I have been over weight my entire life. consequently (or not, not sure), my periods have always been sporadic to non-existent. The last say seven years, I get a period maybe 2 times a year and it's for 2 days or so. I used to use tampons and it was no big deal. Honestly, I kinda liked not having to deal with it. I have always had the cramps and pms all year long though. So this last year as my weight hit an all time high, I can no longer maneuver enough to use a tampon. But no biggie as I don't really get periods right? WRONG.... this last week has been interesting. Sooo, I am 8 days into my pre-op diet and the last 3 days my period has made an appearance. My period seems to not be leaving and I am using pads. problem is, my thighs are so close together that my pad which starts out as wide and a useful tool turns into this smashed-bunched-up-straw-like thing once I put on my underwear! Rendering it pretty in effective. I am not sure what to do! I have ruined a few pairs of pants already and am completely self conscious when i leave the house. Any suggestions?

Not all surgeons require you to stop taking the pill, but if you're on a combined birth control pill (one that contains both estrogen and progesterone), many will require you to stop taking it 30 days before and after surgery. This is because estrogen slightly increases your risk of blood clots.

I spoke with my gyno about this as I'm currently on a combined pill to manage painful ovarian cysts. She said once I meet with my surgeon, she'll either give me a big shot of depo to cover me for three months, or we'll switch to a progesterone-only pill. (I'm hoping for the depo!)

So talk with your gyno and surgeon and see what options you have! They might not even require you to stop.

I take birth control that completely stops my periods. I love it!!! And so you will be past all of this. I'm sorry I know it's hard.

If you want to give tampons another try, stand up and put one foot on the toilet. If most of your weight is in your stomach and front, bend down then reach around your raised leg to the back. If most of your weight is in the hips and back, then reach between your legs from the front.

Sounds like you may have PCOS, a hormonal condition, that makes it harder to lose weight too.

I would look online and see if you can get the pads they have for hospitals for after having a baby.. they are much bigger than reg. pads, and cover a bigger area. I used to have such a hard time at my biggest, so I understand. Once you have surgery, you may notice your period becoming much more regular (and you will have a much higher percentage chance of getting pregnant.

After having 7 kids, there's not really much tone left to my uterus but I'm insanely fertile for my size so holy hell breaks loose every month. Think like the floodgates to hell. I actually have to use the giant super ultra overnight Tenna brand pads(these things are freaking HUGE but are the only thing I've found to deal with the problem.)My OBGYN says I'm too big at my current weight for a hysterectomy and because of past history getting pregnant on an IUD I really am not sure I want to do one of those again, so in order to get hydro ablation which she said we could talk about at a later date, my husband would have to get a vasectomy, which he promised he would each time after I nearly died giving birth and nearly lost our last 2 children, but he whooses out each time and doesn't get it. They get to the part about talking about the rare possibility of blue balls syndrome(don't ask google this LOL) and he FREAKS out! So annoying! Anyway, so Tenna pads are huge and make a lot of noise and are very obvious under pants so I wear bike shorts to hold them in place and keep the noise down and then wear long dresses and maxi skirts so I don't get butt bulge. It's not a big deal because I like to wear long skirts, but it would be nice to have other options sometimes. After I lose weight enough, I plan to get the whole thing fixed and never have to wear a monster diaper pad again!

I'm a big diva cup fan. I had no issues with insertion/removal at 270.

I had early onset menopause at 41 because I had uterine cancer & had to have a radical hysterectomy. While I don't miss my periods which were *really* out of whack, I HATED the hormonal changes that came with sudden onset menopause.

Hi, BLERDgirl, I just had a hyst this summer for uterine cancer, too. It delayed my sleeve by about 5 months (going in 2 weeks!), but so thankful it was all contained! And no more bleeding is a bonus!

I don't know if it helps, but I love Always Infinity pads overnight absorbency. They are really thin, really long and can stand up to pretty much anything. Since they're thin, you can tuck them in place without needing much space.

def get the ones with the flaps! I'd have the same problem, not horribly but itd get kinda squished. A quick adjusment in the bathroom would really help! lol its weird..the day before surgery I started spotting. After surgery I had my period for like 3wks straight! nonstop bleeding, it was like the texas chaninsaw massacre! ugh..so glad it finally stopped! lol After years of irregular periods..this is the price I pay. Just a heads up to you! lol you may be next..

I'm a big diva cup fan. I had no issues with insertion/removal at 270.

I love the Diva Cup. I struggled with the placement @ my highest weight of 233, but I'm pretty short too. I ended up going back to tampons. Now that I've lost 40 lbs I'm going to use my cup again yay!

It's funny because that was one of the straws that broke the camel's back for me. I was so frustrated with my weight and inability to do simple things (like the cup) it pushed me to get my WLS.

@@Babbs Me too!! I had severe bleeding and cramping. I was so relieved when the dr took it all out. ????

I have been over weight my entire life. consequently (or not, not sure), my periods have always been sporadic to non-existent. The last say seven years, I get a period maybe 2 times a year and it's for 2 days or so. I used to use tampons and it was no big deal. Honestly, I kinda liked not having to deal with it. I have always had the cramps and pms all year long though. So this last year as my weight hit an all time high, I can no longer maneuver enough to use a tampon. But no biggie as I don't really get periods right? WRONG.... this last week has been interesting. Sooo, I am 8 days into my pre-op diet and the last 3 days my period has made an appearance. My period seems to not be leaving and I am using pads. problem is, my thighs are so close together that my pad which starts out as wide and a useful tool turns into this smashed-bunched-up-straw-like thing once I put on my underwear! Rendering it pretty in effective. I am not sure what to do! I have ruined a few pairs of pants already and am completely self conscious when i leave the house. Any suggestions?

Always makes pads designed for larger women and they also have flaps that attach under the panties so they wrap all the way around.

They also just recently stated making disposable panties for your period...like adult diapers but for menstrual flow.

Platex makes "ultra" tampons.

Heavens, yes. Big girl pads must have wings!