u/granzeniba

I am sick of pads.

I had an IUD for the past 4.5 years in order to stop my period because it was so heavy and never ended. I got my IUD removed in November of 2025. I finally got my period back on June 19, 2026 and I am now on day 10 of my period. I was happy to see it come back, but I forgot just how much I hate wearing pads. I want to go back to "normal" and be able to just wear underwear.

I currently have to wear two nighttime pads (I wear the Always Maxi Size 5 Extra Heavy Overnight Pads with Wings) and change them out every 3-4 hours due to my heavy flow. I also struggle with clotting.

I have looked into period underwear, but I just don't know what I can trust and what I can't.

Any insight is much appreciated.

xo

Towards the end of October 2025, I had a terrible bout of anxiety for about a week straight. I hadn’t had anything like it and had convinced myself that I was going through some type of medical emergency. It was awful. I had figured that it was my IUD “expiring” as I had it for 4 years, approaching what would be 5 (March 2026). On November 14, 2025, I had my IUD removed. I bled for a few days after the removal and have not seen anything since. It is now May 29, 2026, and I’m at a loss. Thankfully, the anxiety I faced in October was the worst it had gotten, but my anxiety has still been extremely heightened (especially at the beginning of each month for approximately a week as if I were on my period). I have been dealing with terrible health anxiety, which I hadn’t necessarily experienced until October’s event. I am thinking maybe I am still dealing with a “Kyleena crash” because I am mentally different than what I was before everything had occurred. I visited my gynecologist and had my uterine lining measured and some blood work done, and everything came back fine. (It should be noted that I got my IUD originally because I could not stop my periods. They were extremely heavy and went on for a long time - sometimes 3 months, with no break. Seeing no cycle at all is completely foreign to me!)

Could anyone tell me why I haven’t seen a cycle yet and why I’m feeling the way I do? I’m searching for answers and just can’t seem to find anything…

Towards the end of October 2025, I had a terrible bout of anxiety for about a week straight. I hadn’t had anything like it and had convinced myself that I was going through some type of medical emergency. It was awful. I had figured that it was my IUD “expiring” as I had it for 4 years, approaching what would be 5 (March 2026). On November 14, 2025, I had my IUD removed. I bled for a few days after the removal and have not seen anything since. It is now May 29, 2026, and I’m at a loss. Thankfully, the anxiety I faced in October was the worst it had gotten, but my anxiety has still been extremely heightened (especially at the beginning of each month for approximately a week as if I were on my period). I have been dealing with terrible health anxiety, which I hadn’t necessarily experienced until October’s event. I am thinking maybe I am still dealing with a “Kyleena crash” because I am mentally different than what I was before everything had occurred. I visited my gynecologist and had my uterine lining measured and some blood work done, and everything came back fine. (It should be noted that I got my IUD originally because I could not stop my periods. They were extremely heavy and went on for a long time - sometimes 3 months, with no break. Seeing no cycle at all is completely foreign to me!)

Could anyone tell me why I haven’t seen a cycle yet and why I’m feeling the way I do? I’m searching for answers and just can’t seem to find anything…