How long would you have your period before you started to worry.. FINAL UPDATE in post 17

[Purple*Lotus]

Backstory: I get my period maybe twice a year. No medical reason other than I am overweight, if I lose weight, I should be more regular.

This is also the first time I have used disposable maxi pads. I am living with my parents now and I don't have access to a way to store my Mama cloth without it being obvious. So I am not sure if using disposables has anything to do with my wacky period or not..

Basically I got my period two weeks ago, which made me because I never get it But it wont go away. It seems to be just spotting during the day then heavy in the evenings before bed. And one day it was VERY heavy. No cramps or anything like that. I am more irritated to be spending the money on disposables. But how long before you would start to worry?

And if anyone has any Mama cloth suggestions in a house that doesn't even have cabinents in the bathroom to stash them in, I would appreciate it

[Liquesce]

I used to get period a couple of times a year, but when I did get it it would be excessively long/heavy. It was normal to me, or I guess normalized to me, but in retrospect I should have had it checked out. I think one long period wouldn't concern me, but if it just keeps going from here or recurs it can't hurt to seek outside opinions to at least rule bigger problems out.

FWIW, I was always told that my wonky cycle was tied to my weight, and I really believed it once it regulated as I lost weight. Visible cause and effect, right? But when I was losing weight I was also being extremely careful about nutrition. And now here I am, a good forty pounds under the point at which my menstrual cycle regulated, with rather appalling nutrition and, you guessed it, a messed up cycle again.

Just food for thought ... I know it's not that simple for everyone, so I certainly don't mean to be all "I am the guru to cure all menstrual ills" about it ... just a bit of anecdata that may or may not be helpful.

(P.S. - Baskets with lids make great bathroom storage. You can get one big enough to hold a wet bag for the used ones until wash day alongside the clean ones.)

[Ammaarah]

I think you both should consider getting checked out for PCOS (polycystic ovarian syndrome.) It can be diagnosed by an OB/GYN or an endocrinologist.

Bunnyflakes, I have had long, heavy periods, and they made life miserable. At one point, I was put on a high-dose birth control pill to regulate them. It was the type of BCP rarely prescribed anymore due to bad s/e, but I was having a two week period and my cycles were super short, so I had just a few normal days each month. It was misery. When I was trying to conceive in my mid-20s, I was diagnosed with PCOS and put on Metformin and my menstrual woes were pretty much gone instantly. It made me have my period pretty regularly (like every 30-40 days, which for me was regular at that time) and have normal length periods.

[Liquesce]

My sister has PCOS; there's no real reason to suspect I might though. The first time around the messed up cycle was easily handled by regular BC; I just didn't care for the other effects. And, like I said, some dietary changes fixed it almost immediately. This time, my other health issues affecting my ability to eat such as they are ... well, I have a lot of symptoms of an inadequate diet going on, not just that one.

[Ammaarah]

Well, PCOS is a syndrome so having a history of wacky periods might be enough to suspect it, plus if your sister has it you have a very high chance of having it too. The fact that your cycles change when you eat healthier is a sign of PCOS/metabolic syndrome too, IMO - people who are insulin resistant do respond well to dietary changes. PCOS is such a broad umbrella and frankly I really dislike the name because it's misleading. I don't have multiple cysts, excess hair or high androgens, but I was dx'd with it based on my high fasting insulin level alone. Basically all it means is that you need to watch yourself, especially as you get older, because a woman with PCOS is at higher risk for Type 2 diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, etc. Some people can manage it with diet/exercise, others need pharmaceuticals.

So Liquesce my friend, I'm not saying you have to get a PCOS dx or anything, but if you have a sister with it and some history of menstrual irregularities, it might be a good idea to get a hormone panel run by an endo at some point and to keep an eye on your blood lipids as you get older, which I'm sure you plan on anyway, as you are a smart chick.

[Ruthla]

My periods normally last 5-7 days. If I had on again/off again spotting like you've described, I'd probably go to get it checked out if it was double that (so, 14 days of menstruating would have me calling the GYN.)

For discreet mama pad storage, how about a little plastic bucket with a lid (such as an empty quart-sized yogurt tub) that you keep on the bathroom floor, next to the toilet? It shouldn't be too hard to keep the clean pads wherever you've been storing the sposies. Why does it matter if it's "obvious" or not?

[Liquesce]

Originally Posted by Ammaarah

So Liquesce my friend, I'm not saying you have to get a PCOS dx or anything, but if you have a sister with it and some history of menstrual irregularities, it might be a good idea to get a hormone panel run by an endo at some point and to keep an eye on your blood lipids as you get older, which I'm sure you plan on anyway, as you are a smart chick.

I know you're not saying I have to ... but my blood sugar, beyond awesome, always, my fertility, too good frankly, all sorts of hormonal testing and such for other things, always spot on ... the only thing I have going on that could point to it is the wonky cycle, but that can be caused by so many things. One of which being malnutrition, so the fact that it's come up only in those two periods in my life in which I have been undeniably malnourished ... well, it just seems a fair assessment.

[Purple*Lotus]

Well I have been going off and on for maybe a month now. Most days is more like spotting. But I have occasional bouts of really heavy bleeding, usually at night. With large clots coming out.

Like tonight I bled through one of my overnight Mama cloth pads that had two liners in it in about 15 minutes. That is pretty fast and heavy, I think.

I am going to make an appointment to see what is up. I had this issue at 19 years old and they put me on birth control. I am not willing to go that route again because birth control pills gave me really nasty PMS. Super nasty, you have no idea I was not even the same person those days.

I got over my Mama cloth issues. Basically I have been putting them in the laundry room in a closed hamper, and I told my Mom- who sometimes tosses my laundry in with theirs if she needs to make a full load- that anything I put in the white hamper, I prefer to wash myself. I just don't feel comfortable having someone else wash it, although when I wear them as panty liners she washes them, but she also uses fabric softener, which is bad for them. So this way is going to work out best, I think.

I was worried about washing them in a machine used by other people, but then I was like, eh, you have no idea what is being washed when you use a laundromat, and if I got blood on my underwear I wouldn't throw them out, I would just wash them, so it is pretty much the same.

So anyway, there is my update. I will update you when I find out what is up.

ETA: I have left my abusive husband, lost some weight, and treated my sleep apnea all in the last few months. So if anything, my body should be happier, right? That is my logic anyway

[allgirls]

Your body might be happier..perhaps it's releasing some things that couldn't go while you were in the situation you were in.

How old are you? I started having issues in my late thirties with shortening cycle and now in my early forties peri-menopause has me bleeding at odd times. If you are still over weight I would expect hormonally you are out of balance.

Let us know what the doctor says. And insist on diagnosis..not just medicine to stop the bleeding...a lot of that happens.

Good luck

[laohaire]

Originally Posted by Bunnyflakes

So I am not sure if using disposables has anything to do with my wacky period or not..

You already got better answers to your bigger question, but on this - I have read plenty of anecdotes of woman feeling that their periods were shorter on cloth and longer on disposables. BUT - we're talking a variance of a day, maybe two, tops. Not what you're talking about.

I hope you find this was just some kind of "spring cleaning" cycle and nothing more.

I was on BC for a few years... never again, not unless I was absolutely convinced the risks of not using it outweighed the risks of using it.

[missmich]

I think seeing a doc is a good idea. I know you said the BCP wasn't good for you when you tried it years ago,but there are many different types now and you may find one that works really well for you if nothing else will help you.

[Purple*Lotus]

I stopped taking the BC two years ago. I was on it for a long time. The PMS symptoms were so bad that it was affecting my job So I don't really want to go back on them if at all possible. At one point my doctor gave me medicine for the PMS, which dissappeared once I stopped taking the pill. I don't really want one medicine to treat side effects from another medicine. That is a lot of medicine.

I am not under the stress I was a few months ago. I still have a bit, but not like it was when I was in the house of terror And I am exercising more and losing some weight and I no longer eat fast food twice a day

I am 31. At first I typed "321" Not that old

I will let you all know what I find out.

[Purple*Lotus]

Another update I have an appointment for the 27th of this month.

I went in today for some bloodwork, so at least they will have that done if they want to check the results. My period is still going strong!

[spedteacher30]

It sounds like fibroids to me.

[Purple*Lotus]

Okay so I finally went to the doctor today after bleeding through 5 Mama cloths with the liners as thick as I could get them in. It was so heavy.

Basically I am in the same boat I was back when this happened before. Only this time I got to pick between BC pills and Provera *I think is the name, I could be wrong, it is late and I am not motivated enough to go look *

I picked option two. She told me that it would help stop it then I should go back to what normal is for me. Having it twice a year.

I filled the script but have not decided whether or not to take it. Irony of all ironies, the bleeding tappered off after I left her office

Not what I was hoping for. I will need to make a real appointment to investigate further. I was just a squeeze in today so I didn't have a "real" appointment.

[Purple*Lotus]

So apparantly all I had to do was pay a $20 co pay, $10 for a perscription and miss 4 hours of work to make my period go away all by itself

I still need to find out *why* it lasted so long, but I found this very ironic I didn't take the medicine because it had tappered off by the time I filled it and now it is gone!

[Purple*Lotus]

I spoke too soon. It came back and it came back BAD! So I took the Provera.

Provera did not work

Tonight I take my first birth control pill I am hoping I wont have evil PMS again like last time, so I have already warned everyone at work

I hope this helps! I can not stand to have my period for another day. I just can't.

[Ms. B. Sprout]

[zjandosmom]

Could your progesteron levels be too low? I had horrible and long periods until my Dr figured out it was my progesteron levels. I tried BC for one cycle as that was suggested by the midwife.....HORRIBLE. Made everything 1000x worse. Just thought I'd throw that out there.