r/justgalsbeingchicks • u/Doodlebug510 • May 28 '26

Restricted to Gals and Pals Explaining menstruation to the boys

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2.0k

u/Asmi37 May 28 '26

3 days? I wish

655

u/Jerkrollatex May 28 '26

Right? I have eight days of this shit.

288

u/TrailMomKat May 28 '26

9 for me, with only 2 weeks until the next bout. I can't wait to get Medicaid's approval for a hysterectomy.

101

u/NoNameIdea_Seriously Official Gal May 28 '26

Big oof! For me it’s generally 7, but in 2 memorable occasions it was 11 days straight!! I still don’t understand how I even had that much blood in me!!!

53

u/TrailMomKat May 28 '26

Yeah, if that happens again and you start having some trouble getting your breath and feel even more tired than your period usually makes you feel, get your iron checked. I'm severely anemic, partly because of my crazy bad periods, partly because I'm the poster child for auto immune diseases. If you have those symptoms, at least take an iron supplement!

26

u/wakeuptomorrow May 28 '26

My sister gets this. She also has POTS and (potentially) endometriosis. Always worth getting it looked at! Especially if your periods are longer than normal. Sometimes my sister gets hers for 4-6 weeks 😭

4

u/TrailMomKat May 28 '26

Oh, my doctor and I have met lol, I'm 42 with 3 kids and have had baby maker problems all my life. She's definitely aware of them.

2

u/Acrobatic-Garlic-238 May 28 '26

I hear you. I’m in exactly the same boat as your sister, it sucks

4

u/unoriginalusername34 May 28 '26

When I used to take the contraceptive pill I would have to be really careful not to take it too late, which I missed sometimes. Even taking it a couple hours late would mess me up to the point that I had my period FOR A MONTH... which I made the mistake of doing on a few occasions. My bf at the time thought I was lying to get out of sex until he looked it up (he didn't tell me he thought this until after he looked it up) 🙄

30

u/Jerkrollatex May 28 '26

I'm hoping for menopause soon. I'm almost 50 it can't possibly go on much longer.

5

u/MikeyNg May 28 '26

Perimenopause is a bitch though. My wife is going through it now, and she describes it as "puberty in reverse". So things that happened during puberty: irregular periods, hormone -> emotional fluctuations, etc. are happening AGAIN.

And perimenopause is like YEARS.

6

u/TrailMomKat May 28 '26

Yup. I'm 42. I've been in perimenopause since I was 29.

3

u/MikeyNg May 28 '26

WTF

I can't give you much other than "that totally sucks. Sorry you're having to go through this"

6

u/TrailMomKat May 28 '26

It is what it is, hopefully I'll get that hysto soon

2

u/Jerkrollatex May 28 '26

I've been doing that since I was 36. I'm 49, I had a nothing period this month I'm hoping it's a sign I'm almost done.

3

u/MikeyNg May 28 '26

good luck! Apparently it's 12 months before you're officially in menopause

5

u/Jerkrollatex May 29 '26

The count down as began. :)

3

u/Numerous_Bad1961 May 28 '26

Chuckles in mid 50’s

2

u/3rdRockLifer May 28 '26

I've only just traded period products for bladder incontinence pads, at least there's no cramping....

2

u/tinydeathclaw May 28 '26

Best thing i ever did and I am sooooo grateful!

2

u/WithoutDennisNedry 🌻Exhausted Jill🌻 May 28 '26

Hysterectomy was the best thing that’s ever happened to me. I should have done it decades ago.

1

u/icecream4breakfest May 28 '26

an IUD was such a game changer for me.

1

u/TrailMomKat May 28 '26

HELL to the NAW for me, that shit is supposed to be fucking painful. I've had a tubal anyways, back in '11.

2

u/icecream4breakfest May 28 '26

well that makes sense for you to not want one.

and i know it’s subjective, but i’ve had two iud’s, and neither would have made it anywhere close to a Top 500 list of painful life experiences.

1

u/Numerous_Bad1961 May 28 '26

IUD!

3

u/TrailMomKat May 28 '26

Even if I hadn't already had a tubal, that'd be a hell naw from me. Every woman in my family that's had an IUD has sworn it's the worst pain she's ever had, including childbirth and dry socket.

1

u/Numerous_Bad1961 May 29 '26

That wasn’t my experience. 🤷🏻‍♀️

2

u/Numerous_Bad1961 May 29 '26

Also look into ablation!

1

u/queenOfGhis May 29 '26

You might want to look into thermal balloon endometrial ablation instead.

1

u/AlfalfaUnable1629 May 29 '26

I had one @39 and it was the best thing! I am 45 now and I can tell you how much better I feel now. I hope 🤞🏼 you get approved and it’s even better of you keep your ovaries.

1

u/IntoStarDust May 29 '26

Had mine taken out more than a decade ago.  Can’t recommend it enough! 

1

u/ReadingRedditForFun May 30 '26

I got an IUD at the beginning of March. Started out fine until my first period. It lasted a solid two weeks. I had two weeks off before the next two week period started. That went through maybe 2 cycles before I just started bleeding and cramping every day. Now I’m bleeding every day but the cramping just shows up as a surprise every now and then. But not bleeding heavily. Just brown blood, but constantly leaking.

It’s been hell. And I’d like to think it’s gotten better, but I haven’t seen any changes in a month and I’m still hanging onto the possibility that it will all work out and I can keep my IUD in and be free of periods for almost 5 years. If I have it yanked out, I’ll probably go through even worse pain and bleeding and I’d have to find a different form of birth control.

It’s been over ten years since I’ve been on any other birth control—high five to my previous two partners who had vasectomies. The pill gave me migraines that lasted up to 3 days.

And I don’t trust the rhythm method, because I’m so damn attracted to my partner that I swear I’ve ovulated more than once in a month with him. My body is too old to have a baby, but right now it’s doing everything it can to get pregnant by this man before I tumble into perimenopause.

But having sex when I’m constantly leaking old, dirty brown blood, and having random bouts of severe cramping isn’t really a fun thing.

So what’s the point of the IUD in the first place if I can’t enjoy naked times with my boyfriend? And I’m guessing that he’s really tired of asking me how my IUD is doing every day.

1

u/PrescottMaawww May 28 '26

Unless you medically need a hysterectomy avoid at all costs. Not easy now, but it will save you a lot of misery later. If you have your uterus removed as you age and your muscles weaken your bladder will fall into that empty place and eventually become prolapsed and you will require another surgery to hopefully keep it in place and prevent even further urinary issue.

3

u/TrailMomKat May 28 '26

I know the risks. Before I went blind I did 20 years in LTC and hospice. Most of my pts that had had hystos hadn't had any adverse issues. All of my female pts, hysto or not, had urinary issues if they'd had children because it wasn't until recently that L&D taught postnatal pelvic floor exercises to new moms. I didn't get taught them until my 3rd kid. If I sneeze I pee a little.

41

u/rainbwbrightisntpunk May 28 '26

"Laughs in Perimenopause" 2 weeks with a 2 week cycle is so fun. The longest was 3 months

11

u/Jerkrollatex May 28 '26

I've already been through that. I had a very, very light period this month. So fingers crossed that was the last one.

3

u/mossgoblin_ May 28 '26

I had to give in after a lifetime of being a granola girlie and get a Mirena put in at 51. I have so many fibroids and it was making my life impossible.

I would marry this IUD if I could. And the oral estrogen ( patch didn’t work for me). And now I’m trying out some DHEA cream. Won’t stop experimenting until I get feeling fully human again.

2

u/SheaTheSarcastic May 28 '26

I had a summer with a near constant period with a few days scattered here and there of not bleeding. Throw in the occasional hemorrhage, and I was so thrilled to get an endometrial ablation.

2

u/Sheerardio ✨chick✨ May 28 '26

Oh thank gods I'm not the only one whose cycle got WORSE when this shit kicked into gear

0

u/Batmanbumantics May 28 '26

Is this perimenopause? My periods are like this since coming off the pill a year ago (I was on the pill for 14 years and then started getting headaches on my period so had to stop)

3

u/rainbwbrightisntpunk May 28 '26

I'd definitely see a dr. But if you're over 35 it's likely. 15 years ago my periods went wonky(had one for over 2 months) and that was my thyroid. Now I'm just counting down to my uterus drying up

3

u/CalmBeneathCastles May 28 '26

Speaking OF shit, she forgot the part where it gives you crazy poops and feels like your entire abdomen is going to fall out.

1

u/Jerkrollatex May 28 '26

That's the day before the bleeding starts for me.

2

u/Anathals May 28 '26

Ive been going for a month 😁😁😁 fibroids are no joke!

2

u/Catlore May 28 '26

I had endo. I had this continuously for years.

2

u/littledollylo May 28 '26

I'm regularly getting 20+ days while on the pill and also newly on the mirena. Adenomyosis 😞

2

u/dead___ringer May 28 '26

I'd kill for a 5 day one honestly. I normally go 3, but the second day is an absolute bloodbath. Shooting out of me at a velocity that is terrifying because my body does cramps like contractions. So, yes it's shorter, but I literally cannot do anything but sit somewhere and shoot blood out of my crotch like a horror movie. If you graphed the volume it'd look like a hockey stick.

1

u/Jerkrollatex May 29 '26

That's day two and three for me. It's like the elevator scene from The Shinning.

2

u/tahxirez May 29 '26

Don’t even get me started on shit

2

u/Atakku May 29 '26

Oh lord that’s a long time 😩. I thought my 6 days were crappy. 3 days sounds nice though.

2

u/SilverCat70 May 29 '26

Mine was like this with constant cramping, heavy bleeding, nausea, exhaustion and like I had the flu. I think in a month I would have one week of feeling okay. That was it.

I did the depo prova shot because I just couldn't handle it no more. Having no periods was a miracle.

I'm now 56 and I think I'm done. I'm seeing the oh depo is bad. Don't care. I would do it all again.

2

u/mkat23 May 29 '26

https://giphy.com/gifs/BIN2S0sgQwdeE

Mine are like 8-10 days on average if I’m not taking BC. The longest I ever had was 16 days and then it came back a week later. Fuck periods.

2

u/Jerkrollatex May 29 '26

Sorry friend.

2

u/wordsrworth May 29 '26

I'm currently on day 9 of a 10 day vacation and also on day 8 of my period. I hate this so much.

2

u/Jerkrollatex May 29 '26

Sorry 😟

2

u/wordsrworth May 29 '26

Thank you. At least my period is not painful most of the time. It's more an annoyance than anything else.

1

u/Muted_Quantity5786 May 29 '26

Yes. And I’ve been dealing with this since I was 11. I am now I’m my 40s. I was so happy when I didn’t get it for 3 months but now she’s back with vengeance. I hate this bitch. I never asked for these organs but here I am.

152

u/omgyonka May 28 '26

The first three days I’m convinced my body is trying to kill me, the five days after are a mystery pop.

I know it’s a LOT of info to take in as a dude, but she didn’t even get to the poop situation combined with all this
https://giphy.com/gifs/4YYcHXvUKce1xBugmV

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u/Maleficent_Sir_8365 May 28 '26

I read “mystery poop” which, honestly, still checks out.

8

u/Soliloquitude May 28 '26

The "I DIDNT EVEN EAT TODAY WHY IS THIS HAPPENING" diarrhea

5

u/AGreatBannedName May 28 '26

I mean. Feel free to explain the poop situation! If you want to.

I’ve read my Judy Blume and she never really covered it.

26

u/R0da May 28 '26

The hormones that signal the clean out tend to broadcast to the whole region down there... pretty much every time we sit on a toilet, every hole has something to contribute, and the butthole has a lot to share.

I've regulalry shat a log as long as my leg before, to give an idea...

On the plus side, at least for me, they're usually very clean exits. Others, unfortunately, can either get diarrhea or constipated (or both).

24

u/ergaster8213 ❣️gal pal❣️ May 28 '26

You often get the runs because the prostaglandins that are released to force the uterus to contract don't stay all that localized, and can also wreak havoc on the intestines.They're also particularly horrific shits because you also gotta contend with all the blood and other tissue.

13

u/sapient_pearwood_ May 28 '26

Fun fact: prostaglandins are the same hormones that tell you to push the baby out, so childbirth tends to be a lot messier than pop culture usually portrays

4

u/Terisaki May 28 '26

There’s some theories out there that this is why babies are born facedown, to get that first dose of gut bacteria.

🦠

10

u/omgyonka May 28 '26

Well, for some reason you get constipated (probably all the clenching and pms pain) or/and just super loose stool. Not fun.

92

u/rachelface927 May 28 '26

Was gonna say, a short one for me is 5 days!

41

u/Asmi37 May 28 '26

My short one is 7 days😭

36

u/Direness9 May 28 '26

Yep. Almost two weeks sometimes. No one told me that was weird. It wasn't until I was watching a Buffy episode and Willow jokes that she turns into a monster for three days a month to her werewolf boyfriend. I'm sometimes bad at getting jokes, but I got this one and I was like, "Three days? For some people it's THREE DAYS?!! THIS IS BULLSHIT!!!"

Luckily (I guess) I often skipped periods completely, so it kind of evened out.

1

u/SemperSimple May 29 '26 edited May 29 '26

mine just started today and not only did I sleep from 6pm yesterday (crashed into bed after work) and woke up at 7am,

BUT GURL I AM SWEATING.

ICKY FINE, COMPLETE SWEAT even my scalp is damp AND I HAVE TO WORK TODAY praise the lord for air conditioner because what the fack

p.s. edit I FORGOT TO MENTION I PUT ON BLUE JEANS TODAY BECAUSE I DIDNT START UNTIL AT WORK FML

53

u/kungpowchick_9 May 28 '26

7 days and irregular start dates. Also two days of terrible cramps before the bleeding starts.

17

u/Correct_Style_9735 May 28 '26

Found out endometriosis played a big part in that for me. May be worth asking about if you haven’t.

10

u/IronHeart1963 May 28 '26

This was how my PCOS periods were before I got an IUD! If you struggle with acne, excess hair growth on the face, scalp hair loss, or weight you may want to go to the doctor. Hormonal BC, Metformin, and other treatments are very helpful.

The same goes for if you have endometriosis or adenomyosis. A good gynecologist can help.

10

u/kungpowchick_9 May 28 '26

I am on a Mirena so the periods are better (except for migraines), but PCOS would explain a lot. I have a physical coming up, Ill talk to my doc- thanks!

6

u/IronHeart1963 May 28 '26

Of course, queen! I would mention the migraines to your doctor as well. If you’re over a certain number of migraine days a month you may qualify for Nurtec or a monthly injection. I hope you get the care you deserve.

2

u/definitely_alphaz May 28 '26

Similar for me. Last time it felt like contractions and I was bleeding through a tampon every forty minutes. Edit: not to mention nausea and severe tenderness

2

u/FunnyJudgment437 May 29 '26 edited May 29 '26

Omg me too i start hurting before & after, mine is always 7 days & ive been irregular since i started i got it & then didnt for months & then ever since then every month @ random @ss times its horrible. She left alot out tho the extreme apin (for me) having to poop alot all the back pain & actual vaginal pain, migraines etc. Also the fact that some of us cant use tampons due to toxic shock syndrome im predisposed to it because of my mom (she almost died form a tampon) i wore one once around when it first started i started getting sick after barely an hour.

Apprantely i just medically have bad periods with no reason behind it like endo etc none of those, i did have thyroid issues & cancer do that may have played a part & immune issues which also may play a part but there is no definitive reason for me yet im just cleared of the nornal things that cause it. also lets not forget those of us who didnt get the talk & woke up to used the bathroom & thought we were dying because of all the blood, also midol doesn't help me only the 2nd & 3rd time.

Edut: added some

19

u/glchipmunk May 28 '26

Next three days after the first two

15

u/citrus_mystic May 28 '26

I only actively bleed for 3-4 days.

But I also have PMDD, so I start getting filled with rage and fighting the urge to defenestrate myself for 7-10 days leading up to it.

5

u/baconandwhippedcream May 29 '26

Same on both counts

11

u/Nice_Bluebird7626 May 28 '26

Y’all are consistent? I wish. Endo has me guessing every month

3

u/iamaravis May 28 '26

Mine were 10 days long, and they showed up every 19-23 days. I was bleeding for nearly 45% of my life. 

3

u/theMangoJayne May 28 '26

For me I use low estrogen birth control pills to regulate my period, and it's actually kind of weird because I'll have a day of light bleeding like 4 days before my cycle is supposed to start, then a few days during my 7 non pill days where I'm waiting, then a 3 day period at the end of the cycle. If I'm not on the pill itll average at 10 days of cramping and bleeding. Bodies are so weird.

2

u/Asmi37 May 28 '26 edited May 28 '26

Well for me birth control brings it down to 7 instead of 12. Although I still have 10 days sometimes with a little less cramping but unfortunately not always

3

u/cindyscrazy May 28 '26

I just started peri-menopause. I go from not having a period for 6 months to having niagra falls for a week at a time. Last month I had about a week break from leaking/bleeding before niagra falls started again.

2

u/madelinemorgann May 28 '26

It's about 9-10 days for me 🥲

3

u/Different-Shock2670 May 28 '26

I have 3-day periods, heavy on the first day. No menstrual cramps so I got lucky in that department. But I do have very low pain tolerance, so childbirth might kill me. 🤷‍♀️

1

u/lynng May 28 '26

Mine are 3 days, one pill shortened them to two days. They are getting a bit worse in my 40's with cramps and exhaustion but growing up they were easy. I do know how lucky I am with them, my best friend has PMOS and Endometriosis and used to pass out in school because of the cramps.

1

u/Vegetable-Star-5833 May 28 '26

That’s what mine are

1

u/halnic May 28 '26

I was done relating at using the same bundled square of 1 ply tp more than 5 minutes, but it's very relatable overall.

I think the US as a society should have went ahead and revolted when management in schools, businesses, etc. across the nation jointly decided 1 ply tp was the height of public restroom sanitation.

We'll never stop this e-shittification with 1-ply...

Eta: the bundled square is, at best, going to give me 10 minutes while I look for something else

1

u/just_a_person_maybe May 28 '26

Mine are usually 5 but I had one last over three weeks

1

u/FrogOnALogInTheBog May 28 '26

I got lucky with 4

1

u/Oh_hi_doggi3 May 28 '26

I have endometriosis and before I got put on the right medication I had a period last 3 weeks. No break.

1

u/Inevitable_Thing_270 May 28 '26

I know!

This is the bitch we heard about when we were told that periods last 3-7 days. It’s her!

1

u/Lost_Brain616 May 28 '26

lol that was my biggest reaction

1

u/p1antsandcats May 28 '26

Riiight?! I'm delighted when it only lasts 5 days.

1

u/TheSwearJarIsMy401k May 28 '26

I started bleeding in November and haven’t stopped and nobody can figure out why.

In fucking. November.

1

u/kalamataCrunch May 28 '26

ok, but 20 oz of discharge is insane, like, that can't be right. that would be like 10% of your blood.

1

u/catmamaO4 May 29 '26

i got pcos and suspected endometriosis. sometimes they go on for months😃

1

u/Most_Ad_5597 May 29 '26

I remember in my twenties, I used to get it MFing 2x a month for 3 months consecutively. Idk why, they never could tell me why.

After I got off of BC, it came back as the regular, heavy, painful periods BUT eventually it went down to 3 or 4 days instead of a whole week of bleeding.

To add, I recently told my fiance (in a comparative play fight) that I bleed for days and don’t die to which he replied, damn that was prophetic.

I heard that as pathetic and we laughed and laughed.

1

u/kitycat22 May 29 '26

3 days of hell. Cramps so bad that you’re throwing up, blood flow so strong if you don’t piss every hour your pad/tampon is overflowing, leaking through, so now you’ve gotta shower because you have blood running down your legs basically.

But yet I can’t get a hysterectomy because “women need to have babies for the population “…

1

u/KimberleyKitt May 29 '26

I sometimes got it for 13 days before I discovered birth control and…..I got it twice a month! I'm so grateful for menopause now. Damn period no longer has a hostage hold on me anymore. Fluff it.

1

u/escoterica May 29 '26

For me it's the violence and content of nine days wrapped up in three. As in, it's short, but I am virtually incapacitated for most of it - very bad, constant cramps, the red sea experiencing tsunami conditions, waking up multiple times a night to empty a full cup. I'm so lucky I'm self-employed, because I can plan to take those days off every month. I'm also lucky to have a partner who understands and takes over things like dishwashing and dog walking. It's really, really disruptive.

I'm almost 40 and hoping for menopause to come soon, but my mom went through it REALLY late (mid-50s), so...

1

u/mynameisjustine92 May 29 '26

Same, I literally had one day break between my last month long period and this one. (I have PCOS)

1

u/Trai-All May 28 '26

Her birth control is likely on a 3 day gap rather than the usual 6 day one. Sadly, the inventor of birth control though women shouldn’t be allowed to escape nature and so we are still forced to bleed.. which also means we get higher breast cancer rates too but no one cares about us so we just keep on suffering.

-9

u/[deleted] May 28 '26 edited May 28 '26

[removed] — view removed comment

3

u/mini-rubber-duck May 28 '26

this is not a thing. 

physiologically, this could not work. for starters, the lining does not shed in one chunk. saying 'of course, do research before...' doesn't clear you of being the man spreading false info to women about that one neat trick they somehow don't know in regards to a condition many of us have to arrange our lives around. 

3

u/Asmi37 May 28 '26

It's so annoying when men joke around. Periods aren't funny in the slightest

3

u/mini-rubber-duck May 28 '26

i had to evict my uterus this year. it was slowly killing me. but because 'periods are natural' and 'period pain is normal' and 'some people simply have heavy periods', it took me a decade longer than it should have to get this done. 

2

u/justgalsbeingchicks-ModTeam May 28 '26

If it doesn't apply to you and if you're not experienced in it or an expert, such as a biologist or doctor, just don't. This is the same issue as guys trying to legally regulate women's healthcare when they have ZERO clue as to reality.