help swimming on very very heavy period

[belltenthelp]

Hi,

Sorry for essay!

Very heavy periods are new to me since having a baby and I am really struggling. I am hoping to get some tips.

Anyway, I have just realised that our trip to Centre Parks will likely fall on my period in a few months time. I am honestly debating whether to cancel the trip as from experience my family spend all day every day at the pool.
But I want to man up and make it work for family's sake. Ideas? Help?

I tend to flood randomly 3 or 4 times. The flooding often goes through sanitary towel etc and through clothes. Basically when I have my period I am on constant high alert as to what sofa/chair/bed I might ruin :(

It makes me totally miserable to be honest.

I have been to a (quite unfriendly) GP twice and returned empty handed but happy to go again. The holiday is a couple of months away.

I was prescribed tranexamic acid when I was in hospital for an unrelated matter and a Dr saw how bad the bleeding was. I guess I could go back on it but it made my bleeding continual with no break which also wasn't great.

Before babies I was on microgynon, I don't plan on having more children so could go back but I felt very unstable for about 6 months when I came off it - deeply unhappy and I am normally quite chilled!

Thank you to anyone that answers.

See your GP(or talk to them) and get Norethisterone to delay your period. You take it for a few days before it's due.

But you also need proper treatment for heavy periods or you will end up anaemic.

See another GP who can help or if they won't, ask for a referral to a gynae for a 2nd opinion.

The coil may work, some of my friends have had it and it has stopped their periods (although didn't work for me). I recently started using a menstrual cup and have found it really good. Maybe TMI but especially for clots. If you have a couple of months to go maybe give it a go. It takes a few tries to get used to it and it's useful as it can go in when your period is due but not started yet.

You can buy Norethisterone online to delay periods, I recently did the same for a holiday and took it no problem x

You can get something to delay periods, whilst not recommended I took the morning after pill a couple of times which delayed my periods for holidays.

I had my second baby 10 months ago and so my periods aren't regular yet. I would say they come within about a week of when I am expecting. Do you think norethisterone would work for me if I can't be sure when I am due.

I will talk to a Dr too but I think going armed with information on what I want/need will help!

Thank you feel a bit better already

i would agree that menstrual cups are great and don’t need changing with the same frequency as tampons ( obviously depending on flow). You can also buy “period” swimwear so perhaps that would give you a bit of extra reassurance on top of the other options mentioned.

If you are flooding then I don’t think a cup will cope with it, it’s good for heavy periods but not flooding.

get a referral to a gynae. I went on the Mirena.

Mooncup is great for heavy bleeders. It holds more than a tampon. Also great to show how much blood is actually coming out, if you want to tell your doctor

If you're interested in knowing more, tell me and I can PM you with some tips. It's like breastfeeding, it needs tips from people who've done it 😅

Another recommendation for menstrual cups- they are game changing. They come in a variety of shapes and sizes and the stalk you use to pull them out (use is really similar to tampon) varies in design. But once you find the one you are happy with, your periods are cost-free from then on AND they hold a lot more than a tampon AND they aren't absorbing, they are catching, so flooding not an issue.
Putting them in can take a little practice (not difficult just different) so try out before you go.

I was given a medication for heavy periods…. Unhelpfully I can’t remember the brand name but I think it was Tranexamic Acid. You still get the period at the same time but greatly reduced

I was similar about a year ago. I used menstrual cups and wore period pants so I'd suggest some sort of combo like this. I'm sure period pants for the pool are a thing

combination of provera from the GP, a mooncup or tampon and period swimsuit from modibodi should do the trick.

Id get a Mirena coil if I was you, life changing.

Is that from experience? Just wondering as I find it brilliant for mine when flooding.

Obviously you'll have heard of Google op but just as a pointer 😁
putacupinit.com/chart/

My periods are like yours, I sit on a towel at home. No mooncup of period pants in the world would protect me when I flood .

Agree with returning to doctors although I found they were not interested within 18 months of having a baby. There are options although none worked for me I just found they made me clot as well as flood which was just gross.

The delaying pill should work for your holiday, try and see a different doc and just keep pushing.

I am on a waiting list for ablation.

Lilets ultra tampons saved a recent holiday, when my period started over a week early, the day before I was due to go away. They are difficult to get in the shops, but you can order online. So, so much better than the maximum absorbancy tampax, which I flood through within an hour.

I also took regular ibuprofen, from the first sign of bleeding, which is meant to make bleeding lighter.

I recommend norethistorone - as well as delaying if you can take it before the bleeding starts, it can stop it within 48 hours or so if you miss the 2 days before.

Tranexamic acid is only really supposed to be taken for 4 days at a time and can be a bit hit or miss. Last month was a miss

It makes me so ANGRY that doctors dismiss heavy periods like this. They really impact on women's lives.

Your short term options are transenemic acid, norisothone (sp.?) or taking the pill to time your period.

I only recently heard of endometrial ablations which sound amazing. I hope you go back to your GP (or ask to be referred to a new one or a gynae consultant) and demand a better long term solution.

I'm on the (long, long) waiting list for a hysterectomy for horrendous problems and it was a four year fight to get here. Just not good enough!

Sorry for my spelling!

Norethisterone will work you can just start taking it a few days before you go away. You can even take it when your period has started and it is supposed to stop it

it is however likely to make you have the mother of all periods when you do stop taking them so you need to be prepared that the next one might be be worse than usual

Try a mooncup definitely and possible period pants/swim wear.

A menstrual disc holds more than a mooncup, but reducing the bleeding is obviously your first concern.

health.clevelandclinic.org/can-high-doses-of-ibuprofen-delay-or-halt-your-period/

But I'd recommend a moon cup/norehisterone. Moon ups are great for flooding/heavy periods, but you need to cut off the stalk entirely, and practice using it beforehand.

Aside from investing in period swimwear bottoms I don't have any suggestions op, I'm just reading this and remembering how we used to be told "nonsense, women only bleed 3 tablespoons a whole period" or some such stupidity, like we didn't know what our own bodies were doing.