# Uber Periods...???



## wayne81 (Mar 12, 2012)

I've got an odd issue I'd like some help with. My wife and I have been together for many years, we have a few kids, and we have a mediocore (as far as frequency) sex life. I am decidedly the HD spouse and she the LD spouse. And in this case I mean "Low and High Desire", rather than "drive". I think that can be used too easily as an excuse to get out of dealing with a lack of desire. Anyway, back on topic...

Within the last several months, she has made some impressive progress as far as more frequent, and variation of things she is willing to do, however we still have quite a ways to go before we are both even in the same book, let alone the same page.

My issue for this thread deals with her periods. In the past, they would last roughly 5-7 days, and we just never really did anything over that time span. After we had our last child, she had her tubes tied. Now days, her periods will last for at least 10 days, and they are MUCH heavier than before. Here lately, maybe due to stress, the last couple of periods she has had have started, dropped off after a few days, and then started in again for several more days. 10 is still a good rough timeframe. 

I have been tracking when her periods start so I could figure out a rough idea of when she would normally be ovulating so that we would have a higher chance of having sex, and it should have been at the end of last week, about 14 days after starting her period. She's still bleeding.

There are two problems here. The first, as you might have guessed, since there is no activity during these times, I am left feeling unloved and upset because she does not see the value in meeting my needs when she is "out of order". I am ok with regular sex on her period. I am also ok with other activities on her period. I know she doesn't feel good during these times and would rather just not even bother with me, but there should be some way to find that happy medium and not leave one or the other feeling that their needs aren't being met.

The second problem is that there has to be some way of lessening what I have dubbed the "Uber Period". I have read information regarding PTLS, or Post Tubal Ligation Syndrom, and it doesn't really look promising, other than reversing the tubal. Her depression and high stress levels (allbeit largely put upon herself) are also factors, but I don't know where to start.

I have suggested that she see her OB/GYN but she has not made any move in that direction. I know she is frustrated with the situation but won't do anything about it. It's been a little over a year since the tubal.

What I am looking for help with in this post:
- Help for my wife through this situation
- Help for me as I am having to go without my physical and emotional needs being met
- How she might be able to help meet my needs in a way that would be enjoyable for her as well, even during a "Uber Period"


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## Hope1964 (Sep 26, 2011)

I have experienced the 'uber period' since having my tubes clipped 18 years ago. I've discussed options with my OB but haven't done anything and probably won't.

I am currently experiencing pre-menopause which is nice because there is usually a much longer time between periods. Although the last two were only 3 1/2 weeks apart, which was my usual time frame before the pre menopause.

I once saw a naturopath who told me that when periods 'pause' like your wife's (and mine) it can mean low progesterone levels. I have also had low progesterone show up in bloodwork for the past 20 years.

Your wife might get something out of reading What Your Doctor May Not Tell You About Premenopause by Dr. Lee. It's for 30-50 year olds. I haven't read it but I have read his book about menopause, and I also use his natural progesterone cream. 

Is your wife aware that having orgasms during her period can lessen the unpleasant things about it, such as cramps? My hubby cannot stand the thought of blood getting on himself so we abstain, but he doesn't mind using a condom on days the flow is lighter. We don't usually do anything else because I have my own issues about oral sex going on. Thankfully my periods are far enough apart now that it isn't as much of an issue as it used to be.

Do you do things so that she doesn't feel gross when she's on her period? One thing that hubby used to do that I hated was refuse to touch me from the waist down if I was menstruating. I felt dirty, unclean, like some woman from ancient Israel who was barred from the temple. He still doesn't like to, but he does other things so that I don't feel so gross, like kiss me and hug me more and flirt with me.

I don't know if my ramblings have helped at all. I hope you're able to work through this and find some solutions.


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## Mavash. (Jan 26, 2012)

Having an uber period sucks. I went through this with premenopause issues. I fixed mine with hormones. On sex it was either do without or get a towel and go for it. We chose the towel. Thankfully it doesn't bother either of us as long as it was one of my lighter days.


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## wayne81 (Mar 12, 2012)

I have mentioned the potential positive side effects of orgasm and/or my finishing inside her during menstruation. Actually not this time but the previous one we did have sex a couple of times right in the middle. I did ask later if it helped at all and her response was a "not really". Of course, that was only twice. I would be happy to try to provide more orgasms by additional means if she were willing, but I do not feel that she is. She is actually the one who puts the feelings of being "gross" on herself. I have said and demonstrated that I am ok with it. We are both 30 so she's right on the edge of the age range for the book you mentioned. 

The sucky thing is due to all the various circumstances at play it causes us both to be left out even when we're right next to each other.


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## ScaredandUnsure (Nov 17, 2011)

I have had bouts of uber periods. Back in March I ended up going to the ER because I thought I had uterine cancer or cancer of the ovaries/tubes. Turns out that it is hormonal and I am considering an Endometrial ablation as soon as possible. 

My mom said it was only 90 seconds long (her and my aunt both have had these due to heavy, long and awful periods) but it was the worst 90 seconds of her life. But I'd rather deal with a horrible 90 seconds than another 2 to 3 week long period. 

And I also thought that having an orgasm would help clean my uterus out, I was wrong, it made it worse. I would have an orgasm and I would bleed heavier. It's awful.

Good luck to your wife. I hope she can get to her gyn and get something to help her.


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## livnlearn (Mar 5, 2012)

I have lots of similar menstrual issues. I can tell you, it is really hard NOT to "feel gross" when you are cramping and have blood coming out of your vagina for weeks at a time. No amount of reassurance on your side (though it's sweet of you to try), can make her feel sexy if she is just feeling like crap. Like you said, there needs to be some sort of compromise, You may not find something that is "enjoyable for her as well" (sexually) during her heavy periods. She CAN get enjoyment out of giving it to you though..and maybe you can reciprocate by doing something to make her feel good in some other (non-sexual) way. 

I hope you guys find a solution...I'd share if I had one. I know this isn't easy for either of you!


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## Browncoat (Mar 25, 2012)

My wife has been getting uber periods for the past year or two now... on and off. Some months she'll have 2 (once even 3) periods. Other times she goes for a couple of months w/o a period.

The worst though is when she has a really long lasting period, and another following 4-5 days later... which is also another loooong period.

My wife and I during those times take a moment to just caress and enjoy one another while we talk. Sometimes this goes on for an hour or more. I know it's not the same as sex.

Often times we pick slow flow days and just have intercourse anyway. Even though it's not what either of us would call ideal, something is far better than nothing.

I try and use those times to get more reading or other things done... just to pass time.


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## wayne81 (Mar 12, 2012)

Thanks, Browncoat. While not a resolution, it _is_ helpful to see that others have and are experiencing this issue.

She is basically like an injured dog during her period, though. She just wants to huddle in a corner and not be messed with. So you can imagine that with several animals and several children, all of whom want to be "on mom" and get her attention, there is little to none left for me afterward.


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## Browncoat (Mar 25, 2012)

wayne81 said:


> Thanks, Browncoat. While not a resolution, it _is_ helpful to see that others have and are experiencing this issue.
> 
> She is basically like an injured dog during her period, though. She just wants to huddle in a corner and not be messed with. So you can imagine that with several animals and several children, all of whom want to be "on mom" and get her attention, there is little to none left for me afterward.


Yeah I wish I could offer a proper solution... so I offer my story so you know that you aren't alone. It sucks for everyone, but these things pass fortunately.


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## livelaughlovenow (Apr 23, 2012)

Ablation is a solution she could look in to.. I had a friend do that. I've considered it myself but for an entirely different reason, and I agree with previous poster unless its a light day...gross is to her, you can't make that better. Also some women's just get heavier as they age...some due to hormonal changes and some women go thru early menopause perio something in their 30. She needs to see obgyn go with her set the appointment just like when having babies let her know you are there, maybe she is scared.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Rowan (Apr 3, 2012)

My periods had always been about 8 days long. Beginning about 3 years ago, they started getting longer until they were lasting up to 12 days. My doctor was able to treat me with mono-phasic birth control pills for a while. However, the first pill eventually stopped working to control my periods, so I switched to another. That one also eventually failed to keep the bleeding in check, as did the next three we tried. By last Fall, I was on a continuous dose of a high-estrogen pill, supplemented with 10-day courses of Premarin every two months. When that began to fail, my periods were lasting up to 32 days. I finally had a hysterectomy in January. 

Encourage your wife to see her doctor (and offer to go with her if she wants some support), but just be prepared that finding a solution that you both can live with may take some time and experimentation. Also, this could be something as simple as peri-menopause, or it could be something like adenomyosis, uterine fibroids, cysts, cancer, or any of a number of other things - or, as in my case, have no real identifiable cause at all. Be patient and be kind. This sort of thing - as well as the various exams, tests, and treatments for gynecological problems - can be painful, embarrasing, stressful, and scary. 

Some things that can be effective: birth control pills of various types and dosages, Premarin or similar hormone therapies, bio-identical hormones, the Mirena IUD, a d&c, removal of any fibroids or cysts, ablation, hysterectomy.


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## Kearson (Jan 18, 2012)

Even though it's not a popular solution, I'm going to put this out there because it worked for me...

I switched from disposable menstrual pads to cloth reusable menstrual pads, and it changed my life. My periods went from 8-12 days down to 4-6 days. I have no issues with cramps except for the day before my period starts and it's just SO much better.


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## Shiksa (Mar 2, 2012)

I am very high drive, but get near me when I have my period and you might loose an arm. Intercourse unfortunately makes it last longer and makes the cramps worse. Normal for me is 4-5 days. If I can't wait and engage in sex, it will go on for 7-8. She needs to get checked out to make sure she isn't anemic as well.

Lesson learned? vasectomy!


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## Hope1964 (Sep 26, 2011)

Kearson said:


> I switched from disposable menstrual pads to cloth reusable menstrual pads, and it changed my life. My periods went from 8-12 days down to 4-6 days. I have no issues with cramps except for the day before my period starts and it's just SO much better.


If I wasn't on the brink of not having any more periods, I would do this too. I did go from tampons to pads and found that my periods did get shorter and not so uncomfortable.


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## Riven (May 4, 2012)

Firstly I think it's important for men to understand a woman having her period is not just bleeding and a little cramping. It affects your ENTIRE body, there is an entire hormonal shift taking place.

Having a tubal should NOT affect your periods, the hormones shouldn't change and the lining hasn't changed... anyway, my first question was what is her age, is she near menopause? Has she considered getting on a birth control pill to lessen her symptoms? Or at least getting her hormones checked for an imbalance.

I don't want to come off as insensitive to your needs, but I can assure you that she doesn't want to feel like that anymore than you don't want to feel unloved. She may be scared to go in that there may be something very wrong causing this, I would not explain it like you did here, but say you know I'm very concerned about you, you're uncomfortable and I hate to see you like this. I really wish you would go get checked out, if you want I will go with you. 

Don't ask a woman to take a journey and not be by her side when she leaves.


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## wayne81 (Mar 12, 2012)

Riven, thank you for your response. While I certainly will not ever truly "know" the feeling of going through it myself, I still understand and appreciate that she does not feel well during this time. 

The tubal was the only thing that has for sure changed (that we know of). Upon researching the procedure I found lots of post-tubal symptoms, one of which is what she is experiencing. She also deals with significant depression issues and I know that when her stress levels are high her periods tend to be worse. 

I would like her to go to the doctor and I have suggested it a number of times. I am concerned for her health and safety and by extension our emotional and intimate well being which is directly affected by this. I will suggest it again and make sure I offer to be there in support. I normally go to all of her doctor's appointments anyway, except for just a routine visit. I think I hormone checkup would be a good first step.

I think I mentioned somewhere above we are both 30. It is both somewhat ammusing and troubling to think she would have to go back on birth control to potentially lessen the symptoms as the tubal was supposed to eliminate the need for further birth control. Silly biology...


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## Riven (May 4, 2012)

Wayne, I know that there is a difference in how guys and girls communicate, I would sit down with her, and gently let her know you're really, really concerned. I don't know about you, but I do know how my husband is, and sometimes I feel like he doesn't really show me "true" affection the way I "see" it until I'm sitting there bawling. So if you're that way too, just make sure you express it to her clearly and let her know if you didn't love her so much you wouldn't be so worried. 

And yes, hormones aren't fair are they? Usually a BCP can help, or the doctor might recommend something else like estrogen replacement depending on what her levels are. The Hormone test is a easy blood test they do, so fairly "non-invasive". I hope that you guys can sort it out, you could even offer to help her make and appointment, or gently ask her why she doesn't want to go if she doesn't make one. If she gets quiet when you talk to her about it just ask her what she's thinking, or if there is something she is worried about. She might have heard about something like this happening before someone else was diagnosed with some severe and just be really worried, or she might just feel like this is normal. Don't be like my husband and say " you seem kind of cranky, are you PMS'ing?". Just a tip there... it never usually helps to have a man say that, lol.


You also say depression issues, is she on any meds for that or is she trying to deal with it using non-med. techniques? Depression and mood issues can also be a sign of hormonal imbalance, so if meds aren't working, it might be that they aren't "fixing" the right thing, because depression meds usually change how our brain uses or accepts non-sex hormones.


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## Hope1964 (Sep 26, 2011)

When my doc suggested birth control for irregular periods a decade ago, I ended up on blood pressure meds. Hormonal birth control is NASTY. All synthetic hormones are.

I really urge you to try to get her to do some reading about natural hormone balancing. There are SO many things that affect our bodies - sometimes something as innocuous as changing shampoos can affect our periods. Doctors are so quick to prescribe a pill or a procedure without getting to the root of the problem. They just don't have the time to get to know us as well as we know ourselves.

One of the best things I've done for myself is clean up my environment. Soaps, beauty products, foods, everything. Increased exercise. More time outdoors. Even getting rid of carpets in the house. It seems daunting at first, but if you just choose one or two things at a time and change them, it's easier.

You haven't mentioned anything about your wife's habits so maybe she already does this stuff.


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## swedish (Mar 6, 2008)

I had the same issue after my tubes were tied and know others that did as well. I had this procedure done last year:

NovaSure - Stop your heavy period and restore your life.

Outpatient...they put me under...lasted 5 minutes and did not feel a thing...other than the nausea I normally get from being put under. My only regret is that I waited so long to have it done but on the upside, the outpatient procedure did not exist when I had my tubal.


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## wayne81 (Mar 12, 2012)

Swedish,

I'd like to thank you for your suggestion. I almost feel bad for being so upbeat about what looks like a very minimal, yet effective, procedure. I will try to discuss this with my wife and see if she would be interested in learning more or trying to find another method of relief. At minimum, I'd like her to visit the OB/GYN and talk about the issue.


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## swedish (Mar 6, 2008)

OB/GYN is definitely the first stop...Mine gave me 3 options...Novasure, the pill or an IUD...I was really so 'over' the idea of going on birth control after a tubal ligation so that is what swayed my decision.


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## that_girl (Jul 6, 2011)

Menopause and cysts come to mind.

When I had my cysts, my periods were 8 to 12 days. Heavy and painful too.

SUCKED! 

Anything over 7 days is cause for concern and a trip to the doc.

Since surgery, they've been 4-5 days  No pain and just average!


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## swedish (Mar 6, 2008)

I should also mention, when I first went to the Dr. about this several years ago, he suggested a D&C, which I had. It works for some people but had zero effect on me.


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## Bottled Up (Nov 12, 2011)

My wife has an IUD and her period lengths are kind of unpredictable. They seem to last on the longer side (at least 7 days) but this last period was a doozy - lasting a whopping 14 days. I feel bad for her, and it's frustrating for me too as she's certainly more reserved about intimacy when she's bleeding.

Me though, I have no issues with her blood - unless it's the really heavy time of the period, then I'm not that into it. But otherwise it doesn't bother me one bit... it's her that it bothers more since she feels "gross" during that time.


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## Dr. Rockstar (Mar 23, 2011)

> I have been tracking when her periods start so I could figure out a rough idea of when she would normally be ovulating so that we would have a higher chance of having sex, and it should have been at the end of last week, about 14 days after starting her period. She's still bleeding.


My wife had those same symptoms a couple years back. She had resigned herself to these "ubers." Then, one day she started getting bad cramps at work, and had to be driven to a local UrgentCare. They took one look at her and rushed her to the hospital emergency room. Turned out that she had a cyst in each ovary the size of her fist. She had to had have of each ovary removed. Afterwards, her drive and desire dropped dramatically and has never really recovered. And she was the HD partner in our relationship.

So, yeah, get her to her OB/GYN ASAP.


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## solitudeseeker (May 1, 2011)

I had an ablation done when I was in my mid-40's. It really was incredibly helpful, as I had suffered from insanely heavy periods that significantly interfered with my life. Believe me, when a woman is bleeding (gushing, in the case of uber-period), she does not feel like sex. I always felt like my body was being hijacked by my periods. I hated it.

Post-ablation, I had much, much lighter periods. I could go for hikes again. I could go to concerts, out to dinner, wear nice clothes. I felt attractive rather than repulsive, and much more interested in sex.


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## diwali123 (Feb 17, 2012)

Endometrial ablation!!! 
Also drinking red raspberry leaf tea or apple cider vinegar makes a big difference. I'm thinking about ablation but have a few other things to get through first. There are a lot of supplements that can help, if she's willing.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## wayne81 (Mar 12, 2012)

I'd like to thank everyone for their experiences and suggestions. I apologize for not replying sooner. I have spoken with my wife about some of the things presented here and together we will see her OB/GYN and explore the options.

Thank you all.


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## Enchantment (May 11, 2011)

I had unusually heavy periods that started about 18 - 24 months ago. I figured that it was perimenopause (I will soon turn 48) and felt that I would just have to live with it.

However, it soon got to the point where I could not 'just live with it." Late last summer, I started bleeding 12 - 14 days, very heavy with clots, very, very bad cramps. I scuttled myself into the ob-gyn. They did a series of tests - uterine biopsy, pelvic ultrasound, iron tests, hormonal panels (including thyroid - INSIST that she also gets a thyroid panel as low thyroid is quite common and can make you have very heavy flows).

It ended up that yes, I am perimenopausal, but I also had uterine fibroids. I had them removed and also had an endometrial ablation done. No more cramps and I ended up with no more bleeding either. Never gone a month, except during pregnancy, without having that ... it is a new-found freedom and quite odd all at the same time.

Good job on getting her to agree to go to the doctor's. That is the first step in trying to resolve this. No matter what men think, heavy bleeding involves more than just an emotional "I am gross at this point" response - it involves your whole physical being ... and it can be very difficult to be a sexual dynamo when you just feel like curling up in a corner because your body feels horrible and you can't even stand up without bleeding down your leg.

Hope that she can find some relief and get it resolved. Be a super supportive husband during this time and focus on what it is she needs to get better, and I bet she will not ever forget it. 

Best wishes.


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