bleed as heavily and constant as usual and I bled two of them out.

My gynaecologist team are absolutely useless to be honest. I've begged for a hysterectomy but given excuse after excuse why I can't have one. The gynaecologist says the bleeding is due to hormonal factors, but doesn't explain more. His secretary is dreadful. If the gynaecologist asks me to call her to request an appointment, she says she doesn't know why I'm calling and always passes me to another service like booking and scheduling. I was due to have another scan to check the progression of the hyperplasia but no appointment was sent out, nothing. I had go chase this myself and even then it's been me having to speak to the secretary and then other departments within the hospital because the secretary 'can't deal with it'. The gynaecologist also says he can't do a hysterectomy due to my weight. I weigh less than lots of other women who've had it done and have had a general anaesthetic twice before with no complications, so I think it's all excuses myself. I've also moved away recently but my GP recommended I get my overdue biopsy and scan for the hyperplasia with my current gynaecologist 60 miles away before switching services to my local hospital and the secretary really thought I was going to waste the gynaecologist time and a precious appointment by not turning up for an appointment as I now live 'far away'. I don't, it's only one hour and twenty minutes away and I had to beg for the appointment in the first place.

As a poorly woman, feeling weak with low iron, I should not have to fight for an appointment with the NHS that I'm due anyway.

I'm so sorry, GP. I finally got a diagnosis of hyperplasia at the age of 64.