Started period on ski trip

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My periods used to be like yours and I’m now on birth control pills that make it almost completely nonexistent. I don’t understand why people think they have to live like this.

And believe me, I get it. With periods like mine used to be, no, you cannot just put a couple OB’s in your pocket. An OB was a joke. I could not be away from a bathroom for more than 45 minutes and I get that’s a huge pain with ski equipment and clothes. Learn from this vacation and start exploring options when you get home (my “last straw” was when mine came on a weekend I had a golf tournament and an outdoor concert and it was a total nightmare).

Oh, my doctor had me try taking Advil around the clock. Like 800mg in a sitting. It can slow down the blood flow. It’s not a long term solution but something easy you can try this week.

Note: women who suffer serious migraines should not take birth control due to risk of stroke.

This is wrong.

The risk is for women who have migraines with aura, and only with estrogen-containing contraception.

1. If you have serious migraines but no aura, there is no increased risk.
2. If the birth control does not contain estrogen, there is no increased risk. Options include progesterone-only pills, DepoProvera shots, and Nexplanon subdermal implants, among others.

[Anonymous]

PS: also copper IUDs

There are a lot of birth control options for women with all kinds of migraines. It is worth discussing in detail with a provider trained to assess and prescribe, but the advice that you should "not take birth control" is really not helpful.

[Anonymous]

I take birth control pills continuously and don’t get periods at all anymore. It won’t help OP for a vacation that was last month, but something for OP to consider.

[Anonymous]

Taking Ibuprofen has drastically reduced my menstrual flow. On my heaviest days I take 400 mg of Ibuprofen every 3-4 hours and one dose between 400-800 mg before bedtime.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:+1 to the ultra tampon combined with the overnight pad and frequent bathroom trips. Yes, it’s annoying with ski pants and gear but it’s what you have to do. This is how I get through work. In a teacher and run to the bathroom between every class when the students change classes for 2-3 days. I can get by for 80 min with this combination but need to buy the heaviest pads I can find.

Has anyone had luck with an IUD? My dr suggested that to help.

Another teacher. For two years, I wore a tampon and a maternity pad with a freaking adult diaper (Depends) two days a week. Once I bled through that and my AP has to cover my class so I could run to Rite Aid for a pair of sweatpants, I had a long overdue conversation with my gynecologist. The solution for me was an ablation.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This will be TMI

On my really heavy days when I have 90 min appts I use a vibrator to o in the shower. A LOT clears out, and I'm on a normal-light flow after and can go 90 min+ without needing to change.

Wins the prize for most creative solution I had not ever heard of before!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My periods used to be like yours and I’m now on birth control pills that make it almost completely nonexistent. I don’t understand why people think they have to live like this.

And believe me, I get it. With periods like mine used to be, no, you cannot just put a couple OB’s in your pocket. An OB was a joke. I could not be away from a bathroom for more than 45 minutes and I get that’s a huge pain with ski equipment and clothes. Learn from this vacation and start exploring options when you get home (my “last straw” was when mine came on a weekend I had a golf tournament and an outdoor concert and it was a total nightmare).

Oh, my doctor had me try taking Advil around the clock. Like 800mg in a sitting. It can slow down the blood flow. It’s not a long term solution but something easy you can try this week.

Note: women who suffer serious migraines should not take birth control due to risk of stroke.

This is wrong.

The risk is for women who have migraines with aura, and only with estrogen-containing contraception.

1. If you have serious migraines but no aura, there is no increased risk.
2. If the birth control does not contain estrogen, there is no increased risk. Options include progesterone-only pills, DepoProvera shots, and Nexplanon subdermal implants, among others.

Even some neurologists consider this outdated thinking. My neuro had no issue with me taking combination birth control pills despite migraine with aura. He said newer studies have shown that the current lower dosages of estrogen may not carry the same risk and the risk is still low. I took them for 5 years with zero issues.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This will be TMI

On my really heavy days when I have 90 min appts I use a vibrator to o in the shower. A LOT clears out, and I'm on a normal-light flow after and can go 90 min+ without needing to change.

Wins the prize for most creative solution I had not ever heard of before!

Orgasms also relieve cramps better than any painkiller, and the pain relief lasts a few hours.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Taking Ibuprofen has drastically reduced my menstrual flow. On my heaviest days I take 400 mg of Ibuprofen every 3-4 hours and one dose between 400-800 mg before bedtime.

I’m confused by this post and the previous lost mentioning ibuprofen. Ibuprofen notoriously slows clotting and increases bleeding. Most doctors will encourage you don’t take it before surgery or another procedure that causes bleeding. Did you try this experiment on your own or were you instructed to take it to lessen bleeding?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:[...]The hostility on this thread really bums me out. I hope the "just deal with it!/what are you, 12?" people might take a moment to reflect on their responses and consider the possibility that "a heavy period" may actually mean different things to different women.

+1
My best friend has had crippling first day cramps, like needing to lie down and then occasionally getting up to vomit from the pain. I think people just don’t understand.

God speed. OP. I hope the layering products works for you. And then go get you an IUD!

My teen daughter was missing 2-3 days of scroll each month throwing up when her period started until they put her on birth control. It’s low dose and considered safe for her migraines. It has eliminated her migraines and vomiting altogether and she only needs a pantyliner for one day most months.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My periods used to be like yours and I’m now on birth control pills that make it almost completely nonexistent. I don’t understand why people think they have to live like this.

And believe me, I get it. With periods like mine used to be, no, you cannot just put a couple OB’s in your pocket. An OB was a joke. I could not be away from a bathroom for more than 45 minutes and I get that’s a huge pain with ski equipment and clothes. Learn from this vacation and start exploring options when you get home (my “last straw” was when mine came on a weekend I had a golf tournament and an outdoor concert and it was a total nightmare).

Oh, my doctor had me try taking Advil around the clock. Like 800mg in a sitting. It can slow down the blood flow. It’s not a long term solution but something easy you can try this week.

Note: women who suffer serious migraines should not take birth control due to risk of stroke.

This is wrong.

The risk is for women who have migraines with aura, and only with estrogen-containing contraception.

1. If you have serious migraines but no aura, there is no increased risk.
2. If the birth control does not contain estrogen, there is no increased risk. Options include progesterone-only pills, DepoProvera shots, and Nexplanon subdermal implants, among others.

Even some neurologists consider this outdated thinking. My neuro had no issue with me taking combination birth control pills despite migraine with aura. He said newer studies have shown that the current lower dosages of estrogen may not carry the same risk and the risk is still low. I took them for 5 years with zero issues.

Sure, you can take the risk (and the data is mixed), but the guidelines haven't changed yet. Just know that taking estrogen with a history of migraine without aura is STILL recommended against by the American Academy of Neurology, the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology, the American Academy of Pediatrics, and the International Headache Society.

[summary article from 2018 in the journal Stroke]
Migraine, OCPs, and Stroke Risk

Data linking stroke and OCP use in patients with migraine is limited and conflicting. The International Headache Society reports that patients with migraine (with or without aura) have an odds ratio of 3 for ischemic stroke; however, that risk increases to 6 in patients who have migraine with aura.1 Furthermore, the odds ratio for ischemic stroke in patients with migraine (with or without aura) using combination OCPs increases to 5 to 17.1 In contrast, both the World Health Organization Collaborative Study of Cardiovascular Disease and Steroid Hormone Contraception and a 2000 meta-analysis failed to find a significant effect of migraine (these studies did not differentiate migraine with or without aura) on ischemic risk in combined OCP users.1,8 The presence of additional stroke risk factors further increases risk of stroke with migraine.1

International Headache Society guidelines find no contraindications to combined OCP use in patients who have migraine without aura or lack other stroke risk factors (diabetes, hyperlipidemia, hypertension, smoking, and obesity).1 Use of nonestrogen contraception, such as an intrauterine device, progestin injections, or progestin implant, is recommended for women with multiple risk factors for stroke. These guidelines warn of a potential increased risk of stroke in patients who have migraine with aura, but there are no specific guidelines to not use OCPs in these patients.1 The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists guidelines further recommend, clinicians consider progestin-only (pill, IUD, injection, and implant) or nonhormonal (copper IUD, surgery, and barrier) contraceptive methods to women with migraine with focal neurological signs (for example, hemiplegic migraine), women ?35 years of age, and smokers.4

https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/full/10.1161/strokeaha.117.020084

So, the major guidelines still recommend against estrogen in those with history of migraine with aura, but that's not the whole story. Also, pregnancy has a higher added risk of stroke than what *might* be conferred by today's lower dose combination OCPs, so, there's that.

Regardless, everyone agrees it's not an issue for "serious migraines" without aura. That's clear.

From above link,

TAKE-HOME POINTS

- Modern combined oral contraceptive pills have a lower dose of estrogens and less risk of stroke than older contraceptive formulations

- The risk of ischemic stroke in patients using combined oral contraceptives is increased in patients with additional stroke risk factors, including smoking, hypertension, and migraine with aura.

- The risk of ischemic stroke because of combined oral contraceptive pills is less than the risk associated with pregnancy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Taking Ibuprofen has drastically reduced my menstrual flow. On my heaviest days I take 400 mg of Ibuprofen every 3-4 hours and one dose between 400-800 mg before bedtime.

I’m confused by this post and the previous lost mentioning ibuprofen. Ibuprofen notoriously slows clotting and increases bleeding. Most doctors will encourage you don’t take it before surgery or another procedure that causes bleeding. Did you try this experiment on your own or were you instructed to take it to lessen bleeding?

This is a known use. It's an anti-inflammatory, and that effect more than counterbalances the clotting issue, at least to some extent and for many women.

Cleveland Clinic article on this: https://health.clevelandclinic.org/can-high-doses-of-ibuprofen-delay-or-halt-your-period/

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Taking Ibuprofen has drastically reduced my menstrual flow. On my heaviest days I take 400 mg of Ibuprofen every 3-4 hours and one dose between 400-800 mg before bedtime.

I’m confused by this post and the previous lost mentioning ibuprofen. Ibuprofen notoriously slows clotting and increases bleeding. Most doctors will encourage you don’t take it before surgery or another procedure that causes bleeding. Did you try this experiment on your own or were you instructed to take it to lessen bleeding?

https://www.cosmopolitan.com/sex-love/a30611276/ibuprofen-reduce-menstrual-flow/

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Taking Ibuprofen has drastically reduced my menstrual flow. On my heaviest days I take 400 mg of Ibuprofen every 3-4 hours and one dose between 400-800 mg before bedtime.

I’m confused by this post and the previous lost mentioning ibuprofen. Ibuprofen notoriously slows clotting and increases bleeding. Most doctors will encourage you don’t take it before surgery or another procedure that causes bleeding. Did you try this experiment on your own or were you instructed to take it to lessen bleeding?

Menstruation is an inflammatory process.

[Anonymous]

I would strongly consider going on continuous BC pills. I take Yaz continuously without issue and don’t have to worry about a period. It’s fantastic and my hormones stay level all the time. Something to consider.