What am I doing wrong???

[cornflakesandtea]

I'm 33 years old and I've never managed to have a comfortable, tidy period. I know it sounds ridiculous but I've tried all kinds and every month I manage to ruin at least one pair of underwear.

I've tried a menstrual cup and had to wear a pad with it because I could never get it to seal properly and it would leak. I've been looking at those Nixit cups but I'm wary of spending ££ on it when it could turn out to be another uncomfortable, leaky failure (if anyone has any advice on it that would be much appreciated!!!)

I'm currently on tampons, but I've found my periods are so heavy that on some days I can leak through a +++++ flow tampon in 2 hours. I still have to wear a sanitary towel. I could go for the ++++++ tampon but I struggle getting the larger ones in as it is. I've been told you're not meant to feel a tampon but I can feel it now and it's uncomfortable, but I can't actually get it in any further!

I feel like I've had plenty of periods to get used to them and become a pro but 20+ years down the line and I'm still messy, uncomfortable, and dreading them. My daughter is 13 and likely to start her periods any time soon. How am I meant to teach her if I haven't even mastered it myself.

I only ever found one brand of tampon that worked for me and was totally reliable. And I changed it every six hours without fail.

Not sure what to advise except keep trying different products.

Have you tried nighttime maxi towels? Make sure your underwear isn’t too big as it will slip. And be conscious of how you are sitting. If you lay on the sofa on your back or front the blood will flow off the towel.

Period knickers? Lots of women use them now,most of my friend's daughters do.

Which brand of tampon is this please?

I've tried longer towels for night time but it's a guessing game whether the blood slips forwards or backwards so I never know how to position them. During the day, it seems to go forward so I find it easier, but during the night it's either/or.
I would prefer something that keeps the blood in though, so towels aren't my preferred choice. I only really use them to catch when my other form of sanpro isn't very pro...

Which brand of tampon is this please? Lil-lets.

I don't normally buy brands but these were the only ones that worked properly for me. When inserted they were not uncomfortable. Mostly I couldn't feel them.

Oh, yes Lil-lets is what I use.

If your periods are that heavy have you tried tranexamic acid? Ask your GP maybe?

I used to have to set an alarm at night to wake up and change/reset sanpro, the tablets were life changing.

Also ibuprofen is brilliant as slowing the flow for a few hours, maybe 4 hours of very light flow. Great overnight or if you on hols

Mine were horrendous so I wore period pants with tampons. But it sounds like yours are heavier than normal, it might be worth investigating. I had fibroids and adenemyosis (sp.?) and am 3 months post hysterectomy after years of being fobbed off.

Is your GP sympathetic?

On your menstrual cup, do you make sure the air holes are clear before you insert it? Sometimes I don’t get the seal right either and this is usually the reason.

I'm not sure they're heavier than is normal, it's only usually one day that I'm using the super flow tampons. I also have the copper coil (nearly 6 years now) which I think makes them heavier. I do not like taking hormonal contraception so the copper coil seemed to be the best option.

I made sure the holes were clear on my menstrual cup, yes. I found the cup much more awkward to change while I was at work than a tampon. I'm not always in a position to go to the toilet whenever I feel a leak either, which probably makes it worse.

You might have menhorragia. Which is heavy menstrual bleeding. There are a variety of treatments - some only for women who have completed their family (if they choose to). You don't have to suffer this without help.

Look at the 2 pad trick online, one vertically under your vagina and one horizontally across the back. Game changer. Also Boots slim maternity pads for the lighter days. I swear by them!

Well swap the copper coil for Mirena- your life will be transformed!

Tampon and period pants. That way if you leak then you have the extra back up. Cheeky wipes pants have absorbent material all the way from front to back. Game changer for me. If you were leaking through tampons AND period pants then I think you need to see a GP.

Oh you need period pants in your life. The nixt cup takes a bit of practice, it sits lower than other cups, but that paired with period pants I'd be surprised if you leak.

I'm on the contraceptive injection so I've stopped having periods but the above techniques worked for me

Have you tried a coil like the mirena ?

I didn't have a period from my last DC birth until my menopause it was bliss