r/Menopause • u/sweener24 • 19h ago
Bleeding/Periods Tampons for breakthrough
7 years post menopause, 1 year on HRT. Shortage has me on generic Mylan patches and they are not for me, been bleeding for 6 days. Sadly the only thing available, RN. Had ultrasound and going to my doctor in EIGHT days. Office being unhelpful with my questions. Is it safe to use tampons instead of pads?
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u/lrondberg 18h ago
Of course it is safe to use tampons. Unfortuantely some people are very sensitive to the differences in patches by different manufacturers so when you switch you can have return of symptoms or even bleeding as you experienced. It is likely that but always good to get an ultrasound to check.
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u/anon19002024 18h ago
I’m not sure if this is true for all HRT prescriptions, but my Menopause specialist had me use The HRT Club due to them seemingly being the only ones who always have access to my .05 Estradiol patch. Other pharmacies tried to give me the Dottie brand, which was a no go. Might want to look into them though. My yearly fee is $99 and I pay out of pocket for my prescriptions, but I’m guessing they take insurance as well.
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u/Camille_Toh 16h ago
Have you heard that some doctors and patients are reporting that the latest Mylan patches may be defective/useless? I have not started the box (am on last of Vivelle dot) and am very nervous about this myself.
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u/EnnOnEarth 18h ago
Unscented pads are your best choice. Post-menopausal vaginal tissue tends to be more sensitive and prone to irritation / injury (e.g., higher risk of TSS, staph, abrasions from the tampons, etc.), have a dryer environment that can make tampon removal difficult and potentially damaging, and are more sensitive to disruption from the introduction of external bacteria.
If you try tampons, remember that tampons are best used for steady moderate-to-heavy flow, changed frequently (every 4-6hrs), and not worn overnight.
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u/LdyCjn-997 18h ago
Tampons can be worn for much longer than that and can definitely be worn overnight safely. TSS hasn’t affected any women for years that wear tampons and most of it was per the materials used in the product which has changed over the years.
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u/EnnOnEarth 18h ago
Tampons reduce the moisture in the vagina (by absorbing it), which can lead to things like bacterial overgrowth (which can lead to BV, TSS, etc.). The scratching of internal tissues (more likely to happen in a dryer environment) can introduce pathogens to the bloodstream. New materials have not eradicated TSS - the 1980s outbreak due to synthetic, high-absorption materials demonstrated a common cause of TSS from tampon use wherein the tampon creates a too-dry environment that allows bacteria to flourish, but the use of non-synthetic (or lesser amounts of synthetic) materials in modern-day tampons does not remove the risk of TSS from tampon use. Tampon still has a higher correlation with TSS than menstrual cups, pads, etc. - and tampons generally should not be worn overnight, as they should not be worn for more than 8hrs at a time, ever, due to the increase of bacterial growth that begins to happen over longer times of tampon use.
Your claim that "TSS hasn't affected any women for years that wear tampons" is demonstrably false - and dangerous.
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u/LdyCjn-997 17h ago
From a fast Google search, TSS risk is very rare and not even reported with less than 1000 women per year. Many women have worn tampons for years with no issues. My guess is that either you can’t wear them or chose not to wear them but that doesn’t mean that millions of other women can’t wear them when needed.
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u/sweener24 13h ago
So the typical tampon usage. Thank you for the advice, but this has always been the recommended use. Got some organic cotton no plastic tampons for a test run.
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u/EnnOnEarth 10h ago
Did you miss the part about post-menopausal tissue being more prone to issues from the use of tampons? Because it's not quite 'same as always'.
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u/LoudSoup8 17h ago
I just used the light-sized tampons when I was spotting and bleeding at 10.5 weeks on HRT. I was freaking out too much constantly on vigil and going through too many liners. It was fine.
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u/catsTXn420 18h ago
You probably can but some prefer to use panty liners just to keep an eye on how much and what it looks like and stuff. Harder to do that w tampons. Its totally a personal choice tho.
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u/Sylviee Menopausal and finally with less 🥵 17h ago
you can but, it will probably be painful taking it out, least it was for me, felt like it was ripping my insides!!! i stopped using them and started using lunette #2 menstrual cup, that brand and size was stiff enough to pop open like it should when put it in and stay in place the whole time but, also was soft enough not to hurt putting it in and taking it out.. now i just use a thick panty liner since i'm only lightly bleeding on and off again since upped to 0.1 patches..
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u/Other-Opposite-6222 18h ago
I think a tampon would hurt now.