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!!

" I have spoken to the GP. I was diagnosed with tiny fibroids (2) when pregnant with my son but the treatment for fibroids isn't something I'm prepared to have".

Fibroids grow. My guess is that fibroids are the root cause of your problems now.

If you have given up a degree course because of fear of flooding this is really having a great impact on your life, perhaps more than you care to admit.

Not wanting treatment is not a good reason or excuse for not seeking further medical help now. You may well feel worse over time and become anaemic if you are not already.

Well I think this is ridiculous. Op - you don't want to do jury service or do a degree because of your periods. You don't want to take any form of effective treatment for said periods. That's just not sensible. Bleeding so heavily is impacting on your health and life choices.

Blueberry img a heavy duty towel works for you then perhaps yours are not as heavy as you think.

Dd can be wearing the most absorbent Lilets ultra tampon plus a very absorbent towel & she can't last an hour.

I was going to ask about fainting OP. Dd has been found passed out on the school toilet floor twice in the last two months. Not fun.

How old is your DD balletgirlmum? That sounds awful. I was looking at the older girls at DD (9)'s ballet school in their leotards the other day and wondering how they coped.

I pee like a Shire horse whenever im on. Every few minutes at times. I also have what is classed as an overactive bladder. I wonder what the suggestions for me would be

She is 13

That's so young to have to cope withsuch heaviness, I hope things improve for her.

OP You've had a ton of very helpful advice on here (including at least 2 of us telling you you absolutely can take Norethisterone for more than 5 days).

You really don't want to seem to want to take any advice about solutions to any the obstacles which would make jury duty difficult for you. Which is a shame.

OP I have jury service next month and am really really hoping i don't have a period during that time. I too have a a really heavy day or two . Luckily I am now 52 and my last period was about 3 months ago ..either thats it or Im in for a whammy of a period ..hopefully not when I am sitting in court !

OP I understand your medical dilemma as I have been through it from the birth of my second DC, I become ill on the pill (any type) and my periods got heavier until they reached the flooding stage, where I couldn't be out of range of a toilet for at least 5 days in 28. I was also anaemic.
By the time I was treated my fibroids were huge and I had to have total hysterectomy.
Please ask your GP for a gyane referral.

mrsmaturin with respect, I have given info on my periods and not other details. I haven't given my whole life medical history. At no time have I said I didn't want treatment/solutions for my heavy periods.

What I have said is that I no longer want to be on the combined pill, I have thought about the coil but am dubious (I think people are allowed to be dubious about hormonal treatments aren't they?) and it isn't that I don't want to do jury service; I feel that by not having free access to the toilet (as I currently have at home during the day as a mainly part time SAHM), could put me in a completely humiliating position I wouldn't normally be in.

I will get a GP note and put menorragia as the reason and if they still say no, perhaps I will wear black trousers and ask for an incontinence pad to be placed on my juror chair

Thanks everybody for your input.

ovenchips I know lots of helpful suggestions have been made and I've honestly taken them on board but surely without knowing my medical history, it's hard to tell me what to do.
i have researched many different treatments and live the life that I am happy with.

Even though I design my life to cope with heavy periods, doesn't mean I'm not happy. Yes, I get anxious about doing certain things but enforcing jury service at a certain time without a toilet break whenever I need one, means it would make it very difficult.

But saying no to jury service isn't an option - and you seem to think it is. You can defer but you will have to do it at some point and living your life as you are doing is so limiting.

As previous posters have said, you can be exempt rather than just deferred.
As I have said, I will do triple jury service once I'm through the menopause!

In your eyes it's limiting mrsmaturin, but in mine my life is mostly lovely.

I think it is absurd to suggest that you need to consider medication etc because of jury service. If you want to sort your periods per se that's fine. But you can't be expected to take drugs etc - or plan to take them- around jury service.
I think the best solution is to accept then cancel with a dr's note if it's period time but be prepared and see your GP first .

I have an ileostomy and got called back in Sept when my bag was still not under control. It was deferred, not excused. They asked me when I thought I could do the service (as at the time I was due another op in Jan which is now likely to be April) and they deferred it for a month later than I said. As it happens, I may or may not be fit, but will only know once I've had this next op.

So, they don't automatically excuse you on med grounds, they may go for a deferral.

I've had two fibroids (up to about 10cm each at their largest) for 20yrs & have not had any treatment other than tranexamic acid to control heavy periods. Mefanamic acid had no effect on me. Without TA I would not leave the house on certain days, so appreciate your concern about jury service. If you haven't actually tried it I strongly urge you to reconsider. It is minimally invasive - just don't take the next dose if you get a side-effect you can't cope with. It is available over the counter at Boots as well as on prescription, which I don't think would be allowed if there were particularly adverse implications for clotting etc

I also have taken agnus castus before which was also mentioned up thread. It lengthens my cycle (usually I have a 22-23 day cycle). It can take a few months to work as it is a subtle effect.

Well I don't think you should be excused this highly serious and important civic duty. You have a medical problem which could be treated but you are choosing not to do so. That's not the same as a problem which is untreatable. It shouldn't be grounds for exemption.

Gosh MrsMaturn do you always sound so blinking pompous?
Incredible.

Who the heck are you to judge if the OP's medical problem is easily treated?

Gosh mrsmaturin......empathy and tact aren't your strong points then?

Say if, you were sat next to me in court, and I totally flood the chair, what you think? Would you laugh? Because that's how you just made me feel.
I know everybody has an opinion but surely on a medical thread, a bit of tact is required.

Hi OP. I work as a barrister in Crown courts.
Generally, courts sit 10:30-13:00 and then 14:00-16:30. This can vary, but a judge will check with a jury if the timings need shifting, to see if there are any childcare issues etc.
Also, as others have said, there is likely to be a lot of sitting around doing nothing. Especially on your first day, as there are likely to be other shorter cases heard, or legal argument on the trial to be heard. Before court starts, during lunch and after court, barristers beaver away sorting out legal stuff etc., but sometimes this needs raising with the judge in the absence of the jury.
And you may not be selected of course. Depending on the size of the court centre, you may spend lots of your two weeks at home anyway!
It isn't uncommon for a juror to ask for a comfort break mid-session, and I have never known anyone have a problem with this.
Hope this helps.
Oh, and fathers of school-aged children shouldn't be called either presumably??

I think you have a valid point OP. FWIW.
I have had terrible period pains in the past- hit and miss- when I have almost fainted and could do no more than crawl into bed for 2 hours, sweating, shaking and feeling as if I were going to die.
Drugs made little difference and even if they were guaranteed to, I'd be less than inclined to use them to get through something imposed on me- eg Jury Service- when people are allowed not to attend for other reasons, such as losing income from being self employed.

Firstly, capsize, sorry....yes,you're right. I should have said the parent carer at home, rather than implying only mums .

Secondly, that was very helpful. Thank you. I guess I could ask the court whether toilet breaks in the middle of the session are allowed. Would be weird putting my hand up multiple times in one session asking for a break.

My mam got hers deferred as she was called just as she was about to start looking after Ds1 so I could return to work. He is now 8 and she has never been recalled.

Alternatively, my mate had a plan to be deselected which involved turning up in an old lady flowery nightdress and slippers. Luckily she was rejected anyway because she had a loose connection to the case.