Period talk: Questions and advice

Maria Chase55 said:Maybe you could just start birth control a month before your vacation to push things back.

Right, because messing with your entire hormonal balance is such a brilliant plan. Great idea. 👍

Those women weren't actually looking for brainstorming sessions or creative ideas; they were simply looking for a definitive solution. I suppose your personal stance against contraception is largely irrelevant to the core issue at hand here.

Maria Chase55 said:Look, the women weren't asking for philosophical debates; they just wanted an answer. Your stance on birth control doesn't really change the point here.

I’m not against oral contraceptives. I actually used the pill myself for years, just not in this specific way. 🙂

The fact that people were looking for a quick fix doesn't mean I can't point out why a particular idea is flawed. It’s like if my arm hurts and someone suggests cutting it off to solve the problem—sure, it's a solution, but it's a bad one. 😁 If someone tells you, "Hey, that might not be the best move," you can't really get defensive about it. 😛 🙂

At my company, they map out our vacation time five months in advance, and there’s absolutely zero wiggle room once it's set...
And no, I am not about to start playing chemist with birth control—or any other medication, for that matter. I've had enough "trial and error" in my life, especially when it comes to messing with my own health. Honestly, I wouldn't have even touched them last year if my doctor hadn't practically guaranteed me it was perfectly safe.
My only real fear is that the whole ordeal won't end before my time off is over...

I can't help but wonder, though—how do professional female athletes manage all this?

Honestly, I’m skipping the beach trips this year—tampons just aren't an option for me right now since I deal with seven days of heavy flow followed by seven days of intense cramps... I really have zero interest in spending my vacation fighting that.
It wasn't always this much of a headache; back when I was younger, I could just pop a tampon in and head straight into the water without a second thought.
But lately? It's been a disaster. The last time I tried, I had to swap it out every 20 minutes because the leaking is just constant. I am definitely not looking to spend my entire trip hiding in a bathroom stall.

mellowtinker6

If your cycle is regular and you know exactly when it’s coming, I guess you could have planned your vacation five months ahead of time to hit that specific week where you won't be dealing with your period. That was kind of my point. It seems like people at your company coordinate their time off incredibly early. At my mom's place—she works for a huge corporation like GE—they don't even start discussing vacation until May, and the first employees head out in early July. Then there was this small family business I worked for once; they didn't even talk about summer breaks until mid-June, and the first person wouldn't leave until the middle of July.

Jack Flores4

I know Dabroston is similar to what you'd find at a pharmacy like CVS. You take the medication for two weeks, and then, after a few days, your period arrives... though it might not be exactly two days later. Usually, people use something like that if they haven't had a period in months and want to jumpstart things. If your cycle is already regular, I'm not sure it's really recommended to take those kinds of meds, since you likely have enough hormones already and that extra dose probably isn't necessary. And if you're trying to time your period specifically while taking them, I guess I'm not entirely certain if it will work as planned, because that high hormone count might actually make it come much earlier than you expect.

Okay, so here’s the deal—I’m feeling a little bit conflicted about something. I was spending the night with my boyfriend, and right in the middle of everything, my period actually started. Then, I ended up having it for another four days after that. Is it even possible to have a period if you're actually pregnant?

The odds are slim—practically nonexistent—but there’s always that tiny window of possibility...

My period is two weeks late, which is unusual since my cycle has been incredibly consistent for years. I'm looking for potential reasons for this delay. Just to be clear, I don't have any underlying health issues, I'm definitely not pregnant, and I haven't started any extreme dieting lately.

Could there be an underlying health issue at play here? My cousin went through something similar once, and it turned out she had an issue with one of her ovaries. Since ovaries tend to "rotate" during the menstrual cycle—one side one month, the other side the next—it can really impact things. It’s the same principle with pregnancy; every month, a follicle is activated on one side to allow for fertilization if there's contact with sperm 😁. In her case, she couldn't get pregnant during certain months because the ovary that was supposed to be "active" wasn't functioning correctly. I can't recall the exact medical details.
Or maybe they're just running late... who knows? Mine have always been incredibly regular, right on schedule, though I've had them slip by two or three weeks maybe once a year. At the end of the day, if they don't show up, maybe you should give your OB-GYN a call, yeah? 😉

Hey everyone, I was wondering if there's any way to actually "delay" my period. I've got a trip to Miami coming up on the 15th, but it looks like my cycle is due to start on the 18th. Is there some way to push it back? If so, how does that work, and I guess... are there any bad side effects? I haven't really dealt with this before, so I'm just curious. ☕
Thanks!

I need to know how to "speed this up"🙂 because I'm heading to the coast in a week and it's lagging behind schedule.

If you’re looking to delay things, you should consider birth control pills. If you aren't currently on them, go see your gynecologist to discuss your situation; they can prescribe a daily regimen of specific pills designed to help push back your cycle.
To speed things up, your best bet is to drink a glass or two of red wine every day—it's really the only thing that might nudge the process along a bit faster. 😁

steeleagle152 said:Hey everyone, quick question—is there any way to "delay" my period? I’ve got a trip to Miami planned for the 15th, but my cycle is supposed to kick in on the 18th. Can I push it back somehow? If so, how does it work, and are there any nasty side effects? I’ve never had to deal with this before, so I'm totally lost. ☕
Thanks!

Does it always hit you right on schedule?? Maybe you're just having some luck and it might be late this time anyway🙂...honestly, messing with your hormones using birth control just to delay things isn't healthy, and I wouldn't recommend it to anyone, even though I know people do it... also, do you usually get heavy flows or bad cramps?? if not, I'd honestly say don't even stress about it—if it starts while you're away, just pop in a tampon and enjoy yourself. It's not gonna kill you to swim in the ocean, just don't overdo it, just chill in the water and relax..🙂

Megan Grant73 said:My period is two weeks late, which is wild because it’s usually been super regular for years now. Any idea what could be causing this? Just to be clear—I don't have any underlying health issues, I'm definitely not pregnant, and I haven't even started some crazy strict diet lately.

So, a friend of mine used to deal with her cycle being totally off all the time for basically no reason, and this one woman told her to just switch up her pads—like, change the actual brand or type she was using... and once she did, everything suddenly went back to normal. It sounds totally bizarre, but it worked for her. Also, if you're dealing with massive amounts of stress, it can honestly happen where you're late for like three months straight.

Let me give you some unsolicited advice. If there is one thing you shouldn't do during your period, it’s lounging in the sun or swimming—especially during those first three days. Heat dilates your blood vessels, which can lead to heavier bleeding. It’s the same logic behind why people say you shouldn't wash your hair while on your period; staying under a hot shower for too long just exacerbates things. Add in the risk of a heat headache from the sun, and it’s a recipe for disaster. Plus, let’s be real: the idea that it’s "easy" to swap out a tampon after every dip in the ocean because every beach has a pristine restroom and a private changing stall? Yeah, right. 🙄
She’ll have a much easier time if she just pushes the trip back instead of trying to hit the beach.

So, I’ve got this one massive issue and I honestly don't know if anyone else has vented about this here yet, but please—if you’re dealing with something similar or actually know what's going on, hit me up.. basically, for the last few years, my period has been absolutely brutal. It’s super heavy, like, it completely wrecks my ability to do anything normal for the first two days of the month (even though my cycle is pretty regular otherwise). The real nightmare is that during those first 48 hours, I'm basically housebound. Seriously, I can put a pad on and fifteen minutes later it’s already soaked through—and I always go with the biggest ones available.. I end up spending half my life stuck on the toilet, it’s disgusting. One time I actually went to an exam and ended up standing up from my chair covered in blood.. 😲.. obviously, because of this constant bleeding, I'm always anemic and I just avoid doing anything at all during those days. I have to bail on trips and outings if they happen to fall then.. 🤷.. someone please help me find a cure!

Laura Mendoza said:Oh, please—spare me the unsolicited advice. If there’s anything you shouldn't be doing while on your period, it’s hitting the beach and lounging in the sun, especially those first three days. Seriously, the heat dilates your blood vessels, which can make your flow way heavier (it’s kind of why people say you shouldn't wash your hair during your period—because you end up spending way too much time under that warm water)—plus, you get the whole sun headache thing from being out in the heat. And yeah, sure, because changing a tampon after every single dip in the ocean is just *so* convenient since every beach apparently has a perfectly clean restroom and a nice little changing stall waiting for you. Yeah, right. 🙄
She’ll have way fewer issues if she just pushes the trip back instead of dealing with all that at the beach.

Look, I wash my hair regularly when I'm on my period and I haven't dropped dead from it, so those are just old wives' tales... and yeah, obviously stay in the shade, but a little swim in the ocean isn't going to kill you—as long as the water isn't boiling, which it shouldn't be anyway. Of course, that's assuming you don't have a massive, heavy flow like I do...🙄

Go see a gynecologist and look up some threads regarding endometriosis. Most women dealing with your specific symptoms are typically prescribed birth control pills, but honestly, your best bet is to sit down with a specialist and hear their professional take.

I’m looking for some perspective and advice on a little "issue" I’m having, if it’s even worth worrying about.

Basically, my boyfriend and I had sex on the first day of my period, which actually showed up two days early. Everything seemed normal, except for one thing. After we were intimate, my period was really light. Since we were away on vacation, I decided not to miss out on swimming. I only went in the water once. For the next week, my period stayed very light. I had my usual cramps, but the flow was just minimal.

Is it possible that my cycle got thrown off because of the sex and swimming? It was my first time swimming while on my period, and I tend to be quite sensitive.

One more thing: a week after this "period" ended, we had sex again. It was incredibly painful, and afterward, I noticed some pink spotting on my underwear.