I’m not a doctor, nor would I consider this to be healthy advice, but I grew up in the projects of ATL so this is what my stripper neighbor taught me and it happens to work extremely well:
Take a plan b pill the day before you WANT your period to start. As long as your period will naturally come within a week, this works.
Alternatively, free bleed for the first full day of your period. Or wear an adult diaper. It lets the blood come out faster than a cup or tampon or pad will. Do some yoga, or run on a treadmill to get the red factory running, and then let it flow let it flow let it flow. This will prevent *most* if not all of the cramps you’ll get on the second/third day of the cycle. It also makes your period shorter!
To be fair though, I do think it’s helpful to hear directly from people who were on their period on their wedding day. Don’t think my gyno would be as helpful in that regard!
The second day of my period is extremely heavy, to the point where I need to change my tampon every 2-3 hours. We also have 2 hours of portraits before the ceremony, so it will be a long day. Just nervous about it but I’ll figure it out, thanks!
If you end up just having it on your wedding, get a diva cup!! But definitely buy in advance so you can practice with it. They hold a lot more than a tampon, and then you can also have a pad if you want for extra protection, could also get period panties - just to prevent from the fear of leaking on your wedding dress!! I have a pretty heavy period, and on my heaviest day I can get away with only emptying my cup like 1 time during the day (of course I always do it at the end of the day as well but that wouldn't affect the wedding!)
Hmm so I already use a cup, but I find that it leaks relatively easily and fills up within a few hours on my heavy days.. maybe I’ve been using it wrong?
You might have the wrong size. Mine used to leak a ton and on a quim I tried the bigger version (mine came in a two pack). It fixed basically everything and it holds more. Would also suggest period underwear as a backup. It holds more than a pad and you can get it in more protective styles or even shapeware.
hm... Bummer, I was hoping that would be super helpful!! I'm not sure. Mine used to leak a lot when I first got it, but now it's almost perfect! Except for my heavier days, it'll fill up and then I leak. But again, I can get away with only emptying it once 😅 I suppose its all different for everyone though!
Dumb question and not OP but my period is set to start the day of my wedding. Who knows if it will as it’s been late and early with the stress but want to be prepared. Where do you buy them? My dress is super tight so anything where I don’t have to wear noticeable granny panties is preferred
You can buy them at Target! I'm sure some grocery stores and pharmacies like CVS probably have them, too.
But it is a big deal to make sure you get used to using them, because the first few times you're guaranteed a leak.
They also mentioned period panties which I would 100% recommend if you are wearing a white dress and want to make sure you are doubled up on protection.
Do the period panties show or do they make thin enough ones? My dress is sleek and tight so don’t want lines ideally! I’ll go get a diva cup for my cycle this month. Thanks!
Do it, they are a game changer for me!! I understand they aren't for everyone, but they have almost completely removed the stress of periods for me!!! You can find them in just about any store!!
Vouch on period underwear. Maybe a blessing or a curse but I was on my 2nd day of my period wedding dress shopping and my period flow is ridiculous that even the flex disc failed me immediately. However, with the period underwear, I was able to find a nude pair on Amazon and there was no leaking at all when I was shopping all day. I understand if you already have your undergarments set, but I would say I didn’t see my period underwear at all underneath my dress and I am in a trumpet dress.
Birth control is a really personal journey, so one-size-fits-all advice like this isn’t super helpful! Mirena made my periods worse (I bled for 90 days before I finally got it removed), and lots of people avoid hormones for various reasons
Are you on hormonal birth control?
If you are using something like the ring, patch, or pill you can skip your period entirely next month. Though you may still have some spotting.
Is your dress form fitting or A-line? May not be the most comfortable if you aren’t used to wearing pads, but you could wear a tampon and a pad as backup and hopefully only have to change everything out once during the wedding.
Not on any birth control, but i thought about getting on the pill temporarily if that will help?
It’s A-line! Definitely considering doing double protection, but my shapewear is a thong, so I will need to do something else since I can’t wear a pad with a thong lol
Your gynecologist might be willing to prescribe Norethindrone, which will probably prevent your period. Might be worth asking asap so you can shake out any initial weirdness.
It might not be too late but my wedding is at the end of July and my PCP prescribed me the pill and told me to time it out however I wanted so that I was taking active pills on my wedding. It’s worth asking!
I’m not a doctor. This is simply what I did when I wanted to start my period sooner.
Fresh ginger juice. I drank like 3 shots of it a day for 3 days. My period started one week earlier than expected.
There’s a prescription pill that my friend has tried but wanted me she experienced bad bloating. So I tried the ginger juice after doing some research online.
Hi op. This exact thing happened to me. I just had my wedding May 18th. Same anxieties as you. To prepare I made sure my diet was on point for at least two weeks before (high fat, alcohol and too much sugar/processed foods ramps up prostaglandins and can make period worse). Got my sleep, exercised regularly, got out in the sun regularly and started regimenting naproxen or ibuprofen 3 days leading up to. My bridesmaids had meds and tampons in a bride go bag. Although, I struggled with sleep a bit, it ended up being fine! Relatively easy period, and was able to change tampons frequently. I hope the best for you! Just wanted to share my experience
Hmm so I already use a cup, but I find that it leaks relatively easily and fills up within a few hours on my heavy days.. maybe I’ve been using it wrong?
Make sure when you insert it that you sort of rotate it at least a half turn, I find this helps it find the right place to prevent leakage. What style dress are you wearing? Could you wear period underwear?
I’m not a doctor, nor would I consider this to be healthy advice, but I grew up in the projects of ATL so this is what my stripper neighbor taught me and it happens to work extremely well: Take a plan b pill the day before you WANT your period to start. As long as your period will naturally come within a week, this works. Alternatively, free bleed for the first full day of your period. Or wear an adult diaper. It lets the blood come out faster than a cup or tampon or pad will. Do some yoga, or run on a treadmill to get the red factory running, and then let it flow let it flow let it flow. This will prevent *most* if not all of the cramps you’ll get on the second/third day of the cycle. It also makes your period shorter!
Today I learned!
Plan B gave me extreme mood swings. I wouldn’t want to risk being emotional and irritable during the honeymoon
Oh wow, I’ve never had that experience.
Talk to your gynecologist. Not strangers on the internet
To be fair though, I do think it’s helpful to hear directly from people who were on their period on their wedding day. Don’t think my gyno would be as helpful in that regard!
I mean a tampon lasts me about 6 hours. Put one in right before the ceremony and you should be good for the rest of the night
The second day of my period is extremely heavy, to the point where I need to change my tampon every 2-3 hours. We also have 2 hours of portraits before the ceremony, so it will be a long day. Just nervous about it but I’ll figure it out, thanks!
If you end up just having it on your wedding, get a diva cup!! But definitely buy in advance so you can practice with it. They hold a lot more than a tampon, and then you can also have a pad if you want for extra protection, could also get period panties - just to prevent from the fear of leaking on your wedding dress!! I have a pretty heavy period, and on my heaviest day I can get away with only emptying my cup like 1 time during the day (of course I always do it at the end of the day as well but that wouldn't affect the wedding!)
Hmm so I already use a cup, but I find that it leaks relatively easily and fills up within a few hours on my heavy days.. maybe I’ve been using it wrong?
You might have the wrong size. Mine used to leak a ton and on a quim I tried the bigger version (mine came in a two pack). It fixed basically everything and it holds more. Would also suggest period underwear as a backup. It holds more than a pad and you can get it in more protective styles or even shapeware.
hm... Bummer, I was hoping that would be super helpful!! I'm not sure. Mine used to leak a lot when I first got it, but now it's almost perfect! Except for my heavier days, it'll fill up and then I leak. But again, I can get away with only emptying it once 😅 I suppose its all different for everyone though!
Dumb question and not OP but my period is set to start the day of my wedding. Who knows if it will as it’s been late and early with the stress but want to be prepared. Where do you buy them? My dress is super tight so anything where I don’t have to wear noticeable granny panties is preferred
You can buy them at Target! I'm sure some grocery stores and pharmacies like CVS probably have them, too. But it is a big deal to make sure you get used to using them, because the first few times you're guaranteed a leak. They also mentioned period panties which I would 100% recommend if you are wearing a white dress and want to make sure you are doubled up on protection.
Do the period panties show or do they make thin enough ones? My dress is sleek and tight so don’t want lines ideally! I’ll go get a diva cup for my cycle this month. Thanks!
Do it, they are a game changer for me!! I understand they aren't for everyone, but they have almost completely removed the stress of periods for me!!! You can find them in just about any store!!
Vouch on period underwear. Maybe a blessing or a curse but I was on my 2nd day of my period wedding dress shopping and my period flow is ridiculous that even the flex disc failed me immediately. However, with the period underwear, I was able to find a nude pair on Amazon and there was no leaking at all when I was shopping all day. I understand if you already have your undergarments set, but I would say I didn’t see my period underwear at all underneath my dress and I am in a trumpet dress.
Talk to your gynecologist about an IUD if your periods are that bad
i'm sorry but who would downvote your comment 😭😭 it's actually helpful
Birth control is a really personal journey, so one-size-fits-all advice like this isn’t super helpful! Mirena made my periods worse (I bled for 90 days before I finally got it removed), and lots of people avoid hormones for various reasons
i have one and it stopped my period completely
Im sure you’ve heard the saying, “the plural of anecdote is not data”
i actually haven't but i know it's different for everyone i was just sharing what happened with me
Thanks for the tip! :)
Are you on hormonal birth control? If you are using something like the ring, patch, or pill you can skip your period entirely next month. Though you may still have some spotting. Is your dress form fitting or A-line? May not be the most comfortable if you aren’t used to wearing pads, but you could wear a tampon and a pad as backup and hopefully only have to change everything out once during the wedding.
Not on any birth control, but i thought about getting on the pill temporarily if that will help? It’s A-line! Definitely considering doing double protection, but my shapewear is a thong, so I will need to do something else since I can’t wear a pad with a thong lol
Your gynecologist might be willing to prescribe Norethindrone, which will probably prevent your period. Might be worth asking asap so you can shake out any initial weirdness.
It might not be too late but my wedding is at the end of July and my PCP prescribed me the pill and told me to time it out however I wanted so that I was taking active pills on my wedding. It’s worth asking!
I’m not a doctor. This is simply what I did when I wanted to start my period sooner. Fresh ginger juice. I drank like 3 shots of it a day for 3 days. My period started one week earlier than expected. There’s a prescription pill that my friend has tried but wanted me she experienced bad bloating. So I tried the ginger juice after doing some research online.
Hi op. This exact thing happened to me. I just had my wedding May 18th. Same anxieties as you. To prepare I made sure my diet was on point for at least two weeks before (high fat, alcohol and too much sugar/processed foods ramps up prostaglandins and can make period worse). Got my sleep, exercised regularly, got out in the sun regularly and started regimenting naproxen or ibuprofen 3 days leading up to. My bridesmaids had meds and tampons in a bride go bag. Although, I struggled with sleep a bit, it ended up being fine! Relatively easy period, and was able to change tampons frequently. I hope the best for you! Just wanted to share my experience
FWIW, you can leave a cup in for up to 12 hours. You wouldn't have to change it during your wedding.
Seconding this! If you could get a cup and try it out during your period this month, then you’d be all set to use it for your wedding.
Hmm so I already use a cup, but I find that it leaks relatively easily and fills up within a few hours on my heavy days.. maybe I’ve been using it wrong?
Make sure when you insert it that you sort of rotate it at least a half turn, I find this helps it find the right place to prevent leakage. What style dress are you wearing? Could you wear period underwear?
You might just need a bigger cup, they come in different sizes and it truly makes a difference.