Can't believe I didn't know this at my age-periods

[OneBlossomBee]

I feel utterly foolish to be even putting this down even on an anonymous forum at my age. I have always had horrific periods since age 11 and have only ever used pads as a personal preference as a squeamish person. No problem with the sight of blood though. My flow has always been very heavy and bled through clothes and sheets even sometimes now and did so 2 months ago. I have super heavy pads I use even in the daytime and last year found out I have cysts. My periods have had me imn agony, nearly fainting and doctors, even a woman, said it was "normal". I always thought it was the norm to feel your period as it flowed out of you, but recently read it isn't and only usually if you have a heavy flow or wear pads. To me, I can feel it every period and, sorry to get graphic, have blood clots come out and feel them slide out rather than flow out. It feels shameful to admit finding this out at my age, I shall only say I am over 30. Does anyone else regularly feel their period come out even when laying down?

I’m well past menopause but from my second period at 13, until going on the pill as soon as I was 16, mine were utter hell. Flooding, blood pouring down my legs at school, leaving puddles on chairs, fainting, crippling cramps, passing large and very obvious clots that I imagined felt like passing a baby. I used to soak a super plus tampon and two pads in less than an hour (thick pads in 1970, nothing like wafer-thin Always)

My mother had had an awful time with hers and told me it was just one of those things that would probably improve after childbirth. She got me iron tablets as I was losing so much blood, which just made the blood and my poo darker and stickier. She wouldn’t have dreamed of asking the doctor about it.

My DD1 had endometriosis and got pain and bloating but never particularly heavy periods, never flooded or passed clots, and it’s greatly improved since she had DGS.

It’s one of nature’s terrible failings that so many girls suffer such horrors.

The medical care of women in this country truly is dreadful. Heavy periods are one thing but if you're regularly bleeding through sanitary wear, clothes & bedding then you should always be referred to gynae.

If your gp refuses, insist, get a second opinion, kick up a fuss.

No woman should have to live with this without medical care.

oh gosh OP. am sorry to hear you have been having a bad experience with periods for so long. firstly, you have no reason to feel bad or ashamed - everyone is different and depending on the product you use, the flow will feel different ! I also feel it but it is because I wear pads and they sit below with a small gap. if I wear a cup, I do not feel it. Also, after dc, I feel like the flow pools and after I get up after sitting or lying down, there is a massive rush with pads !
secondly, you should keep looking for an empathetic doc who can help with the heaviness !

Only if I haven’t noticed soon enough and have no pad on and when I’m heavy I’m not for my whole period. If I think I’m going to come on now though I wear period knickers. Only had clots after giving birth to both DC.

I always feel it and am wondering what the question is, do other women not feel it?

Three consultants gave me that response- 2 nhs, 1 private. Frustrating but then I’ve come to expect that now with anything gynaecological or fertility related.

I thought it was normal to feel it as my periods are heavy. Is that not the case?

Out of interest were the consultants male or female?

I was going to say I had a similar experience to this ^

Have you been checked for fibroids OP ?

You can become anaemic with a very heavy flow.

I had this and also thought it was normal. The pains were horrific too, going down my legs, also bled on the bed through pads, etc. Luckily I had a hysterectomy at 39

Yes i feel it its like giving birth to a jelly fish.

Just as an aside, having had encountered some utterly incompetent gynae's along the way, I have had help from a couple of very experienced 'super' specialists on Harley Street and can share some names if you're interested.

I'm postmenopausal now, thank god, but yes the first couple of days of my period I could feel it. I never passed clots though, that sounds grim. I got the Mirena in my mid-40s and never had another period.

Yes, I can feel it. I can also stop it coming until I reach the loo.

I got referred to a gynaecologist, no issues found. I'd already tried tranexamic acid which made very little difference and the pill (which obliterated my libido) and there were no other options they'd consider (e.g. ablation) due to my age and lack of children.

I have just had a coil fitted a month ago due to severe heavy periods because I'm on blood thinners , now on my first cycle since and I'm on day 16 of bleeding and wondering if this is normal . The flow is really light though so I'm really confused . Is this what happened to you ?

Now have Mirena which has solved the problem, but used to feel flow and passing of large clots.

One clot looked like the cast of my uterus - revolting!

Another clot was more painful than labour.

I could occasionally feel that it was time to get to the loo because I was about to have a gush - and could help things along by bearing down. I hated periods - so much pain, bloating and mess, upset stomach too.

When doctors say it is normal, what they actually mean is it’s very common, and until recently, medicine just couldn’t be bothered to take an interest in women’s reproductive health. I mean, it doesn’t affect men, and male doctors, and male researchers, so what’s the point?! I could always feel it pouring out of me - every 5 minutes when I was sat at college (timed it once, in a boring class!) plus large clots. Tampons that go in far enough stop the feeling of it flowing out. Never knew that everyone didn’t feel it flowing / pouring out! Even on lighter days. Definitely ask for a gynae referral, change GPs if you have to. Many girls and women are trying to cope, when they actually have endometriosis and other conditions.

Another recommending going back to the GP. I have fibroids and possible endometriosis and my flow was so heavy that I could barely leave the house for a day every period as would fill my menstrual cup (much better than pads alone or tampons ime) in 45 mins and would be up every hour through the night too. Horrific and would leave me feeling so ill every period (and my cycle is 24 days so felt constant🙄). Got put on transexamic acid 5 years ago and it was literally life changing. Still have super heavy flow but can go 2 hours during the day without having to empty my cup and only get up twice in the night. I too had years of being told it was "natural" and no big deal by doctors. I'm 40 now and it's only the last few years I've been listened to and I really had to push. Had lots of tests but finally getting some answers and some help now.

Two male, one female

Well that put me off my toast and jam! 🤢

Never knew it wasn't normal either. I started my period at 15 and it was extremely heavy and painful. Having my first child at 19 completely changed my period, after birth it became light and I no longer really got cramps, or never needed painkillers for them anymore anyway.

It’s not something to feel foolish about. Woman’s health care problems are often dismissed. I’m 30 and a healthcare professional and only realised last year that my periods weren’t normal when I went for fertility testing. Turns out I had endometriosis and PCOS.

Same. And when I've eaten and get up from the chair. Especially during the first couple of days. I thought it was normal.

Learn something every day.

I have flooding every 3-4 months. Like a massive gush. I feel that but not normal periods.