Heat Packs for Periods

[Neda]

Ok not sure if I should post this here or somewhere else like TTC but thought I'd try here.

I get bad cramps, really bad, had a lapra for endo and that helped but I still use heat packs.
Question is can they be too hot? I make mine hot enough that I've given myself blisters (heat pack heated the button on my jeans and that burnt me).

I've been TTC well over a year, and I'm scared that the heat from the heat packs has somehow destroyed all my eggs. I've tried google for this but the only thing that comes up is about men and keeping their laps cool

TIA

[Pholi]

Hi Neda,

I wouldn't worry about that at all - the heat from a hot pack applied to your skin isn't going to cause an increase in temperature any more than half a centimetre or so into your tissues. That's not enough to reach your ovaries, so your eggs will not have been affected. On the other hand, it's never good to cause burns with something that's meant to be relieving pain! I get the wholen metal bit-on-jeans thing though, it catches me out occasionally too.

[Neda]

thanks Pholi!
DH decided he was tired of seeing me stress over the possibility every month so he insisted on me not using one last period.
I did anyway but kept it only mildly warm and on my back instead of belly.

[Pholi]

Neda, Hot packs on the belly are recommended extremely widely for self-treatment of period pain. I am not aware of any research which has indicated an adverse effect on a woman's eggs, but there is widely accepted research indicating that excess heat is not good for sperm. I think your hubby might be thinking that's what's good for the goose is good for the gander, but in this case, our reproductive systems have very different needs and very different arrangements (male - external, female - internal.) You couldn't find evidence that it was bad for you because it's not bad for you!

On the other hand, it's really sweet that doesn't like seeing you stress, and that he cares enough to think about it, although in this point he's on the wrong track. Unfounded concerns should not stop you from using heat as a safe and effective form of pain control. I have read some of your other posts - I think it is time to see a FS again about what the next step on your ttc journey should be.

Also, I will pm you a few links to papers which discuss depth of penetration of various heating modalities - they include references to deep heat modalities like diathermy and ultrasound, whhich do not apply to hot packs. You need to be reading the bits referring to 'superficial heat application', 'Thermotherapy - superficial heating agents', etc. In summary, you get tissue temperature changes mostly in the first half centimeter, and after longer applications, it can penetrate futher (eg, up to 1 or 2 cm, depending on what you read), however, the change in temp is very low as you go deeper than 1 cm. And fat is an insulator, so areas with more fat (like the standard, healthy layer of fat all women of healthy weight carry over their lower belly) have much less depth of penetration.

Please stop worrying - you have not roasted your eggies!!

[Pholi]

Your settings won't allow me to pm you the links... Not sure what to do - it might be that your membership needs appoval or something before you can receive pms, or you might need to change the settings yourself. i can try again later if you let me know.

[Neda]

Pholi,
Thanks for the response! And the reassurance. I figured it was ok, but when you've been TTC and have a habit of jumping to the worst possible conclusions in the moments of blackness that hit us after a period well, I get all sorts of nightmare scenarios going through my brain. My hubby asking me not to use the heat packs was his way of trying to re-assure me I guess? Sort of 'if you're worried about the damage stop doing it'

Anyway, I've settled for heating them only half the time before applying.

I don't know why you cant send me a pm If I click on 'my profile' it says I don't have permission so I assume my post count is too low? *shrug*?