Learn about your menstruation: what your period can tell you about your health
Today we are going to break down a great taboo. Many women still find it uncomfortable to watch their own menstruation. And there are no reasons for it. Contrary to what it may seem, doing It helps you better understand your cycles, detect changes and understand your evolution as a woman.
This reluctance and rejection of everything related to menstruation is the result of hundreds of years in which it has been socially pointed out as something bad or something that had to be hidden.
For years the mere mention of menstruation has been avoided. In fact, throughout history different names have been attributed to it so as not to mention it directly. In Anglo-Saxon countries it came to be called “the curse.” (the curse).
There are also many legends in popular wisdom behind menstruation, which luckily we are eliminating. People have said about it, from the fact that you couldn't have sex during those days, to the fact that your mayonnaise is cut off if you make it while you're on your period...
Luckily they are heard less and less, but obviously these superstitions have not helped us normalize menstruation.
That is why in this article we are going to help you definitively eliminate all those mental barriers that prevent you from seeing how healthy and natural your menstruation is and how its observation helps you get to know your body and prematurely detect possible pathologies.
Speaking clearly about menstruation
Whether you call it menstruation, period or period, it is a natural process in every healthy sexually mature woman and which repeats cyclically every 28 days on average.
The entire cycle consists of preparing a woman's body for pregnancy, and occurs every month or so.
It consists of 4 phases: menstruation, the follicular phase before the release of the Ovum, the ovulatory phase and the luteal phase in which the uterus prepares to receive the fertilized egg. If fertilization does not occur, bleeding or menstruation appears.
The entire process is regulated by the hormonal system, so it plays an important role in the cycle.
This is all. There is no more mystery behind menstruation. Although each woman experiences it differently and feels more or less discomfort while her menstruation lasts, it is something natural and there is nothing to hide or be ashamed of.
Benefits of observing menstruation
As already mentioned at the beginning of the article, it is necessary to break those mental barriers or possible rejections of menstruation and normalize the fact that observing it is natural and very beneficial.
As you well know, every woman is different.
Therefore, only you are capable of knowing what it is. the usual length of your cycles. If this varies or disappears during 3 consecutive cycles, you would have to go to the gynecologist because hormonal imbalances, reproductive problems, alterations caused by some treatment, etc. could be behind it.
In addition, color also gives a clue about how your body is doing. He menstruation color It is bright red. And if not, it may be the warning of some pathology that should be evaluated by a specialist.
If the blood has a pinkish color, common in the first periods of adolescents, it may be because you are taking contraceptives. However, darker or almost black tones could be remnants of previous cycles or irregularity.
A increase or decrease in menstrual flow It is common as your age increases, or after pregnancies. Also during the period itself: the first few days you may only bleed a little and have one or two days of greater flow.
And finally, the texture of the flow. Not everything is blood, some small clots are also expelled. Which are basically the tissues that covered the uterus when it was prepared to receive the fertilized egg.
Only you can know what your menstruation is like and what is “normal” in your body. Therefore, if you observe it to get to know it well, you will be the first to detect all these changes and go to a gynecological center for a diagnosis if necessary.
What to look for: warning signs that menstruation sends us
Some of the most common pathologies that can be detected by observing our own flow are the following:
- Amenorrhea: or complete absence of menstruation. As long as it is not associated with pregnancy, lack of bleeding is not a good sign. The causes can be hormonal, but also generated by stress or anxiety.
- Menorrhagia: which is the increase in menstrual flow or also in duration. If it is more than seven days or the blood loss exceeds 80ml. The cause may be due to an ovulation problem.
- Hypomenorrhea: which is just the opposite, a decrease in menstrual flow. Its origin is possibly a hormonal alteration.
- Oligomenorrhea: when the interval between one menstruation and another exceeds 35 days.
- Polymenorrhea: the opposite of the above. That the interval between two periods is less than 21 days.
Does this mean that if at any time during my fertile life something like what we just mentioned happens to me, I have to rush to the gynecologist? Absolutely.
Everything that happens to us in our daily lives affects us on a physical level. Tiredness, stressful situations or even taking some medications causes our hormonal system to vary.
In a timely manner, it is not worrying. It happens to all of us.
If it continues over time for a few cycles, consult a specialist and have it checked out.
The important thing is that you pay attention to it. That you dedicate a few seconds a day while your period lasts and know what your menstruation is like. This way, when you go to the rperiodic gynecology check-ups, you will be able to inform the specialist in detail if there have been changes.
Depending on the intimate hygiene products you use, it will be easier for you to observe what your menstruation is like.
If you use tampons to prevent leakage, it will be very difficult for you to know the amount of flow you have and the color of the blood. But there are alternatives that will help you with this task. Such as sanitary pads or menstrual cups. Thanks to them you will see perfectly even the color of the fabrics.
Maybe until now you had not considered how important it is to learn about your own menstruation, and everything that can help you know that everything is going well.
We encourage you, if you are not already doing so, to keep a record, with which you will be able to know exactly what the length of your menstrual cycle is and when your heaviest bleeding days will be, and when you may want to take special care of yourself.
Take advantage of a small notebook, your personal agenda or if you are more into technology, look for a specific app to record your data.
Also, remember, your period shouldn't hurt. It can be a hassle, but if there is pain, we must look for the cause of this and improve general health, hormonal and go in search of a healthy and pain-free menstrual cycle.
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