Explain dealing with periods to me like I haven't had one in five years

October 20, 2017 2:11 PM

It's time for my IUD removal and I'm not sure if I want it replaced. While I decide, I'm going birth control free -- but I haven't had a period in five years and I feel like I've forgotten everything. Please give me your tips and tricks for dealing with the crimson tide.

It's that time of the month for Mother Nature's gift. I've been invited to the red wedding. I'm checking into the red roof inn.

Okay, I haven't had a period in some time. I remember a lot of uncomfortable cramping and diarrhea, and the slight anxiety about having a period related accident.

Here are my plans:
- keep an extra pair of underwear at work along with pads and tampons
- carry tampons with me in my purse or backpack -> is there a brand of tampons that you like best?
- pain reliever, though if you have a magical concoction I would love to hear it
- heating pad 4 lyfe

But there's got to be something that I'm missing, right? I'm looking for concrete things that you do to manage your periods. What's the single best thing you do for yourself that I should do too?

On preview, consider this a five year follow up question to this post.

Please no suggestions on birth control, thanks in advance.

posted by pumpkinlatte to Health & Fitness (34 answers total)

I like tampons with plastic applicators best, like Tampax Pearls. Some people swear by Diva Cups or those tiny ob tampons that you push in yourself, but plastic applicators are a luxury I allow myself in this cruel world. Anything but the ones with the horrid cardboard applicators!
posted by cakelite at 2:16 PM on October 20, 2017

Diva cup. game changer. I forget my period is happening now.
Thinx (the period undies) are also fantastic as a backup for leaking/way more comfortable than pads.
Using a period tracker app is clutch for receiving reminders when your period is coming if you're regular.
Exercise esp during/right before, helps me regulate my mood swings.
But also, allowing yourself to acknowledge how shitty and annoying periods can be sometimes... listening to Bleeding Love by Leona Lewis helps with this.
posted by blueberrypuffin at 2:17 PM on October 20, 2017 [10 favorites]

If you get bad cramps start taking pain mess just before your period/cramps start and just keep taking it. It's so much easier to prevent them than try to get rid of them.
posted by raccoon409 at 2:18 PM on October 20, 2017 [10 favorites]

Best answer: I found downloading an app to track my cycle (I use Clue and there have been a couple Asks about other apps) really useful. I went off hormonal birth control because I was feeling depressed and emotionally flat all the time. Now I can really see how my emotions and hormones change with my cycle. Like if I’m feeling super rotten and bloated and irritable, I instantly feel better when I look at my app and realize I’m projected to start my period the next day. It makes me feel like I’m more in control of myself because I can attribute a lot of my moods and feelings to where I am in my cycle.
posted by skycrashesdown at 2:18 PM on October 20, 2017 [14 favorites]

My periods have changed dramatically as I've aged, in response to starting or stopping birth control, etc. The things you remember may no longer be things for you now.

Funny how much is personal preference. Try what you want to try, don't use products you don't like, and don't beat yourself up for your choices.

Oh, do give Always Infinity pads a try. What a game changer for the world of pads. You may not like them but they're worth a shot.
posted by sockermom at 2:23 PM on October 20, 2017 [8 favorites]

Before I got my IUD, I was a HUGE fan of the Diva Cup, with a pantiliner for “just in case” peace of mind. Also, after I had my first IUD removed, my period was a lot lighter than previously so you might have a fun surprise!
posted by DoubleLune at 2:27 PM on October 20, 2017 [1 favorite]

Avoid caffeine, alcohol, smoking, refined sugar, white flour. Eat lots of leafy greens.

I started taking a multivitamin with magnesium and my periods are notably more manageable than they used to be.
posted by aniola at 2:31 PM on October 20, 2017 [1 favorite]

For me, always taking acetaminophen at the first sign of it starting, before cramps even begin, successfully avoids them for the most part. If I wait, I will be in pain.

On those occasions when it's started when I'm drinking, and I didn't feel comfortable with the risks involved in taking acetaminophen after alcohol, I've sometimes gone the other direction entirely and just had even more to drink. That seemed to successfully head off cramps as well, perhaps by relaxing things or just numbing me to pain. Your mileage may vary, of course.
posted by limeonaire at 2:56 PM on October 20, 2017 [1 favorite]

Best answer: I just want to point out that if you don't know what you want to do yet, there is no reason you need to have your IUD removed. Sounds like you have Mirena. It's been approved for use up to seven years in other countries, so it's most likely still effective, but even if the horomones were depleted I don't think there's any urgent need to have and old one removed if you aren't trying to get pregnant or have some other medical reason.

I haven't had a period in over ten years (two Mirenas) and don't intend to any time soon, so I don't have much advice, but I think if I did I might be interested in Thinx panties or something similar if I had heavy periods.
posted by catatethebird at 3:32 PM on October 20, 2017 [1 favorite]

Nthing that your period may be quite different to how it was five years ago. It might take a few periods to work out what's going on.

I use OB tampons. Regular ones on the lighter days, super ones on the very heavy days. I use pads overnight, ones designed to be used overnight.

A menstrual cup is worth a try. Don't get the keeper, which is made of natural rubber. Silicone is a much better material for the purpose.

For pain relief, I lean towards ibuprofen. On particularly crampy days I take both ibuprofen and paracetemol. Naproxen is good too.
posted by kinddieserzeit at 3:43 PM on October 20, 2017 [1 favorite]

Epsom salt baths (especially on the first day).
Thermacare stick on heat pads are the difference on a bad day between me leaving the house or whimpering in a fetal position.
Caffeinated tea ( I like the green cinnamon tea from Harney & Sons, but use whatever floats your boat!)
Dark chocolate has caffeine + magnesium + sugar and that equals magical concoction in my book.
In case you don’t know, ibuprofen (Advil) works best on uterine cramps (something about affecting the prostaglandins). Acetaminophen (Tylenol) does not do anything for my period cramps.
posted by Champagne Supernova at 4:03 PM on October 20, 2017 [1 favorite]

Get plenty of iron and (unless your values forbid it) have wine or beer at hand. Seriously, NSAIDs et al are worthless for me, but a pint or a split and I'm feeling much better. Also, avoiding caffeine is laughable IMO; I get sooooooo sleepy during shark week.

Hot baths, with stupid music and frivolous products, because all that defiance needs to go somewhere. Budget for extra sleep if you can.

It is my experience that exercise helps until you stop doing it, and then the relief fades. This is annoying but it helps me to determine whether an outing will be doable by how active it will be.

I favor plastic applicator Playtex. I find cardboard and no-applicator tampons barbaric, and cups let me down once, which was more than enough.

I detest the moist mustiness that pads tend to foster, but if I were smart I'd keep some maxis on hand for those times when inserting a tampon just makes the discomfort worse. Like, it honestly wakes the half-asleep dog that is The Cramps. Oddly, after several years on the Pill, I noticed my cramps were suddenly almost as bad as they'd been without it, so going off it for a time didn't feel like too rude of an awakening. I hope your experience of going off hormones is at least that smooth...

YMMV; I am nulliparous and "tipped," and I couldn't learn to get along with an IUD, either, so you're probably already braver and tougher than I am.

Peroxide gets blood out of underwear, but check for colorfastness. Pets make good hot water bottles. If you find yourself feeling unusually paranoid, give yourself permission to limit your accessibility to people who make it worse.
posted by armeowda at 4:27 PM on October 20, 2017 [1 favorite]

Acetaminophen (Tylenol) does not do anything for my period cramps

Your mileage may vary. Acetaminophen works for me.
posted by limeonaire at 4:36 PM on October 20, 2017 [1 favorite]

The best thing I did was learn to take enough painkillers to make the cramps completely go away. A couple of different doctors told me it's fine to take a lot more ibuprofen than the normal dose as long as you're not doing it regularly. (Don't do this with acetaminophen; it's a lot easier to hit a dangerous overdose level with that. And ibuprofen works better for cramps anyway.) Two pills weren't usually enough to stop my cramps. I would often take 5. I'd just have to do that once a month, when the cramps were at their worst. (Then I had a couple of babies. Turns out that really helps with cramps. Then I went through menopause.)

I liked ob tampons way more than the applicator kind. Never used pads anymore once I discovered how much more comfortable tampons were. I never tried a Diva Cup, but I would if I were young again.
posted by Redstart at 4:37 PM on October 20, 2017 [1 favorite]

I haven't had a period in like a decade, but I do recall Tampax Pearl being my favorite type. Cardboard applicators are garbage. I'd maybe get a small box of a few different brands.

Also, yeah, those Thermacare heating pads are the shit.
posted by radioamy at 4:52 PM on October 20, 2017

I just started using a menstrual cup in June and it has changed everything. I have always hated and been disgusted by my period. Nothing has ever worked to make it go away (it stayed through 5 years with a iud.)

With the cup there is a bit of a learning curve. But after only a few months I actually get sort of excited about my period because it is so easy to deal with. I didn't expect to like it this much.

Also tracker apps and always infinity if pads are on the table.
posted by Shanda at 4:56 PM on October 20, 2017 [1 favorite]

Best answer: Menstrual cups are a game changer. Diva cup is good, lena cup is better. Imagine only having to deal with your period once ever 8 to 12 hours. Seriously these are life changing.
posted by KMoney at 4:58 PM on October 20, 2017

For me, naproxen blows ibuprofen out of the water for cramps (acetaminophen is a joke for me). Hot baths, hot pad.

But, I had an IUD and then didn't (and do again), and maybe it won't be that bad. I had it AWFUL as a teenager, but all the pain and stomach issues have never reappeared since the pill and then IUD (meaning not being on either but after being on them).
posted by Pax at 5:21 PM on October 20, 2017

I love the menstrual cup. (I have a Keeper; have had it since before Diva was on the market.) However, I didn't find it as convenient as tampons - emptying and rinsing the cup in the multi-stall bathrooms at work was always a hassle. I liked O.B. no-applicator tampons, and once I got used to them (several decades ago) I always had problems with applicators.

Notes about having a period after a long time without: Carry a spare pad in your purse. Tampon too, if you use those, but it's never a bad idea to have either a heavier pantiliner or light pad in every purse you might grab on the way out the door. Throw a few of them in a drawer at work, too.

I never had cramps bad enough to need medication, but exercises helped. I went looking for a flyer or something of the ones I used most often, and apparently that info isn't common online anymore. :( But I did find some resources: 5 Easy Exercises That Relieve Painful Period Cramps video; Yoga for Menstruation Class (not recommending the class, but the attached diagram might be useful).
posted by ErisLordFreedom at 5:22 PM on October 20, 2017

Twice daily jerk sessions with a vibrating dildo take one to three days off my long, heavy cycles. Also reduce cramps.
posted by fritillary at 5:30 PM on October 20, 2017 [5 favorites]

Try eating an extra serving of carbohydrate for B vitamins each day. Half of a chocolate chip bagel with nothing on it is ideal! Extra protein, too.
posted by jgirl at 7:00 PM on October 20, 2017

I really like o.b. silk touch. They are tiny because there's nothing to them but the tampon itself and the wrapper, so it's easy to carry several in my purse, and easy to tuck just one into my pocket or bra for a quick trip to the ladies'.

I've experimented with menstrual cups and the overall experience has been positive, but I haven't made the final plunge yet. If you do want to go that way I recommend getting a MeLuna sample pack to see what size/type works best for you.

Running is really amazing for cramps but it's a big commitment. Ibuprofen is my pain med of choice - I think it just depends on whatever pain med works for you generally. A glass of red wine doesn't hurt anything either. Hot tea warms the stomach area which also helps a bit. Heating pads are good to have around.

Sometimes calling in sick and coddling yourself all day is the right thing to do.

Yes on the peroxide, and don't put hot water on protein stains, only cold.
posted by bunderful at 7:50 PM on October 20, 2017 [1 favorite]

Marijuana.
posted by bile and syntax at 8:14 PM on October 20, 2017 [1 favorite]

The SweetHome has a fabulous review of menstrual cups. I have found mine to be life changing - I have a copper IUD and heavy periods, and got really sick of wondering howtf I could already be bleeding through another super tampon when I just changed it an hour ago. There are only 1-2 days per cycle that I need to empty the cup at work; then I just dump and wipe it out with toilet paper. I never wash it in public. Aside from those couple of times, I dump and wash morning and evening and it's been magical.

For tampons, though I don't use them anymore except for emergencies, I prefer the OB applicator-less ones because they expand radially. The others seem to only expand from side to side and I have terrible leaks down the gaps. But (if you're a person for whom it works) the cup is orders of magnitude better.

For leaks, I don't wear special period underwear but i do have a sizable collection of black and maroon underwear and it makes life so much less frustrating. (I've had recurrent episodes of spotting between periods and I got so so sick of all my underwear being stained. Now I have nice underwear where it just doesn't show.). I don't know why it didn't occur to me on my own, but this was hands down the best suggestion I got when complaining elsewhere about the spotting.

YMMV (doesn't it always?) but recently I have started having digestive issues for the first few days of my period - loose stools and general stomach upset. I also sometimes feel like I have a mild flu. No painful cramps, though; like many I found that those decreased dramatically after having kids. Here's hoping you get to have a gradual re introduction as the hormones wear off slowly!
posted by telepanda at 8:20 PM on October 20, 2017 [2 favorites]

Adult incontinance products work a lot better than pads especially at night when you get the butt crack creep.
posted by bleep at 11:08 PM on October 20, 2017 [2 favorites]

Best answer: (1) A lot of people swear by tincture of motherwort. I tried it when I was about 24, and it worked brilliantly for about six months and then just stopped. YMMV.

(2) Enthusiastically seconding the Diva Cup. I like getting the pinkish/berry-colored ones because I feel like the inevitable discolorations look a little less gross on those.

(3) Also enthusiastically seconding the "take your pain pill of choice before the pain actually starts" advice. Ditto the advice about marijuana.

(4) At night, during heavy times, I typically wear two layers of underwear, plus cotton bike shorts, plus light pajama or yoga pants. That may sound like a lot, but thickness-wise, it's about comparable to a pair of heavy jeans or Carhartts, though, of course, far less restrictive and much more comfortable.

(5) Medicinal sushi! My rule for myself is that if I feel super fragged by Moon Cow,* I get to have sushi delivered, whether I can really afford it or not. (Because it's, you know, medicinal.) Whether it's the protein and Omega 3s or the tasty indulgence, I don't know, but it always seems to help.


*Moon Cow is what my spouse and I call my period, because (a) At its worst, it feels like a Holstein tromping on my uterus, and because (b) It means I get to make pitiable, bovine lowing sounds, and in context, they're funny instead of distressing and crazy-sounding.
posted by palmcorder_yajna at 11:16 PM on October 20, 2017 [1 favorite]

Best answer: Cups don't work for me, so I typically use tampons. Playtex sport only! Tampax are more rectangular, not my preference.

I use the Clue app to track my cycle and it warns me when my period is about to start. I usually take naproxen then. I also take Pamprin throughout my period - the antihistamine that it includes for treating irritability works really well for me! It makes me feel much less moody and helps me sleep if I need a nap.

Thermacare heat wraps are great. They feel too hot on my skin, though, so I have to wear them between two pairs of underwear. It's bulky but it keeps me from feeling burned.
posted by cp311 at 12:06 AM on October 21, 2017

My only trick is „keep tampons* everywhere“. In every bag you‘ll ever use and every place you regularly spend time at.

*If you use them. I like OB without applicators. It‘s so easy to stick em in with one finger, without even dropping my pants, and they‘re so unobtrusive that I‘ve done it a recessed doorway once in a pinch.
posted by Omnomnom at 2:52 AM on October 21, 2017 [2 favorites]

I just got mine 40 min ago and want to stab everything! I had to go off birth control because of medical reasons. Here is what I found:

1. My periods were irregular at first so daily pantyliners are helpful
2. One acetaminophen, two ibuprofen combined were helpful with the pain
3. Heating pads help
4. Stupid fucking cystic acne - there is some advice from a previous thread here if it happens to you which hopefully it won't.

Good luck.
posted by wheek wheek wheek at 3:19 AM on October 21, 2017

Pad for backup with those tampons until you know how heavy your flow will be, especially if it would be really inconvenient to get to a bathroom on a minute's notice. Not just for when you are "far away" from a bathroom, things like important client meetings too.
posted by yohko at 2:00 PM on October 21, 2017

My period is sometimes unpredictable and what's helped me the most is doubling up on anything I think I might need when leaving the house. Like if I want to bring one extra pair of underwear I bring two, etc. For life in general I find baby wipes and disposable medical exam gloves to be really useful. For serious, but not nitrile ones.
posted by Verba Volant at 4:17 PM on October 21, 2017

It is hard to enact but I've cut out caffeine (except green tea which doesn't affect me like black tea and coffee) and in three months it's changed my cycles for the better - less pms for sure. I'm working on reducing refined sugar next. Side effect is my skin is better.

I take a supplement called Estrosmart and it keeps my periods from being so heavy, and I take a calcium-magnesium supplement all month.

I like the Flo app for tracking.

I just wear a thin pad if I'm worried my period will surprise me, but mine tends to show up when I use the toilet or start as spotting, I'd love to try thinx instead.
posted by lafemma at 5:13 PM on October 21, 2017

At night, during heavy times, I typically wear two layers of underwear, plus cotton bike shorts, plus light pajama or yoga pants.

Oh right, I always wear basketball shorts to bed during that time. It's good to have that one extra layer just in case.
posted by limeonaire at 8:48 PM on October 21, 2017

And yes, Clue is rad, especially if things start to get wonky at any point. I wish I had a better record from before that started to happen.
posted by limeonaire at 8:49 PM on October 21, 2017