| Attitude
is one of the most important aspects when dealing with your period.
Knowledge is also key. If you understand the whys and wherefores
you are better equipped to sail through that time of the month
with minimal problems.
We will first
examine biological facts. You probably learned these as a pre
adolescent but a review is important for two reasons. First if
you have daughters that haven't reached puberty yet you need to
be thinking about the approach you will use to talk to them about
maturation. Second, you may be having problems with your periods
that you assume are normal because you have them routinely. There
are a number of things that are abnormal but can be helped with
a variety of approaches.
You know that
girls are born with ovaries, fallopian tubes a uterus and a vagina.
The ovaries contain ova, or the eggs that can be fertilized to
produce a baby. The fallopian tubes stretch from the ovaries to
the uterus, which is in the center of the lower abdomen. The vagina
is the lower part of the female reproductive system.
As a girl
matures and begins to enter puberty the pituitary gland, in the
brain, produces chemicals that mature the eggs in the ovaries
and produce estrogen and progesterone. These hormones have an
effect on a girl's body including physical maturation, growth
and emotions. The hormones also prepare the female body to someday
be ready for pregnancy.
Almost once
a month the maturing egg leaves one of the ovaries, which is called
ovulation. The egg then travels down the fallopian tube toward
the uterus. In the days before ovulation occurs the uterus, stimulated
by estrogen builds up it's lining with blood and tissue making
the walls thicker and cushioned. If the egg is fertilized by a
sperm cell it attaches to the cushioned wall of the uterus where
the baby develops.
During most
of a female's cycles the egg isn't fertilized and so it doesn't
attach to the wall of the uterus so the extra blood, tissue and
unfertilized egg are not needed and are expelled from the body
through the vagina. This cycle will continue almost every month,
except during pregnancy and sometimes during breastfeeding; for
several decades until the ovaries no longer release eggs and menopause
occurs, but that is a whole other article (see HERE)!
What if it
doesn't happen this way? Well, every woman is different and so
cycles, flow and symptoms such as cramping will vary from woman
to woman.
There are some things that are absolutely abnormal. Extremely
heavy periods (menorrhagia), very painful periods (dysmenorrhea)
and very abnormal cycles including amenorrea (no period even though
you aren't pregnant) are all things that should be checked out
by a gynecologist or family practitioner. PMS and Premenstrual
Dysphoric Disorder may also require medical
intervention. Some methods of birth control effect periods. These
include oral contraceptives, Depo Provera injections, Norplant
implants and sometimes IUD's can affect bleeding and cramping.
Please see your healthcare provider if you have severe period
problems. It is not normal to suffer.
Here are some
helpful tips for common problems:
- Cut back
on caffeine and sugar both during
PMS and your period
- Get regular
exercise and continue through
your period, modifying as necessary, for
example, yoga enthusiasts should not
practice inverted postures during their
period, if cramping is severe cut back on
heavy calisthenics, but be sure to stretch
anyway.
- Find time
for you, if you are irritable it will
effect everyone around you. Read, take a
hot shower, do something you enjoy.
- Realize
that it really isn't a curse. It is a
miracle that may lead you to one of the best experiences of
your life,
motherhood.
Your attitude
can really effect your mood during menstruation. If you dread
your period and feel resentful that you even have to go through
it, odds are that you will have a rough time. If you realize that
Heavenly Father designed women for a glorious purpose and the
intricacies of the female system are nothing less than miraculous
it makes it easier to view this time as just a part of being a
woman. The better we understand our bodies the more power we have
over them.
Speaking practically
there are ways to make your period easier to deal with. Find the
right kind of sanitary product for you. There are dozens;
Always and Tampax
both offer recommendations on what you can use based on your cycle.
Some health care professionals even advocate comfort food as a
means of dealing with discomfort as long as you don't overdo.
Getting enough sleep isn't always possible for busy women but
if you can try to get an adequate amount of good sleep you will
feel better all month long. Some women find that if they are not
getting enough sleep at night a ten or twenty minute "power
nap" refreshes them during the day. One idea is to nap when
your children do, or use part of your lunch term at work to at
least close your eyes.
Being a woman
is a wonderful thing. We get to experience things in a way that
is totally our own. Menstruating is a natural normal part of womanhood
and isn't to be feared or be disgusted with. Educate yourself,
know and work with your own cycle instead of against. |
Interesting
Facts:
- In
the 1840s, the average age for girls to start their periods
was 16.5. Today it's 13. This may be due to improved diet and
hygiene, which leads to better health and earlier development.
Although some say that it is because of an increase of growth
hormones in the foods we eat.
- The
amount of estrogen produced by your ovaries affects the length,
the timing and the amount of flow in your cycle.
- TSS (Toxic
Shock Syndrome) can be caused by tampon use. Some of the symptoms
are much the same as the flu, but they can become serious very
quickly. The warning signs of TSS are:sudden high temperature(102
degrees F/38.9 degrees C or higher)
vomiting, diarrhea, a sunburn-like rash, muscle aches, dizziness,
fainting or feeling faint when standing up
If you have any of these symptoms and are wearing a tampon you
should remove the tampon immediately and contact your doctor
for immediate treatment. Tell the doctor that you have been
using tampons and suspect that you may have TSS.
- Think you
know everything? Take this quiz
to see how much you really know about your period.
- Although
it may seem like you are losing a lot of blood, you're really
not. The total amount of flow over an entire period is only
about 1/2 cup.
Keeping
Track of
Your Period
Keeping
track of your period will help you to feel in control of your
body, you can expect and plan around your period. Keeping track
will also help you when you decide you want to conceive. You may
want to use a calendar to keep track of your periods. Put an "X"
on the first day of your period. Count the first "X"
as day I, and keep counting the days until you have your next
period. If you do this every month, you'll be able to tell how
many days there are between your periods. For some girls, it will
be every 28 days; for others. it may be anywhere from 23 to 35
days; and for others, it may change from month to month. Even
when your periods start to come after the same number of days
each month, you may miss a period or be a few days early or late.
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