Hi! I first got my period when I was 11, and now that I am 18 it is still pretty unpredictable. I always feel like I know the general time around when its coming, but I've had as short a time as 2 weeks between periods to nearly 2 months. When I first started getting my period it was always VERY heavy with absolutely horrible cramping happening during it that lasted hours. Pain so bad I couldn't move, and when I got it during school I had to leave class and would have gone home if my mom would've let me. Fortunately as time went on it began to alternate. I feel like I get two different periods. I alternate between no cramps or anything at all and then a very light, brown flow that is brief, lasting only a few days to a week. Obviously that is the period I would prefer to have. Then I still get the very heavy one with bad cramps (which I'm having right now.)
To try to describe the heavy one, let me explain what just happened to me. I was sitting in bed when I suddenly felt the awful cramps start up. I checked, but no period. I knew it was coming though. I go downstairs to get a snack and I am literally only halfway down the stairs when I feel this GUSH in my pants and even though I ran upstairs it had already gone straight through my underwear and pants. This is all happening in under 5 minutes. It's absolutely ridiculous. It's painful and it feels like I'm just peeing bright red blood. To make it worse, the heavy flow lasts a long time, though I generally only get cramps right at the beginning of my period. The heavy flow can last a week and a half (during which I have to do heavy duty tampon AND pad at the same time, changing them 2-3 times a day) then it turns into a drizzle for the last few days/week.
I want to get rid of the horrible, painful and ridiculously heavy period. I'm considering going on birth control because maybe it's a hormone thing. Does anyone have any advice?