Managing heavy periods...

[oatybiscuits]

I've always had fairly heavy periods (I think!? I don't know what anyone else's are really like!) but i came off the pill a couple of months ago so am having my second period since having ds and it's just ridiculous! I'm not really looking for health advice as I realise things will settle down and I'm ttc so it's not long term but more practical tips on how to cope! (In case I'm missing something?). Twice today I soaked through a pad and super tampon and last night I had a Tena lady maxi night leftover from childbirth and it still leaked . Am I on my own here?

No, I have heavy periods & it sucks. Especially when tampons, pads extra underwear & sleeping on a towel & still leaks through to the sheets so first thing the morning I'm scrubbing sheets when I feel like crap, (also last chance stage at ttc so it's like an extra insult)

I've recently bought some reusable maxi pads-mooncups are supposed to be Vg but I bought one years ago & could never get on with it. Busy days are awful as its so hard to find the time sometimes to change in time.

Super plus extra tampons, and set an alarm in the night to get up to change it.... I'm not allowed the pill anymore, but the coil was very effective for reducing my flow.

Not alone. Heavy since they started. Pain used to be like childbirth but now just heavy after 3 kids. I can't leave the house for 2-3 days each month. Just too heavy. It sucks. I hate periods. Every sodding month

On my heaviest days I'd soak a super plus tampax in an hour.
I've now got a diva cup and it's life changing. On my heaviest day I can go out for the day and not bother about it.
It will hold the full day's flow, and it's never been more than 2/3 full.
I highly recommend, I have less pain now, in fact barely any.
It took me a few goes to get it in right, and I always have a panty liner just in case, but even so, get one

I put a bed mat (the kind you use for bedwetting kids) under my side of the bed just before my period starts. I always leak at night even with tampon and pad.

I accept that I'll be changing and washing the bedding for a couple of days in a row.

Mine are short (36-48h) so st least the hassle doesn't go on long. I actually avoid going out those two days if possible.

I change my tampon probably hourly. Maybe 2 hourly. Wear a sanitary pad too for any overflow.

Tranexamic acid helps a lot.
Ask you GP.

Me too. Not much pain, usually just need a couple of paracetamol, but really heavy bleeding. I take tranexamic acid which helps but still need to change super plus tampon and maxi pad every hour on my heaviest day. Gynae said I could try a coil, endometrial ablation or hysterectomy but after traumatic birth with DS5 I'm too scared. MIL keeps nagging me to do it, says her hysterectomy was the best thing she ever did.

I'm so glad to know it's not just me!! I tried a mooncup a few years ago but had a bit of a traumatic time trying to get it out and gave up! I'll maybe give it another go. I guess I'll need a different size post childbirth?
It's not a particularly painful period, but it was ds's birthday party yesterday and i soaked a super plus tampon in less than 2 hours. It doesn't help that between mc, pregnancy, breastfeeding and the pill I haven't had periods for 3 years so I'm not in the habit of thinking about it any more.
Hopefully I'll be pregnant soon and not have to deal with this again for a while!

I totally commiserate, pre-hysterectomy I bled so heavily I would struggle to leave the bathroom, let alone the house. That with the pain and bleeding 21 days out of 28 was hell. No medication helped and the RC consultant I was sent to didn't believe in hysterectomies. Eventually I was so anaemic I was hospitalised and had an emergency hysterectomy - the best day's work that surgeon ever did!
I don't think many people realise just how debilitating periods can be.

A combination of tranexamic acid and ibuprofen makes mine just about bearable. I still can't leave the house for long on the worse two days (mine last a week). I have a fibroid which gp wanted removed but since im 50 I'm holding out for menopause. My periods have been shit for 10 years, since dd3. I'm also very anaemic, when i had a blood test my gp said she was surprised I was still standing .

I feel so sad for my dds who will have decades of this shit to deal with.

I don't get on with menstrual cups.
The best tampons are Lilets Ultra which are hard to find,they're in the orange box. Failing that their super plus extra in the purple box. I still flood through within an hour so have to wear a pad as well. I'm having a coil soon which stopped my periods completely. Not for everyone though.
For pain I take 1000mg of starflower oil for every day in the month and it reduces the pain by lots.

Diary Doll pants are mentioned a lot on here,might be helpful?

I used a menstrual cup (not a mooncup as they are too small capacity wise and the rim was too stiff and made me feel like I needed to wee all the time). I think mine was a 'luv ur body'? It's worth investigating volume and 'fit' as there are far more cups out there than you'd ever know!

Finally decided enough is enough and have had a mirena coil fitted - 4 months in I am still having periods but they are so light I can manage them with pant liners or normal towels

I know mirena coil doesn't always have a good reputation on here, but I have had virtually no periods since I had my first one fitted almost 11 years ago after the birth of my last dc. On my 3rd now which will hopefully take me through the menopause. I used to have very painful periods that affected my sport and work, now they are a distant memory. My mum also suffered incredibly heavy periods during her last years before menopause. A real relief I don't have to go through this.

Oops sorry didn't read your op properly of course you don't want a coil if you are ttc, duh!

Same here. I've a fibroid and pass massive clots. It's horrendous. Transaxemic acid did nothing for me. I'm now on something called esyma. GP wants me to try mirena. If this doesn't work I'll have to as I can't go on like this - periods lasting 10 days!!

I hear you! I am having a hysterectomy later in November as I have come to the end of the road of fibroid and heavy period hell. Obviously this is not an option in your case if you're trying for another baby.

I would really recommend transexamic acid tablets, they are sold over the counter but see your doctor or talk to the pharmacist as they're not suitable for everyone. I found that it cut the bleeding on the heaviest days by about a third and made it a bit more manageable. I would also get your iron levels checked as the continual bleeding made me anaemic.

Try different menstrual cups. I have tried x3 before I found one that is both comfy, a good fit and reliably pops open. Diferent cups suit different people. You'll need a larger capacity. I have fairly heavy flow (not on a par with you though if I can say 'you poor thing' without sounding too condescending?) on days 1-3 and would need to change a super tampon every 2-3 hours. I can wear my cup for up to 10-12 hours without emptying. It takes a few months of perseverance to get the hang of insertion and retrieval (I had one panic inducing morning where I thought I was going to have to go to a&e) but now have the perfect cup for me nd it never goes for a wander now. Now I've got the hang of it it's revolutionary.

The menstrual cup sounds good but I don't want to buy loads and keep trying them -its stressful and time consuming and would need to have my period to try them properly. Is there a best for someone who is rubbish with the moon cup?!

You can try them without your period, just rinse it first so it's wet. It's a good idea to try when you're not actually on then you're not so stressed about it.

Mooncup used to do a money back guarantee after 3 cycles but don't know if they do now.

Sorry to hear that, I'd definitely recommend trying a menstrual cup again if you are willing.
You would need a different size for post child-birth, there's lots of different brands out there though so have a research and try and find one with more capacity to help with the heaviness.
Aside from that, I've always been told that healthy diets and exercise can influence your flow, and bananas are good for pain if you get it so I'd recommend them. Personally I've never noticed a difference when I change my diet, but it might be worth a try for you?
If you want to know about lots of different cup brands, I found this website useful when I chose mine - menstrualcup.co/compare-menstrual-cups/

Combination of menstrual cup and daily Mutu exercises (mutusystem.com/) and my symptoms have vanished completely. I only know my period has arrived when I start bleeding - no PMS, no heaviness, no cramping anymore at all. Mostly down to Mutu.

mutusystem.com/

Clickable link

Super plus tampax + pad + diary doll pants + nurofen & avoiding leaving the house for the worst times when a tampon lasts under an hour. Rubbish.

Diary doll looks great! I'll be giving those a try and shopping around for cups..