Heavy Periods and Jury Service!!

[Verbena37]

Just got in and found a jury summons in the post.
It filled me with dread because there are a few reasons as to why I cannot do it.
The main one is having very unpredictable, heavy periods and the second is childcare.
I have a period every three weeks and therefore it's quite likely that I will have one whilst doing jury service (think the norm is 2 weeks service) and secondly, even if I use tampons, it might be that I need to change after only 30 minutes!! I surely cannot just randomly keep getting up and using the loo in the middle of a court thingy??
It says you might be called upon later in that year if you don't give dates you cannot do.

Shall I just say "call me again when I've been through the menopause"!!!
To be honest, goodness know why they ask mothers of school age kids!!

does taking the pill continually not stop them?

oh i see - tis a no.
I LOVE my mirena - as easy in as a smear test

But this isn't that sort of a dose and not given in that way

Antifibrolytics are standard care for significant menorrhagia or epistaxis
I give it out to kids in haematology clinic
It is very very effective, but not 'heavy duty'

Really? That easy in? Smears are pretty ok for me.
It's the thought of getting hairy, putting on more weight, having the coil fall out, tearing my uterus or causing searing pai or massively more heavy periods for half a year.

Hels.....does it cause cramping? My friend had it and was in agony.

Courts operate quite short days ie 9.30 - 4.30 and so depending on how far you live from the court it might not impact on your childcare as much as you think.

If you only flood for the first three days of your period, Verbena, wouldn't you only need to take the norihistherone tablets for those three days, not for the full 14 of jury service?

Could you get the norihistherone tablets from your GP in case you need them, and then if you start your period during the time you are on jury service, you would have them ready, and would only need to take them for the days when you flood.

Regarding childcare - I paid two friends to do it for me, when I was on jury service - they didn't seem to mind whether I was using a registered childcare provider, and the usher told me to claim the maximum I was entitled to.

Without sounding harsh, to out it bluntly no - you cannot turn down jury service because of heavy periods/flooding. I have the same problem (so you have my every sympathy) and have had occasions where I have just had to wear an extra thick, extra long tena lady towel just in case. As for child care, this is bound to be an issue for a high percentage of people doing jury service, so I'm afraid you will have to sort something out.

but if the court thing went on for longer than a week, I would then get my period then. You take the norithisterone then get your period once you stop taking it...a couple of days later. Then I would have the flooding problem.

But how blueberry, do you suggest I nip to the loo.....when you aren't allowed to leave the court to have loo breaks it states?

Dale and Tiggy, I couldn't agree more.

Plus....the long night time towel thing would be fine if I was at home but often, I have to change five minutes after changing so no matter how absorbent the towel, it overflows. Trust me......I've been trying all sorts (and have a moon cup) of solutions but it's so random and flood like, it causes me great anxiety and dread every single month.

My apologies - I misunderstood - I thought the tablets were something you could take to reduce the flooding once you started.

Is it worth asking your GP if there is something you could take to reduce the flooding? I understand you don't want to take medication long term for this issue, but if it was only for the time you were on Jury Service?

And I know you haven't asked for heavy period solutions, but I got a mirena coil for heavy periods, and it has been absolutely amazing, and has made life so much easier. It sounds as if this is a problem that causes you real anxiety, in certain circumstances, and I imagine it must almost rule your life, some days - and if there is something that could relieve you of that, I really would consider it, if I were you. You deserve a comfortable life, free from this worry, don't you?

Well in that case you really need to see your doctor to sign something to say you're exempt for medical reasons, and to advise you on some medication to help with the flooding.

Thanks SDT. I'm on Mefanamic acid tablets.....you take three per day from when you first bleed and they are supposed to reduce it. But they don't really do much....other than be fast pain relief. They kind of reduce the days it lasts for but not reduce flooding. In fact, it almost seems like it saves it up then blasts it all out even more! I often have clots and feel faint on standing up from the loo TMI!!!!
I gave up a new degree course mostly because of my fear of flooding!!

You do get reasonably frequent loo breaks, I've done jury service twice and it was short days, typically 10-4.30 and breaks every couple of hours.

FWIW, I'm on my second Mirena, both insertions (and removal of the first) were very straightforward, my periods are almost non existent and I've had no side effects, a real life changer for the better for me.

your husband can do childcare surely.

The period issue, youll just have to double up, tampon and tena lady

Can i suggest you look into taking agnus castus for a few weeks. It was miraculous for my friends heavy bleeding, and it really helped me with my PMS. It is a hormone balancer

www.google.co.uk/webhp?sourceid=chrome-instant&ion=1&espv=2&ie=UTF-8#q=agnus+castus+heavy+periods

If you had to give up your degree course because of this, isn't that worse than being on hormone therapy? It is heartbreaking to think of someone whose life is being so constrained by something treatable.

When my DH did jury duty he was in a waiting room pretty much all the time. He was selected for one trial but you get the chance to tell the judge you can't do it (this was a long case and he had valid reasons to not be off work for a long period) so they used other jurors (they select more than they need). So you could always go along and then plead the toilet issue if you are selected and if you are on your period.

I have flooding periods, the thing that works for me is cloth sanitary towels. The biggest ones from Honour Your Flow are enormous and wonderful - once they are properly washed in they absorb huge amounts almost instantly.

Either these ones (if you flood more to the front) www.honouryourflow.co.uk/mega-pads-uk-14-20-69-c.asp

Or these ones (if more to the back) www.honouryourflow.co.uk/night-time-cloth-menstrual-pads-10-c.asp

They look awfully hippy but do such s good job that I don't mind! Earthwise Girls sometimes has better prints (but not at the moment). I have always washed them with normal wash and they are fine.

(Oh, I use mooncup as well)

My flooding was horrendous, I had the clots as you describe.
The mirena worked instantly, no worse than a smear as someone else posted and periods became hardly noticeable. None of the awful side effects you describe and it's reversible. Just because it didn't suit your friend seems a poor reason not to try something that could change your life for the better.

What do they do if you are a single parent to a baby/toddler? Most nurseries won't just take them for 2 weeks and what if you can't afford that childcare?

I feel for you; at 51 I suffer from terrible flooding with massive clots and nothing works for me including mirena coil etc as I am v. Sensitive to artificial hormones. I find that when I sit down for prolonged periods I stand up and I get a huge whoosh of flow that is v unpleasant and soaks my clothes etc

Gatekeeper. You can go private and get bio identical hormones. There's a v helpful poster on the menopause thread who knows all about them.