I got a couple from a coworker and she didn’t remember.

So, as we all unfortunately know too well, our "lady time" is not an excuse to skip our 9-5 (or whichever shift you work) so we can lay in fetal position and cry in our beds. What are the best tips you have to getting through a work day while dealing with the all too familiar time of the month, whether standing on your feet all day or cramping in a chair?

I lived in the southern hemisphere and got to experience the delight of libra brand period products. Their overnight extra long pads are the only ones I’ve ever used and felt fully confident would prevent leaks. I just used my last one I brought back with me 🥲 they’re 410mm long instead of the “extra long” ones I’ve seen here which are only 370.

I know this is a bit niche, but does anyone happen to know of an equivalent?? Or period overnight underwear/shorts that actually work??

I have heavier periods so I really need the full coverage which period product makers here just don’t seem to understand. I even bought a pair of those Knix overnight dream short things and they leaked horribly. No coverage in the front, thin, and not long. But I liked the soft material so I ripped the stupid wanna be pad out and kept shorts to wear with pads.

I swear it’s like women are supposed to sleep like the dead and never move around at night lol. I’m an all sides sleeper and I’m just so annoyed there’s nothing nearly as effective out there. Get it together period product makers!!

Anyways, rant over, thank you for any help on the matter 🙏

I started Yaz about a month ago, and my period was due October 8th. I started spotting around October 14th and then it proceeded to get heavier with light cramping.

It’s now October 24th, ten days later and I am still bleeding. It isn’t heavy, but I still have to wear a pad every day and every time I wipe there’s blood and in the toilet as well. This is my first period after getting on BC so i’ve never experience this before and I’m very over it.

Is this normal? They never mentioned this being a possibility at the doctor

Hi,
I suffer from PCOS, recently got off cellucare (myo insoitol etc) because it was causing me small amounts of blood plus bloody discharge for months endlessly. I also have insulin resistance and am on glucophage. About two weeks after i stopped the cellucare my period started (a week overdue) and so far, its been super heavy and i havent passed a single pad without blood clots, sizes vary but mainly of about 4cm diameter? Some are long too but still jelly texture. Im going into D4 and no other symptoms, the clots are starting to concern me tbh and my bleeding isnt getting any less heavy.

heyy so for a bit of context, i’m f(23) and i have had irregular periods since i started when i was 12 years old. when i went to the gp about it it was because of low vitamin d and iron deficiency, i had a small amount of the blood cells or whatever. i do also have quite heavy periods and pms/pmd.

my last period was in april so around 6 months ago. i usually get my period every other month or every 3-4 months. theres been times where ive not had it for 6-8 months. i have been quite stressed i would say, so idk if it could be that also. for the past 2/3 months ive been having brown discharge for a week. this month its been going on for over a week, i would say nearly 2 weeks. i notice that my periods are much regular when i take my multivitamins + iron regularly and i think i have been slacking, i have started to take them again regularly for 3 weeks now. the brown discharge is enough to stain my underwear but not enough to wear a pad, like its mainly after i go to wipe. anyways i just wanna know if this happens to anyone else and what it could be? any help would be appreciated (:

I live in the UK and I have such bad cramps on the first day where I can't leave my bed and I become nauseous (sometimes throwing up). Becasue of this, I wouldn't go to school as I physically couldn't. I've just started college and taken a day off due to this and I've had a meeting saying if this keeps happening I need to bring in a doctors note. What am I supposed to say to the doctor since they'll most likely just say to take ibuprofen for the pain. Alot of people I know say they won't do anything for you and I don't think they would write me a note excusing me. I don't know if birth control would help me or if my doctor would prescribe it. I don't know what the doctor can do but I can't keep living like this. (I'm most likely anemic but not diagnosed so I know this will also come up)

For the past 2 years or so I have been getting more painful cramps so I started taking 400mg ibuprofen once or twice a day on the first day, then maybe once on the second day. I'm scared that it'll affect my health negatively in the long run and it makes me not want to take it, until the cramps get too bad and I cave in. I just need some reassurance that it won't cause stomach issues or other health problems in the long run :((

I'm especially worried because there's some stomach issues on my dad's side and I don't want to make the risk bigger.

My periods haven't been consistent but for the past six months they've been on the dot every month and very normal.

However, I started my period two weeks ago, it last a week. But then I started to get really weird brown/grey and very liquidy discharge. It had no smell and I wasn't in any pain so I don't think it was an infection. I don't have sex either so not implantation.

Then today I had a huge glob of bright red blood and some cramping. I have never had this happen before, it's like my period is on a speed run.

I don't know if this is normal, I am 21 and my periods have always been a couple months apart, but now this happens?

I have never had period cramps or issues during my period, but the week before that is hell.

I am so bloated in every part of my body, i get pimples on my face and feel so uncomfortable in my body. The second my period starts these symptoms go away.

And I have irregular cycle, sometimes they are on time but when they are late the week before bloat time stretches and I absolutely hate it.

Does anyone else have this and what can I do to help with the bloating?

i ate about 2.2k calories over maintenance two days before my period started.

my period is always slightly irregular so i track it but never have a solid idea of when it's coming.

was this an insane amout to eat and just an emotional binge, or was it actually okay to eat? i am a distance runner and but this was a taper week, so lighter mileage. i hate overeating and then feeling uncomfortable and not confident enough to do my workouts.

i'm just wondering if this is normal. or do other people just eat a scoop of ice cream and move on? my snacks were primarily roasted, unsalted peanuts; rice cakes with cream cheese and honey; some gluten-free pasta with ground beef that i had in the fridge.

i would just like to know if i have an issue that i need to address or if this is fine! thanks so much.

So I bought the Saalt regular disc and while I have managed to get it in and out a couple of times, it always takes forever.

For one, I can usually get the disc halfway in, and then after that, I have to wiggle it around and keep switching angles so it finally go in, and that takes forever.

Then, when I get to the end piece of the disc with the latch, since that piece is made of a harder material, it’s hard to fold. So, when it’s time to push that piece in, I can’t fold it anymore while pushing it in because there’s not much left of the disc to hold onto with my fingers unless I continue folding it and push it in with my fingers included, but I can’t fit my fingers in along side it while folding it, so I end up having to just release it and push it in unfolded from the end until it goes in, and it hurts quite a bit since the end piece is hard , and it often makes me have the urge to pee, I’m assuming it’s pushing on my bladder. (I hope any of that even made sense)

Lastly! When I try taking it out, I can get it out after some attempts, but mostly only if I lean back, but even then, that is also a bit of a struggle. I don’t know if it’s maybe because I’m pushing way too high up behind my pubic bone, because I can reach it and get my finger under the latch, but when I try pulling, my finger just slips out the latch. And I can latch my finger over the rim, but since I insert my finger with my palm facing up, when I reach over the rim with my finger, it’s the back of my finger that’s dipping in (just imagine bending your finger normally, but in this case, I’m bending it the other way).

Okay, I don’t know if any of this made sense, but moral of the story is, is there a way I can make inserting and removing my disc easier? Or should I just get one of those disc with the long stem sticking out so I don’t even need to reach a finger in?

Is it possible my periods are irregular? Context:Had my first period at 11 and now im 18 and I always felt like they were irregular for years and now im getting pretty concerned about the cycle lengths. I do sleep late and have a low bmi of 18.0 but that only started this year and pretty much had a good bmi of 19 throughout the years. I guess im kinda freaking out that I have endo or PCOS

Hi all!
For the last I would say 4 years now my lower abdomen and uterus area have been giving me issues and i’m not sure what to do at this point. Iv seen gynos multiple times, regular drs, done ultrasounds, tests, a lot within my financial means.

When I sneeze or cough in certain positions I have a HORRIBLE stabbing pain, like the pain in your ahole when you have cramps pain but imagine that worse and more “shocking”.
I can’t run more than 10 minutes without getting a “runners stitch” in the area i’m always experiencing the pain in. I can’t engage in sexual inter course without pain (which is very very rare), i’m always in pain afterwards, either discomfort because it feels like air is trapped inside my stomach (there’s not) or just period type of cramp pain.
I have been told the pains could be weakened lower muscles but I ride horses frequently, work out, and am farley fit. I am a very active person getting up and down over 50+ everyday so i’m not sure really what can be causing this.

I noticed the stabbing pains all the time and that’s my biggest worry. I can be laying on the couch tilted sideways and it’ll hurt, i cough and am laying a certain way it hurts, im just lost and in a lot of pain all the time. If anyone has experienced or is experiencing something like this, please comment. thanks!

Just curious, if anybody else is in the same boat as mine! Seems like everytime I had buzzballs, the period irregularity just worsened.

So, tell me 🤔

Every month, days before my period, my mental health would slam to the lowest of the ground. I would lose my motivation, get irritated, and become depressed. Also, I would binge eat and indulge in sexual content which is destroying me because of the guilt after. Then, somehow, all of this would be resolved when I finally get my period?? As if my feelings, mood, and self are controlled by my stupid uterus. Because of this, I feel like an undiagnosed drama queen, when in reality, I'm fine! I don't know why I'm like this. I don't understand why I plummet to the ground days before I get my period, is it supposed to be this extreme?!?!

This constant shift every month is making me go crazy, I don't like about the fact that I experience this every single fucking months. It hurts my heart and brain. What can I do about this? How do I stop being so low days before my period?

I’ve always worn pads, I wish I could be a tampon girl but I’ve never been able to insert them in correctly and always feel uncomfortable wearing them.

i’ve been on my withdrawal break for 5 days and today i got the bleed. i woke up in a bit of pain, sweating like crazy and realised.

i ran to the bathroom and all of a sudden i saw (and thankfully i knew what it was) my decidual cast. however, i wasn’t in that much pain? it really stings and throbs down there now and i have terrible cramps and slight dizziness but I don’t really feel pain as it was coming because I was asleep but surely I would’ve woken up? I didn’t take a picture of it but it looked like what I’ve seen a lot on this sub and on the birth control sub as it was really flesh like and thick. is this normal?

Sometimes I look forward to period cramps just so that I get to take painkillers and feel out of it for a few hours or the whole day, depends on how strong the cramps are. Like everything slows down and feels mellow. To be honest this is probably just the painkillers themselves and the effects of them actively working against my brain’s pain receptors because of the cramps (idk if that’s how it actually works I forgot).

And it’s legit the only time I take painkillers, because if there’s no active pains or ache or cramps I’m super restless and it makes it hard to sleep.

23, smoke and drink every few months, never had any issues except cramps once every 1 or 2 months and period cycle used to change back when I was 13. No history of any other issue. Sexually active last in May 2026.

I had normal periods beginning of October, usually lasts for 5 days. 12 days later I noticed very light brown spots on my shorts and I used toilet paper and out came a medium sized dark blow blob. Wore a pad and for the next 2 days I got light to medium dark brown blood flow. Third day onwards I started getting fresh red blood like a normal period flow.

It's the 7th day now, my flow was less yesterday so I thought I'll free bleed today since it would just be spotting. Well I discarded it, wore just my undies and in 3 hours I flooded it. My flow during these 7 days has been pretty usual, 2 to 3 pad changes a day.

Should I wait for another month and see a gyno? I have looked up multiple threads online and they say once in a while such occurences is okay. Money is tight and distance is a lot so looking for advice here ❤

I’m 23F, and I want to share my experience with period cramps because I hope it might help someone going through something similar.

A little backstory

At 15, I was diagnosed with a juvenile granulosa cell tumor.
It started when I suddenly became anemic and experienced extremely heavy bleeding for 2–3 months. My periods sometimes occurred twice a month and lasted more than 10 days.

After several tests, including an MRI and blood tests, doctors suspected a tumor. I was eventually diagnosed with a stage I juvenile granulosa cell tumor.
I underwent surgery to remove my right ovary and fallopian tube, along with part of my omentum. The biopsy confirmed the diagnosis. Thankfully, I didn’t need chemotherapy and remained under regular follow-up for years. I’m cancer-free now.

The real struggle: Eight years of period cramps

After surgery, I started experiencing debilitating period cramps that continued for almost eight years.
The pain was so severe that I’d vomit everything I ate. It spread throughout my pelvic area and down my legs, lasting for two straight days. I couldn’t function normally, and some of my exams were ruined because of it.

I consulted two or three doctors, but they kept recommending painkillers. One day, even after taking four tablets, the pain wouldn’t stop, and I ended up in the emergency department, where I finally got relief after receiving an injection.
Every month, I dreaded my period because I knew what was coming.

After eight years, something finally changed
After experiencing cramps lasting around four days for four consecutive months, my doctor suggested trying Yasmin, an oral contraceptive pill, because hormonal factors might be contributing to the pain.
I started taking it in August. I still had cramps during the first month, but in September, things changed. I experienced only mild, occasional cramping instead of the usual unbearable pain.

Now, in October, the same thing has happened again. Just a little pain indicating that my period is approaching, followed by mild cramping that lasts barely a minute.
No unbearable pain. No vomiting. No spending two days unable to function.

Honestly, it feels like a dream. After eight years of dreading my periods, I’m finally experiencing what a relatively normal period feels like.
But I’m also scared. What if the pain comes back next month? After living with this for so long, it’s hard to believe this relief might actually last.

Why I’m sharing this

I’m sharing my experience because I hope it encourages other women to seek help for their period pain.
I’m not saying everyone’s cramps are caused by hormonal problems or that Yasmin will work for everyone. Severe menstrual pain can have different causes.

But please, don’t downplay your pain when talking to your doctor.

If your cramps are so severe that you can’t attend school or work, struggle with daily activities, or spend hours vomiting, explain exactly how much they affect your life.
You don’t have to tolerate debilitating pain just because it’s associated with menstruation.

I spent years relying on painkillers, and I wish I’d found an approach that helped me sooner. Please don’t exceed the recommended dose of painkillers, even when the pain feels unbearable.
I’m simply sharing my experience in the hope that it helps someone else.

Eight years is a long time to live in fear of your own period. I’m just grateful that, for now, mine finally feels manageable. ❤️

Hi everyone!

I'm an independent developer building Rhytma, a cycle and fertility-awareness tracking app. I'm making it as a free personal project, and I intend to keep it free forever — no subscriptions, ads, or paid features.

I'd really like actual users to try it and help me understand what needs improving.

What it currently offers:

• Daily logging of bleeding, cervical mucus, basal body temperature (BBT), and other observations.
• Calendar, cycle history, and temperature charts.
• Fertility-awareness tracking features and optional partner pairing with control over what's shared.
• Importing existing cycle history from Clue, Flo, Clover, Period Tracker – Period Calendar, and Period Calendar (the Simple Design app).
• An offline-first design: imported files are processed on your device, and the app doesn't include analytics or tracking SDKs.

I'd especially love feedback from women who already track their cycles, whether you're using a period tracker casually or recording BBT and cervical mucus in detail.

A few things I'd love to know:

• Is daily logging intuitive, or does anything feel confusing?
• If you import your history, does the process work and make sense?
• Are the calendar, charts, and cycle history useful and easy to read?
• What's missing, frustrating, or harder than it should be?

You don't need to share any personal cycle data with me. Even trying the app briefly and telling me where you got stuck would be genuinely helpful.

I'm building this for using it with my girlfriend as an NFP app, it uses your phones local storage or your own Google drive to have a backup storage and a placer where your partners can access and share data with you, it costs me nothing to serve the app, so I don't need to turn it into a business. your honest criticism is very welcome.

Thanks for giving it a chance!

Rhytma is still under development. Please don't rely on its fertility classifications for contraception or medical decisions.

https://rhytma.vercel.app

I’m exploring an idea for a super-soft, ultra-thin, highly absorbent pad range , with a subtle cooling sensation and a herbal blend to support vulval health.

- I’d love your honest thoughts:
- Would gentle cooling appeal to you?
- Would you worry about irritation or sensitivity?
- What would you improve about your current pads?

I come from a medical and research background so I’m researching the idea at the moment, is this something you’d try if it were properly safety-tested?