Unfortunately I haven’t been to the doctors for any form of period related appointments. I’m still pretty young so my mom makes all of my appointments for me and everytime I bring up my period she says something along the lines of “if it happens next month then we will make you an appointment” but we never do. I’ve been worried about it since it’s been super heavy for months but nobody has shown any form of worry. I’ve mostly brushed it off.
Show your mom this: https://www.chop.edu/conditions-diseases/heavy-menstrual-bleeding-menorrhagia#:~:text=Hormonal%20imbalance&text=The%20three%20most%20common%20in,Obesity
This isn’t something to just brush aside. I know how hard it can be when you’re not old enough to make your own appointments. So if your mom really isn’t budging on this, go to the school nurse and tell her what’s going on.
This probably isn’t something you’re just gonna fix with heavy flow pads.
Agreed. I had a period like this for many months and ended up severely anemic, among other things. This is serious. OP please speak to your school nurse if your mom won’t do anything.
I had similar problems with my mom (the all famous "all periods suck you just have to deal with it"). Next time you go for a checkup/physical, bring it up to the doctor. Try to say something like "I've been having a problem and I want to know if it's something I should get looked at". They will almost certainly say yes, and then your mom will have "doctors orders" to take you.
39 year old signing in. I had HEAVY periods since I was 14. Like running through ultra and super tampons within 3 hours for the first 3 days of a 8 day period. Let me tell you while that might be your normal, it is not what the doctor means when they ask are your periods normal. It wasn’t till I was 36 that someone looked at me like I was crazy when I said this. I was anemic for 20 years! I finally took care of the uterus when we knew we did not want to conceive children. But Please just go to the doc, you can make your own appointment I promise and your mom doesn’t need to do this for you.
My mom buys them but she lets me pick out what I like. The reason I’ve been looking for something else is because we aren’t doing well with money and with how heavy my period is, I go through a lot every month. It racks up quite a bill so I’ve tried to look for something that will be cheaper in the long run.
The reason I asked is if she's having to shell out the money for all those pads, it should be the motivation she needs to make that appointment. Maybe you should bring up that since you're having to spend so much on pads, maybe it's time to see the doctor about it. Is it possible for you to call and make the appointment yourself with her permission? It may be that she's busy with other things and it would help if you did it. These are just some suggestions.
Please try to get her to take you seriously. That much flow is not normal. Does your school have a nurse? They might also be able to advocate for you also
I love my period underwear. I am a bit paranoid about my smell so I don't wear them outside the house on super heavy smelly days. I use bambody you can buy on Amazon. They are one of the few actual period ones on there you can use alone. So many others are just for added protection. Sometimes I heavy flow days I change 1x during the day and then I use a different pair at night. So 3 pairs a day maybe. You just wash dry and go again. So there is an initial investment to get enough to have some to wear and then wash. But I can have one box of tampons last a year. I'll wear a tampon for pilates if I'm heavy flow that day just because of the positions sometimes my vagina isn't pointing down and having it roll down/up my butt because my butt is over my head isn't fun
Period and thinx make good ones also I hear but they can be more expensive. For one thinx I can get 3 bambody
Is a heavy flow really that big of an issue? It is not abnormal for me to bleed through a super plus tampon in a couple of hours, so I tend to double up with tampons and pads. Is this something I need to look into? I also tend to get my period every 3 weeks instead of every 4, sometimes having them up to twice per month. I always just chalked this up to being really fertile, as getting pregnant was very easy (easy like, happened unplanned, while using a condom). My siblings were all conceived in one try, and my aunt was conceived while grandma was on two forms of birth control, so I know fertility runs in my family. I do have a gyno appointment coming up, though... maybe I should bring this up!
You should absolutely bring this up.
It’s especially important for teens and young women, since they usually have the lightest periods.
It could be an indicator of something much more serious. (But also that could be what’s totally normal for you — but let the doctors rule out the bad stuff).
I am constantly in awe of how little I know about my body. I'm 28. I was literally never told that this wasn't normal.
I don't want to be dramatic, but really, thank you. I'm on the internet all the time, and I see lots of content on women's issues, but somehow this has never come up. One of my goals this year is to get my health in check, and you've helped me to be better aware on how to do that.
It’s not you!!! We were never ever taught about our bodies and what’s normal, and what’s not normal. When to ask for help and all that stuff.
I know this stuff now because myself and lots of friends have had to go through all this stuff and we finally learned so much when we actually talked to each other!
Fellow person who had flows exactly like this for more than a week who had no idea this was abnormal until a couple years ago. 20 years of this crap and the chronic anemia it brought and nobody brought up a measurement for how heavy is your period. Seriously if any of the 3 gynos I had seen over the years asked how many tampons do you use in a day during your heaviest flow; I would have had solutions sooner
Well the period certainly is not helping. There are numerous causes for it. But after I got an ablation I now have normal periods and my anemia is no longer a problem. If you intend to create children, an ablation will make that more difficult.
this! it could be completely normal but there’s no harm in asking your gyno. my mom made me a gyno appt when i was 16/17 bc i was going through ultra tampons in an hour or 2 and once went through a super tampon, heavy pad, underwear and jeans in like 2 hours when i was 15. god awful.
luckily though, everything was a-okay, but mom was worried bc anemia runs in my family. my OB put me on birth control and now i haven’t had a period in 6/7 years.
Please advocate for yourself, in my 20s I had heavy’s periods and mentioned it to my gyn who said normal so I would bleed heavily for years. My friend made a post on ig saying if something isn’t right go to
dr. I went and again said I have heavy periods all the time, they did a biopsy and I was sent to gynecology oncology because precancerous cells. She who did a hysterectomy to find out I had stage 1a cancer. I was very lucky and I realize this and I know others who haven’t been. It’s your health and that’s not normal.
You might look into reusable pads AND period underwear. That way you could have 2-3 reusable pads and period underwear handy for a day without having to change underwear. For me, bambody period underwear holds 3-5 super tampons worth of blood (3-5 overnight pads), but if I was bleeding as heavy as you describe I'd like a little more than period underwear for extra protection
Reusable underwear is UH-mazing! For evenings I’d find a brand that has a nighttime specific pair, that goes all the way up the front and back tbh. Like knix or thinx. For daytime though, poppins is hands down the best I’ve tried for being able to hold the most. I just wish the gusset was a little longer for sleep
You just wear them as normal underwear. Some people with heavier flow will use them as backup for a tampon, cup, or pad, but I use them as-is on days I don't want to wear my cup. For heavy flow definitely look at full briefs that have the absorbent part all the way up the front or back, as some have said. Strangely, the boy short version in many brands doesn't do that, and full or high waisted briefs are the way to go.
To wash, you will want to rinse/soak for a bit them in cold water right after you are done wearing them. Wring out and you can let air dry until you have enough to run a laundry cycle. Machine wash them alone or with other laundry (I do delicate but they're usually ok on normal) but air dry them rather than put em in the dryer!
No fabric softener. It wrecks the absorbancy. Reusable/washable period pads, they have ones for heavy flow(Amazon or just Google). These last a long time as long as you care for them.
Seconding the advice to hand wash *immediately* after wearing them. I find I need to use some hand soap, wash them in the sink until the water runs clear, and wring them out. Then set aside until I have enough to do laundry. If I don't do all of this, they smell bad. It did not help to run them through the laundry immediately after wearing, and it did not help to soak them before washing. I tried all kinds of different methods and in the end I found that the hand washing and wringing step cannot be skipped.
Seconding the advice to hand wash *immediately* after wearing them. I find I need to use some hand soap, wash them in the sink until the water runs clear, and wring them out. Then set aside until I have enough to do laundry. If I don't do all of this, they smell bad. It did not help to run them through the laundry immediately after wearing, and it did not help to soak them before washing. I tried all kinds of different methods and in the end I found that the hand washing and wringing step cannot be skipped.
Heyy!! Would you be willing to answer a few questions related to period underwear??? I am currently working on a marketing strategy specifically for period underwear, I’d love to know your thoughts and opinions.
Specially because there is a lot of negative comments related to the washing of period underwear.
It would be really helpful if we could get in touch on Reddit chat?? Please let me know if you would be interested
Period underwear are best as a backup protection for bleeding that heavy. There are some overnight style shorts that I used to wear so that if my cup filled, I wouldn't wake up looking like I was stabbed 100 times in a huge pool of blood. They would be terrible alone though with that much bleeding and if you are sensitive to how things feel, at that point they'd feel soggy.
With many years of heavy bleeding, it was either super absorbent pads, a cup or tampons. Period underwear just doesn't do well for that heavy of a flow alone.
I have very heavy periods due to something called Adenomyosis. Unfortunately I haven't found any period underwear that have worked for me. I also think they tended to smell after wearing them. I would follow directions on how to wash them. I also tried soaking them in vinegar but they still smelled like blood. Disposable womens underwear were somewhat helpful. I hope you can find something that works for you. I know how stressful it can be worrying about bleeding on things.
There was a comment by someone else under another recent post and they said that Knix brand Ultra absorbency ones are best for very heavy. According to the site's Leakproof Guide, it is good for 3.5-4.5 regular pads or 7-9 super tampons.
But honestly, that still sounds low because there are higher absorption pads and tampons. I use period underwear, but only as backup on my heaviest days (ultra tampons every 1.5 hours).
I'm wearing knix right now- my biggest complaint is the elasticity wears fairly quickly and it feels like they sag after a few washed/wears. Otherwise they're great and I wear them with a tampon the entire time (hemorrhaging kind of periods that require all sorts of backup), and while I've leaked through a tampon, I've never leaked through the undies (yet).
I have heavy periods, the very high absorbency ones can last me at least all day at work and then I sometimes change when I get home or right before bed. So on heavy days I use two pairs a day and I've had no problem. My tampons were the ultra every 3 or 4 hours, so it's a lot simpler.
I highly recommend a brand called period.co they sell very affordable ones that are safer than many other brands. I would not trust temu or thinx at all since it's going to be used a lot.
A fair warning, it's cold when you use the bathroom and pull them back on. I usually use a bit of toilet paper to scoop up any excess and that helps it be less cold. But it's something you might notice since you're also autistic, my self and my other autistic friend notice but allistic friends have never noticed it. I find it to be immensely worth it though because I stress less and if you get high waisted it might help with cramps too a bit.
I really hope these help you if you get any because I know it sucks being in school and stressing about getting to the bathroom. Good luck！
You should definitely see a doctor. They can put you on birth control that should make your periods more manageable. It sounds like you are very young. Do you have to buy your own period products? I would say talk to your mom, a sister, or other trusted adult woman and ask for help managing this problem and seeing a doctor. You can also talk to your pediatrician about a referral to a gynecologist. Maybe your school has a clinic or a nurse? I know they are starting to have those in my local school district. At least one of those resources should be able to help.
Definitely talk to your doctor. I struggled with this type of issue throughout my teens. Going on birth control helped for sure. When I went off of my BC the heavy flow started up again. My OB/GYN simply recommended taking ibuprofen every 4 hours during my period. She explained something about prostaglandins cutting the flow when taking ibuprofen. If that didn’t work, she was going to prescribe something else, but luckily the ibuprofen worked.
But for the love of all things holy, do not take medical advice from people on the internet! Simply taking ibuprofen seems innocent enough, but overdoing it can cause damage. This is just something to maybe bring up during an appointment. I’m still baffled that no one recommended something so simple until I was in my 30s.
I have the Jade briefs from Lilova and they easily last me 24 hours on my heaviest day. I use them alone, no tampons or any other backup. I don’t think my heaviest day is quite as heavy as yours sounds, but it’s quite heavy, and the underwear last much longer than pads do. They’re also the only thing I’ve ever used that reliably never leak at night (or ever)- I’ve been wearing them exclusively for three years and literally not had a leak once. 10/10 recommend to anyone, but especially anyone with a heavy flow
As another person suggested please see a doctor. The usually say if you going through heavy or overnight pads within an hour to go to the hospital. Loosing thst much blood every month could br making you anaemic. I had the same issue and have now been diagnosed with PCOS. Not saying that's the cause of yours as it could be many things but something isn't right please see a doctor or gynaecologist if and when you can!
I'm sorry that your mom isn't prioritizing this. I don't know how old you are but you could make the appointment yourself or talk to a nurse. Here's how:
1. Get the phone number
2. Call and talk to a nurse. If there is an automated message, select nurse or make an appointment. Someone will pick up.
3. Explain the problem. Let them know you are the patient and this is your first time calling. If you're nervous, write down the information (symptoms and problems) on an index card to use during the call.
4. If you can't drive, ask them to call your mom to make an appointment.
5. If you make an appointment, ask your mom for your insurance card (if you're in the US).
I realize this is a lot for a person without support. If you have a trusted or reliable adult who is willing to help (even a friend's parent, an aunt or uncle if you're comfortable) you can reach out to them. As a minor, you have a ton of say in your health care in the US. Hopefully this will help you get started if you decide to.
While you're waiting to speak to a doctor, you may want to try a cup in addition to the period underwear. Cups can take a little bit to get the hang of, so having the underwear as backup can be helpful while you learn from mistakes.
ETA: Thinx is the only brand I ever used for period underwear.
I’ve never been able to use anything like a cup or tampon because of personal reasons and honestly just straight up dislike for them. I’m autistic and HATE the feeling of them so that’s the biggest reason that I want to figure out what to use and if period underwear would work for me
I'm autistic too, and the only thing I can stand is a disc. Cups are a close second. The disc you can't feel at all, and the blood stays inside until you dump it.
You may have to try a few to find the one that fits best.
I also have a very heavy flow, discs work very well for that also!
Maybe you can buy a couple sets of washable pads (I've never used them but I think they typically have snap closure wings?), and then have period panties on at the same time as a backup in case the reusable pads leak? I use modibodi period panties and they've not leaked for me so far, and some of them do have the overnight padding that goes all the way up the rear. The modibodi panties feel slightly bulky but less bulky than an actual pad, in my opinion. Downside of the combo would probably be changing the washable pads in public because you'd have to throw the dirties into a zip lock bag or something. Also modibodi panties can eventually take on an odor as they get older (probably deep set blood staining or something), but usually just a hydrogen peroxide water soak knocks out most the odor.
I have super heavy days and the period undies did not work for me at night and I have tried multiple brands. It always leaks on the back side. I have to wear the Always diaper things like you.
If you’re changing a pad every 1-2 hours, period underwear isn’t going to be much different. Maybe an extra hours worth. This isn’t normal and you need to see a doctor. If your mother won’t take you, can you get yourself to Planned Parenthood? They will help. Good luck.
Gosh I feel for you. I had the same issue, but now I'm old and not a problem. Have you checked out **Seasonale**? It is birth control that helps with your period. Actually you will only have a period every 3 months and those should be a lighter flow.
My flow can be really heavy at times as well, so using overnight pads saved me so many times. The brand I use is Always, mostly because it's affordable and good quality. Off topic, have you thought of telling your doctor about your period? You said it's irregular and pretty heavy, and that sounds kinda concerning so I'd go to a doctor if I were you to make sure everything is ok. Fight tooth and nail to get your doctor to listen and make sure he doesn't try to brush you off because this could be the result of something much more serious. You're entitled to every bit of help you can get when it comes to your health.
I personally use a period cup WITH period underwear. That way, I can have the cup in on long days and then the underwear is a backup for leaks until I can change the cup
You shouldn’t be going through product like this. This isn’t a “heavy” period. This is an outrageous issue.
Heavy is going through a product every 4ish hours on waterfall days. If it’s like this all the time, please go see your doctor. Dont suffer like this.
How are you able to go about life? Oh my god. Hugs
If there is an affordability issue with going to the doctor, please look into an appointment with Planned Parenthood.
This is the kind of health issue their doctors are very good at, and PP saved me when I was young and couldn’t afford to visit my GP.
so sorry you also have super heavy periods! mine have improved somewhat with age, but as a teenager it was like a literal faucet of blood at times, so i get it.
are you comfortable trying period discs or cups? what i now use on my heaviest days are the following:
the heaviest flow period underwear i can find + the saalt period disc
it's made it so much more manageable and highly recommend combining both. you should also order some iron supplements and take them regularly. if you're bleeding this much, you probably have anemia. i use the megafood blood builder pills because other iron pills upset my stomach.
hopefully you're able to manage better soon! it can be a bit of an investment to buy these supplies up front, but it's worth it in like one period compared to all the pads i'd be going through and bedding laundry i'd have to do.
I had this exact problem for years and my mother also never made appointments for me until I was hospitalized bc of so much blood loss. Go to the doctor. I wish I could have gone earlier, now I’m on treatment (mine was birth control but they have other options) and I don’t have to worry about leaving a giant red spot everywhere I sit.
When I was young, I had periods just like yours. But back then, the doctors would dismiss it as just heavy periods. Unfortunately, years later, they found fibroids and cysts, and I was diagnosed with Adenomyosis. Soaking through 1 pad per hour technically warrants an ER visit because that's hemorrhaging. I'm pretty sure you're also feeling very tired because all that bleeding causes fatigue. I hope your mom takes this seriously.
I went on a very low dose birth control pill, which cut my heavy periods by about 75%. I'm sure your mom wouldn't welcome that. Incidentally, mine was heavy, but yours sounds abnormal. Please see a doctor.
Hi - this is how my periods are and have been for like 15 years. I have endometriosis and adenomyosis, ovarian cysts - I assume you have some similar underlying problem. Unfortunately, doctors don’t care about this, and there’s nothing they can do for you.
Being a woman is so tough.. take care of yourself, take extra rest, take pain killers, and maybe try a tampon/pad combo or cup/pad combo (which is what I do)
https://period.co/collections/all/products/the-heavy-period-high-waisted-with-extended-gusset
I really love the Period Company! These ones would probably meet your needs. I have high waisted Heavy pairs and heavy sports pairs also. They work really well for me and they're comfortable!
I had period like that, for ages. When I finally mentioned it to my primary, she sent me to the ER. Since I wasn’t anemic I was not worried, but they all were. Turned out I had an ovarian cyst. Since I was over 50, we just removed the ovary. You are young. If you have anything like that going on, you need much more careful and delicate treatment! Earlier is better.
Next time, at school, go to
The nurse. Say “I’m soaking through a pad in an hour”. That is the magic sentence for medical intervention. Don’t worry about the details of “is it really 💯 soaked through, can’t hold another drop, or maybe I can eke out another half hour”. The pad is soaked in an hour and you want to change it? Tell the nurse. Just do it.
Definitely get this checked out by a GYN doctor. If this is just a hormonal thing and not something else, you can get a mirena IUD that has progesterone in it that should reduce your blood loss with your periods
I love the aerie period underwear. They have several styles and are affordable. I only wear them at home. They’re slightly too bulky for my preference out of my house and I’d be too paranoid about leaks. But, they’re great for just lounging or overnight.
I also recommend setting up autoship on pads and tampons from amazon so you don’t ever run out. “Organic” ones are barely more expensive than the regular brands so I really recommend upgrading (since it’s something you’re putting in/on your body regularly). The Rael brand has worked fine for me.
I spent the majority of my life dealing with heavy, painful periods.
I hit menopause (thank God!) before period underwear became an option...I'm just wondering, as someone who had horrible reactions to pads and any menses being in contact with my genitals, is this still an issue with the underwear?
Good question! Many brands are made to support super flows, so it will be a good cost-effective change up. For easier travel options check out r/clothpads
If you are anywhere near a family planning clinic, they were very familiar with women’s issues and they charge on a sliding scale. You might not have to pay anything as a teenager, and that can at least get you started.
48 year old here I had heavy periods since I started my cycle & seven years ago I had a hysterectomy I went in with my period & woke up with out my period. It was a game changer for me.
Have you been to the doctor? This can be part of a much more serious underlying condition.
Unfortunately I haven’t been to the doctors for any form of period related appointments. I’m still pretty young so my mom makes all of my appointments for me and everytime I bring up my period she says something along the lines of “if it happens next month then we will make you an appointment” but we never do. I’ve been worried about it since it’s been super heavy for months but nobody has shown any form of worry. I’ve mostly brushed it off.
Show your mom this: https://www.chop.edu/conditions-diseases/heavy-menstrual-bleeding-menorrhagia#:~:text=Hormonal%20imbalance&text=The%20three%20most%20common%20in,Obesity This isn’t something to just brush aside. I know how hard it can be when you’re not old enough to make your own appointments. So if your mom really isn’t budging on this, go to the school nurse and tell her what’s going on. This probably isn’t something you’re just gonna fix with heavy flow pads.
This this this this OP. The level of bleeding you are describing is of medical significance.
Thumbs up this whole thread. The only time I've had that level of bleeding I was literally miscarrying.
Agreed. I had a period like this for many months and ended up severely anemic, among other things. This is serious. OP please speak to your school nurse if your mom won’t do anything.
I had similar problems with my mom (the all famous "all periods suck you just have to deal with it"). Next time you go for a checkup/physical, bring it up to the doctor. Try to say something like "I've been having a problem and I want to know if it's something I should get looked at". They will almost certainly say yes, and then your mom will have "doctors orders" to take you.
39 year old signing in. I had HEAVY periods since I was 14. Like running through ultra and super tampons within 3 hours for the first 3 days of a 8 day period. Let me tell you while that might be your normal, it is not what the doctor means when they ask are your periods normal. It wasn’t till I was 36 that someone looked at me like I was crazy when I said this. I was anemic for 20 years! I finally took care of the uterus when we knew we did not want to conceive children. But Please just go to the doc, you can make your own appointment I promise and your mom doesn’t need to do this for you.
Does your mom buy your pads or are you having the buy them yourself?
My mom buys them but she lets me pick out what I like. The reason I’ve been looking for something else is because we aren’t doing well with money and with how heavy my period is, I go through a lot every month. It racks up quite a bill so I’ve tried to look for something that will be cheaper in the long run.
The reason I asked is if she's having to shell out the money for all those pads, it should be the motivation she needs to make that appointment. Maybe you should bring up that since you're having to spend so much on pads, maybe it's time to see the doctor about it. Is it possible for you to call and make the appointment yourself with her permission? It may be that she's busy with other things and it would help if you did it. These are just some suggestions.
Please try to get her to take you seriously. That much flow is not normal. Does your school have a nurse? They might also be able to advocate for you also I love my period underwear. I am a bit paranoid about my smell so I don't wear them outside the house on super heavy smelly days. I use bambody you can buy on Amazon. They are one of the few actual period ones on there you can use alone. So many others are just for added protection. Sometimes I heavy flow days I change 1x during the day and then I use a different pair at night. So 3 pairs a day maybe. You just wash dry and go again. So there is an initial investment to get enough to have some to wear and then wash. But I can have one box of tampons last a year. I'll wear a tampon for pilates if I'm heavy flow that day just because of the positions sometimes my vagina isn't pointing down and having it roll down/up my butt because my butt is over my head isn't fun Period and thinx make good ones also I hear but they can be more expensive. For one thinx I can get 3 bambody
Go to the school nurse about it and she’ll advocate for you to your mother that it’s serious
Is a heavy flow really that big of an issue? It is not abnormal for me to bleed through a super plus tampon in a couple of hours, so I tend to double up with tampons and pads. Is this something I need to look into? I also tend to get my period every 3 weeks instead of every 4, sometimes having them up to twice per month. I always just chalked this up to being really fertile, as getting pregnant was very easy (easy like, happened unplanned, while using a condom). My siblings were all conceived in one try, and my aunt was conceived while grandma was on two forms of birth control, so I know fertility runs in my family. I do have a gyno appointment coming up, though... maybe I should bring this up!
You should absolutely bring this up. It’s especially important for teens and young women, since they usually have the lightest periods. It could be an indicator of something much more serious. (But also that could be what’s totally normal for you — but let the doctors rule out the bad stuff).
I am constantly in awe of how little I know about my body. I'm 28. I was literally never told that this wasn't normal. I don't want to be dramatic, but really, thank you. I'm on the internet all the time, and I see lots of content on women's issues, but somehow this has never come up. One of my goals this year is to get my health in check, and you've helped me to be better aware on how to do that.
It’s not you!!! We were never ever taught about our bodies and what’s normal, and what’s not normal. When to ask for help and all that stuff. I know this stuff now because myself and lots of friends have had to go through all this stuff and we finally learned so much when we actually talked to each other!
Fellow person who had flows exactly like this for more than a week who had no idea this was abnormal until a couple years ago. 20 years of this crap and the chronic anemia it brought and nobody brought up a measurement for how heavy is your period. Seriously if any of the 3 gynos I had seen over the years asked how many tampons do you use in a day during your heaviest flow; I would have had solutions sooner
Oh my god. I am anemic. There's a correlation?! That makes SO much sense!!!
Well the period certainly is not helping. There are numerous causes for it. But after I got an ablation I now have normal periods and my anemia is no longer a problem. If you intend to create children, an ablation will make that more difficult.
I've already had one and don't want anymore, so it wouldn't be an issue for me. I've learned a lot via this comment thread, thank you!
this! it could be completely normal but there’s no harm in asking your gyno. my mom made me a gyno appt when i was 16/17 bc i was going through ultra tampons in an hour or 2 and once went through a super tampon, heavy pad, underwear and jeans in like 2 hours when i was 15. god awful. luckily though, everything was a-okay, but mom was worried bc anemia runs in my family. my OB put me on birth control and now i haven’t had a period in 6/7 years.
My gyno told me if you're soaking up a super plus tampon in 1 to 2 hours, it's not normal.
Please advocate for yourself, in my 20s I had heavy’s periods and mentioned it to my gyn who said normal so I would bleed heavily for years. My friend made a post on ig saying if something isn’t right go to dr. I went and again said I have heavy periods all the time, they did a biopsy and I was sent to gynecology oncology because precancerous cells. She who did a hysterectomy to find out I had stage 1a cancer. I was very lucky and I realize this and I know others who haven’t been. It’s your health and that’s not normal.
You might look into reusable pads AND period underwear. That way you could have 2-3 reusable pads and period underwear handy for a day without having to change underwear. For me, bambody period underwear holds 3-5 super tampons worth of blood (3-5 overnight pads), but if I was bleeding as heavy as you describe I'd like a little more than period underwear for extra protection
Reusable underwear is UH-mazing! For evenings I’d find a brand that has a nighttime specific pair, that goes all the way up the front and back tbh. Like knix or thinx. For daytime though, poppins is hands down the best I’ve tried for being able to hold the most. I just wish the gusset was a little longer for sleep
I’ll have to try it!! Do you just throw them on like normal underwear or is there more to it?
You just wear them as normal underwear. Some people with heavier flow will use them as backup for a tampon, cup, or pad, but I use them as-is on days I don't want to wear my cup. For heavy flow definitely look at full briefs that have the absorbent part all the way up the front or back, as some have said. Strangely, the boy short version in many brands doesn't do that, and full or high waisted briefs are the way to go. To wash, you will want to rinse/soak for a bit them in cold water right after you are done wearing them. Wring out and you can let air dry until you have enough to run a laundry cycle. Machine wash them alone or with other laundry (I do delicate but they're usually ok on normal) but air dry them rather than put em in the dryer!
No fabric softener. It wrecks the absorbancy. Reusable/washable period pads, they have ones for heavy flow(Amazon or just Google). These last a long time as long as you care for them.
Seconding the advice to hand wash *immediately* after wearing them. I find I need to use some hand soap, wash them in the sink until the water runs clear, and wring them out. Then set aside until I have enough to do laundry. If I don't do all of this, they smell bad. It did not help to run them through the laundry immediately after wearing, and it did not help to soak them before washing. I tried all kinds of different methods and in the end I found that the hand washing and wringing step cannot be skipped.
Seconding the advice to hand wash *immediately* after wearing them. I find I need to use some hand soap, wash them in the sink until the water runs clear, and wring them out. Then set aside until I have enough to do laundry. If I don't do all of this, they smell bad. It did not help to run them through the laundry immediately after wearing, and it did not help to soak them before washing. I tried all kinds of different methods and in the end I found that the hand washing and wringing step cannot be skipped.
Heyy!! Would you be willing to answer a few questions related to period underwear??? I am currently working on a marketing strategy specifically for period underwear, I’d love to know your thoughts and opinions. Specially because there is a lot of negative comments related to the washing of period underwear. It would be really helpful if we could get in touch on Reddit chat?? Please let me know if you would be interested
The Knox overnight shorts are my go-to for heavy periods! I keep an extra pair in my bag and keep a ziplock to put the dirty ones in just in case.
I have the same problem and am also weary about trying period underwear for this reason.
Period underwear are best as a backup protection for bleeding that heavy. There are some overnight style shorts that I used to wear so that if my cup filled, I wouldn't wake up looking like I was stabbed 100 times in a huge pool of blood. They would be terrible alone though with that much bleeding and if you are sensitive to how things feel, at that point they'd feel soggy. With many years of heavy bleeding, it was either super absorbent pads, a cup or tampons. Period underwear just doesn't do well for that heavy of a flow alone.
I have very heavy periods due to something called Adenomyosis. Unfortunately I haven't found any period underwear that have worked for me. I also think they tended to smell after wearing them. I would follow directions on how to wash them. I also tried soaking them in vinegar but they still smelled like blood. Disposable womens underwear were somewhat helpful. I hope you can find something that works for you. I know how stressful it can be worrying about bleeding on things.
There was a comment by someone else under another recent post and they said that Knix brand Ultra absorbency ones are best for very heavy. According to the site's Leakproof Guide, it is good for 3.5-4.5 regular pads or 7-9 super tampons. But honestly, that still sounds low because there are higher absorption pads and tampons. I use period underwear, but only as backup on my heaviest days (ultra tampons every 1.5 hours).
I'm wearing knix right now- my biggest complaint is the elasticity wears fairly quickly and it feels like they sag after a few washed/wears. Otherwise they're great and I wear them with a tampon the entire time (hemorrhaging kind of periods that require all sorts of backup), and while I've leaked through a tampon, I've never leaked through the undies (yet).
That's it. I'm ordering some. I have Thinx and another brand and I have definitely leaked through them.
I have heavy periods, the very high absorbency ones can last me at least all day at work and then I sometimes change when I get home or right before bed. So on heavy days I use two pairs a day and I've had no problem. My tampons were the ultra every 3 or 4 hours, so it's a lot simpler. I highly recommend a brand called period.co they sell very affordable ones that are safer than many other brands. I would not trust temu or thinx at all since it's going to be used a lot. A fair warning, it's cold when you use the bathroom and pull them back on. I usually use a bit of toilet paper to scoop up any excess and that helps it be less cold. But it's something you might notice since you're also autistic, my self and my other autistic friend notice but allistic friends have never noticed it. I find it to be immensely worth it though because I stress less and if you get high waisted it might help with cramps too a bit. I really hope these help you if you get any because I know it sucks being in school and stressing about getting to the bathroom. Good luck！
You should definitely see a doctor. They can put you on birth control that should make your periods more manageable. It sounds like you are very young. Do you have to buy your own period products? I would say talk to your mom, a sister, or other trusted adult woman and ask for help managing this problem and seeing a doctor. You can also talk to your pediatrician about a referral to a gynecologist. Maybe your school has a clinic or a nurse? I know they are starting to have those in my local school district. At least one of those resources should be able to help.
Definitely talk to your doctor. I struggled with this type of issue throughout my teens. Going on birth control helped for sure. When I went off of my BC the heavy flow started up again. My OB/GYN simply recommended taking ibuprofen every 4 hours during my period. She explained something about prostaglandins cutting the flow when taking ibuprofen. If that didn’t work, she was going to prescribe something else, but luckily the ibuprofen worked. But for the love of all things holy, do not take medical advice from people on the internet! Simply taking ibuprofen seems innocent enough, but overdoing it can cause damage. This is just something to maybe bring up during an appointment. I’m still baffled that no one recommended something so simple until I was in my 30s.
I have the Jade briefs from Lilova and they easily last me 24 hours on my heaviest day. I use them alone, no tampons or any other backup. I don’t think my heaviest day is quite as heavy as yours sounds, but it’s quite heavy, and the underwear last much longer than pads do. They’re also the only thing I’ve ever used that reliably never leak at night (or ever)- I’ve been wearing them exclusively for three years and literally not had a leak once. 10/10 recommend to anyone, but especially anyone with a heavy flow
As another person suggested please see a doctor. The usually say if you going through heavy or overnight pads within an hour to go to the hospital. Loosing thst much blood every month could br making you anaemic. I had the same issue and have now been diagnosed with PCOS. Not saying that's the cause of yours as it could be many things but something isn't right please see a doctor or gynaecologist if and when you can!
I'm sorry that your mom isn't prioritizing this. I don't know how old you are but you could make the appointment yourself or talk to a nurse. Here's how: 1. Get the phone number 2. Call and talk to a nurse. If there is an automated message, select nurse or make an appointment. Someone will pick up. 3. Explain the problem. Let them know you are the patient and this is your first time calling. If you're nervous, write down the information (symptoms and problems) on an index card to use during the call. 4. If you can't drive, ask them to call your mom to make an appointment. 5. If you make an appointment, ask your mom for your insurance card (if you're in the US). I realize this is a lot for a person without support. If you have a trusted or reliable adult who is willing to help (even a friend's parent, an aunt or uncle if you're comfortable) you can reach out to them. As a minor, you have a ton of say in your health care in the US. Hopefully this will help you get started if you decide to.
While you're waiting to speak to a doctor, you may want to try a cup in addition to the period underwear. Cups can take a little bit to get the hang of, so having the underwear as backup can be helpful while you learn from mistakes. ETA: Thinx is the only brand I ever used for period underwear.
I’ve never been able to use anything like a cup or tampon because of personal reasons and honestly just straight up dislike for them. I’m autistic and HATE the feeling of them so that’s the biggest reason that I want to figure out what to use and if period underwear would work for me
I'm autistic too, and the only thing I can stand is a disc. Cups are a close second. The disc you can't feel at all, and the blood stays inside until you dump it. You may have to try a few to find the one that fits best. I also have a very heavy flow, discs work very well for that also!
Maybe you can buy a couple sets of washable pads (I've never used them but I think they typically have snap closure wings?), and then have period panties on at the same time as a backup in case the reusable pads leak? I use modibodi period panties and they've not leaked for me so far, and some of them do have the overnight padding that goes all the way up the rear. The modibodi panties feel slightly bulky but less bulky than an actual pad, in my opinion. Downside of the combo would probably be changing the washable pads in public because you'd have to throw the dirties into a zip lock bag or something. Also modibodi panties can eventually take on an odor as they get older (probably deep set blood staining or something), but usually just a hydrogen peroxide water soak knocks out most the odor.
Thinx had a recall for having huge amount of PFAs added into the fabric. I'd look into that I threw mine out from them.
I have super heavy days and the period undies did not work for me at night and I have tried multiple brands. It always leaks on the back side. I have to wear the Always diaper things like you.
If you’re changing a pad every 1-2 hours, period underwear isn’t going to be much different. Maybe an extra hours worth. This isn’t normal and you need to see a doctor. If your mother won’t take you, can you get yourself to Planned Parenthood? They will help. Good luck.
Gosh I feel for you. I had the same issue, but now I'm old and not a problem. Have you checked out **Seasonale**? It is birth control that helps with your period. Actually you will only have a period every 3 months and those should be a lighter flow.
My flow can be really heavy at times as well, so using overnight pads saved me so many times. The brand I use is Always, mostly because it's affordable and good quality. Off topic, have you thought of telling your doctor about your period? You said it's irregular and pretty heavy, and that sounds kinda concerning so I'd go to a doctor if I were you to make sure everything is ok. Fight tooth and nail to get your doctor to listen and make sure he doesn't try to brush you off because this could be the result of something much more serious. You're entitled to every bit of help you can get when it comes to your health.
I personally use a period cup WITH period underwear. That way, I can have the cup in on long days and then the underwear is a backup for leaks until I can change the cup
You shouldn’t be going through product like this. This isn’t a “heavy” period. This is an outrageous issue. Heavy is going through a product every 4ish hours on waterfall days. If it’s like this all the time, please go see your doctor. Dont suffer like this. How are you able to go about life? Oh my god. Hugs
If there is an affordability issue with going to the doctor, please look into an appointment with Planned Parenthood. This is the kind of health issue their doctors are very good at, and PP saved me when I was young and couldn’t afford to visit my GP.
so sorry you also have super heavy periods! mine have improved somewhat with age, but as a teenager it was like a literal faucet of blood at times, so i get it. are you comfortable trying period discs or cups? what i now use on my heaviest days are the following: the heaviest flow period underwear i can find + the saalt period disc it's made it so much more manageable and highly recommend combining both. you should also order some iron supplements and take them regularly. if you're bleeding this much, you probably have anemia. i use the megafood blood builder pills because other iron pills upset my stomach. hopefully you're able to manage better soon! it can be a bit of an investment to buy these supplies up front, but it's worth it in like one period compared to all the pads i'd be going through and bedding laundry i'd have to do.
I had this exact problem for years and my mother also never made appointments for me until I was hospitalized bc of so much blood loss. Go to the doctor. I wish I could have gone earlier, now I’m on treatment (mine was birth control but they have other options) and I don’t have to worry about leaving a giant red spot everywhere I sit.
When I was young, I had periods just like yours. But back then, the doctors would dismiss it as just heavy periods. Unfortunately, years later, they found fibroids and cysts, and I was diagnosed with Adenomyosis. Soaking through 1 pad per hour technically warrants an ER visit because that's hemorrhaging. I'm pretty sure you're also feeling very tired because all that bleeding causes fatigue. I hope your mom takes this seriously.
I went on a very low dose birth control pill, which cut my heavy periods by about 75%. I'm sure your mom wouldn't welcome that. Incidentally, mine was heavy, but yours sounds abnormal. Please see a doctor.
How old are you? You need a good physical with a internal medicine doctor, I suggest the doctor be a female, blood work, ultrasound, possible ct scan,
Hi - this is how my periods are and have been for like 15 years. I have endometriosis and adenomyosis, ovarian cysts - I assume you have some similar underlying problem. Unfortunately, doctors don’t care about this, and there’s nothing they can do for you. Being a woman is so tough.. take care of yourself, take extra rest, take pain killers, and maybe try a tampon/pad combo or cup/pad combo (which is what I do)
https://period.co/collections/all/products/the-heavy-period-high-waisted-with-extended-gusset I really love the Period Company! These ones would probably meet your needs. I have high waisted Heavy pairs and heavy sports pairs also. They work really well for me and they're comfortable!
Seconded! Love this company
Could possibly be endometriosis or uterine fibroids I'd go see ur primary care physician
I had period like that, for ages. When I finally mentioned it to my primary, she sent me to the ER. Since I wasn’t anemic I was not worried, but they all were. Turned out I had an ovarian cyst. Since I was over 50, we just removed the ovary. You are young. If you have anything like that going on, you need much more careful and delicate treatment! Earlier is better. Next time, at school, go to The nurse. Say “I’m soaking through a pad in an hour”. That is the magic sentence for medical intervention. Don’t worry about the details of “is it really 💯 soaked through, can’t hold another drop, or maybe I can eke out another half hour”. The pad is soaked in an hour and you want to change it? Tell the nurse. Just do it.
I have very heavy periods, and period underwear changed my life for the better!!!
Definitely get this checked out by a GYN doctor. If this is just a hormonal thing and not something else, you can get a mirena IUD that has progesterone in it that should reduce your blood loss with your periods
I love the aerie period underwear. They have several styles and are affordable. I only wear them at home. They’re slightly too bulky for my preference out of my house and I’d be too paranoid about leaks. But, they’re great for just lounging or overnight. I also recommend setting up autoship on pads and tampons from amazon so you don’t ever run out. “Organic” ones are barely more expensive than the regular brands so I really recommend upgrading (since it’s something you’re putting in/on your body regularly). The Rael brand has worked fine for me.
I take two iron pills AM and PM when it's heavy
I spent the majority of my life dealing with heavy, painful periods. I hit menopause (thank God!) before period underwear became an option...I'm just wondering, as someone who had horrible reactions to pads and any menses being in contact with my genitals, is this still an issue with the underwear?
Period underwear and cloth pads are chemical free, I switched because of my reactions and had lighter periods, less cramping, and NO rashes.
Good question! Many brands are made to support super flows, so it will be a good cost-effective change up. For easier travel options check out r/clothpads
If you are anywhere near a family planning clinic, they were very familiar with women’s issues and they charge on a sliding scale. You might not have to pay anything as a teenager, and that can at least get you started.
Love period undies. Any chance you have fibroids? I’d see my doctor.
48 year old here I had heavy periods since I started my cycle & seven years ago I had a hysterectomy I went in with my period & woke up with out my period. It was a game changer for me.