How Do I Use A Tampon
Inserting a tampon for the first time can be a bit of a challenge. Its hard to know exactly how to position your body and at what angle to put the tampon in. After a few tries, you will figure out what works best for you. Its best to use slender size tampons when you are learning. If you arent exactly sure where your vaginal opening is, use a mirror to have a look at your vulva .
To insert a tampon that has an applicator:
To insert a tampon without an applicator:
Changes To Your Hormone Levels
Young women often spot, or bleed very slightly, when they ovulate . It happens about 10 to 14 days after their period and is usually caused by a temporary drop in levels of the hormone oestrogen. This is quite normal.
As well as reduced oestrogen levels, you may also experience other hormonal imbalances, which are completely harmless. This could be as a result of stress, or a recent change of diet.
Girls who have just started their periods and women going through menopause are more likely to have irregular periods, which can be confused with bleeding between periods.
Your doctor may organise a blood test to investigate your hormone levels and will advise you on possible treatments.
What Are The Signs You Are Getting Your Period
Women usually start noticing physical and mood changes about 1-2 weeks before period bleeding starts. Ninety percent of women have premenstrual syndrome symptoms at some point in their reproductive life. Some women have more severe PMS signs and symptoms than others.
Changing hormones are to blame for many uncomfortable or unpleasant period signs and symptoms like cramps and tender breasts. Brain chemicals are also involved, but itâs unclear to what extent.
Period signs and symptoms usually end about 3-4 days after bleeding begins.
Common signs that your period is approaching are:
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What Medicines Can Treat Pms Symptoms
Over-the-counter and prescription medicines can help treat some PMS symptoms.
Over-the-counter pain relievers you can buy in most stores may help lessen physical symptoms, such as cramps, headaches, backaches, and breast tenderness. These include:
Some women find that taking an over-the-counter pain reliever right before their period starts lessens the amount of pain and bleeding they have during their period.
Prescription medicines may help if over-the-counter pain medicines dont work:22
- Hormonal birth control may help with the physical symptoms of PMS,12 but it may make other symptoms worse. You may need to try several different types of birth control before you find one that helps your symptoms.
- Antidepressants can help relieve emotional symptoms of PMS for some women when other medicines dont help. Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, or SSRIs, are the most common type of antidepressant used to treat PMS.23
- Diuretics may reduce symptoms of bloating and breast tenderness.
- Anti-anxiety medicine may help reduce feelings of anxiousness.
All medicines have risks. Talk to your doctor or nurse about the benefits and risks.
Hormones And Your Menstrual Cycle
Hormones are specialized chemicals in your body that control a variety of functions, including your menstrual cycle. Estrogen and progesterone are the primary hormones that control female sexual characteristics, reproduction, and your menstrual cycle.
During certain times of the month, these hormone levels increase. This fluctuation, combined with ovarian steroids, can change the way you feel mentally, emotionally, and physically.
Along with elevated estrogen and progesterone levels, serotonin levels in your brain may change as your menstrual period approaches. Serotonin is a brain chemical thats responsible for mood, and it could be linked to some of the mood-related changes that are common in the days before and during your period.
Fluctuating hormone and serotonin levels play a role in PMS symptoms, but its not clear exactly what causes these bothersome side effects. Some women may be more likely to have severe symptoms if they have a history of depression, anxiety, or other menstrual conditions.
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Kat A Former Clue Intern Shared Her Personal Experience Of Waiting To Get Her First Period Below
“Periods can be frustrating, messy and sometimes downright painful. Nevertheless, I couldnât wait to get mine. When I was nine, my mom taught me about periods, but stressed that I shouldnât expect mine to start any time soon since she had gotten hers later than average. Still, I was determined that that wouldnât be the case for me.
When I was 10, I woke up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom, looked down, and finally, a little spot of blood! The wait was over! I was a grownup now, ready to tackle anything! I rushed down the hall to tell my mom who gave me a pad with an unconvinced look on her face. That night I was almost too excited to sleep, knowing what I could tell all my friends in the morning. You can imagine my despair when there was not a hint of red to be seen, only a small cut on my upper thigh. False alarm.
Throughout elementary and middle school I had to sit through various puberty talks and was given countless handfuls of pads and tampons from sex ed teachers âjust in case.â I had to watch all of my friends come into school ready to spill the details of where they were and how they felt now that they were âa real woman.â I wasnât as physically mature as they were but I felt absolutely sure that this milestone would make me fit in again. Days, months and years passed. I watched everyone develop, claim that they had âsynced up,â and relate to each otherâs symptoms. I felt excluded.
Article was originally published July 26, 2017
Changes To The Cervix
Bleeding between your periods may be caused by changes in the cells of your cervix. This may be due to inflammation, hormonal changes, a Human Papilloma Virus infection or cervical cancer. If you have bleeding between your periods, your doctor will be able to examine your cervix using a speculum and can take a sample of cells for a cervical screening test.
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When Should I See My Doctor
Bleeding between periods is common in fact, it happens to most women at some point during their lives. However, it is not considered normal to bleed frequently in one month, or to bleed between your periods for several months. Bleeding after having sex should always be discussed with your doctor. There are many possible causes for bleeding between periods and a lot of them arent serious, but you should speak to your doctor if you bleed between periods as it can occasionally signal something serious.
How To Treat Pms
- Take ibuprofen or aleve for pain
- Start an oral contraceptive to regulate your period
- Speak with a mental health professional about anti-depressants
Note: Because a drop in hormones causes premenstrual symptoms, some providers encourage patients to take birth control pills continuously and skip the “sugar” or placebo pills. However, talk to your doctor before doing this.
Read Also: When To Test For Pregnancy If Irregular Periods
Is A Cycle Always 28 Days
The average cycle is 28 days but, for some women, it is as short as 21 days, for others it is as long as 35 days. When you first start having periods, it can also take a while before your periods develop a regular pattern. Your cycle also changes as you get older.
Your menstruation cycle stops temporarily when you are pregnant. Breastfeeding also affects your cycle. At the end of menopause, your cycle stops permanently.
My Menstrual Cycle Is Still Irregular Has The Pill Affected My Fertility
Its unlikely the pill has caused any fertility problems, but it can sometimes cover up problems you already have, such as missing periods or PCOS .This is because the pill prevents the ovaries from releasing an egg , so although its normal to experience period-type bleeding on the pill, you dont have a real period.
Contact your GP if youre still having irregular periods 3 months after stopping contraception.
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When Should I See My Healthcare Provider
Your provider should know if your first period arrives early or late. Getting your period before age nine is called precocious puberty. If you havent gotten your period by the time youre 15 , your provider will need to examine the cause. Your provider can prescribe treatments depending on whats delaying your period.
If youre experiencing severe menstrual cramps, your provider can prescribe medications that can help.
When Do Periods Start
Periods start during puberty. The average age for puberty to start in girls is 11, but can be earlier or later.
Periods usually begin at around the age of 12. Some girls will start them later, and some earlier everyone is different. To start with, periods might not happen every month but from the ages of around 16 to 18 most people who menstruate will find their periods are regular.
It can be helpful to keep a note of your period dates and symptoms using a calendar, a diary or an app. This can help you know when to expect your period and have period products with you.
If you havent started your period by around 16 though, its a good idea to see your doctor to find out why it hasnt happened yet. However, a delay in starting periods isn’t usually anything to worry about.
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Causes For An Irregular Period
Dr. Jones:
So what’s abnormal menstruation? And that would be periods that occur less than 21 days or more than 35 days apart. If you miss your periods for more than three cycles, flow that’s much heavier or lighter than usual, periods that last longer than seven days, periods that are accompanied by severe pain, cramping or nausea or bleeding or spotting that happens between your periods or with sex.
You said they came two weeks early. Now, that would be probably less than 21 days, so it means this period was abnormal. But you don’t have to see a doctor for this unless it happens all the time or unless you’re pregnant. So what do you have to see a doctor for?
When To Speak With A Doctor
People may wish to see a healthcare professional if they have PMS symptoms that affect their daily life, if the symptoms occur outside of their period, or if they experience any sudden or dramatic changes to PMS or period symptoms.
If a person expects to have a period, but it does not arrive, it is best to speak with a healthcare professional about the potential causes. They may recommend a pregnancy test if someone could be pregnant or other tests if pregnancy is not the cause.
Heavy bleeding and severe abdominal cramping can indicate pregnancy complications, such as pregnancy loss or ectopic pregnancy. Contact a provider immediately if a pregnant person experiences any of the following symptoms:
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How Do I Choose A Pad Or Tampon That Is Right For Me
There are smaller, slender pads and tampons available that young women often prefer, particularly when they first start menstruating. You may find it helpful to use different products over the course of your period, with more absorbent tampons or pads being used on heavier flow days, and smaller tampons or pantiliners on low flow days. Each woman has her own preferences and whatever works best for your body is just fine!
How To Know When Your Next Period Is Coming
Firstly, you need to know your average cycle length. For this, check the first date when you get your periods.
Add up the number of days between the first day you get your periods and the day before you get your next period. Do this for a number of cycles.
Next, divide the sum total of days by the number of cycles. The result is your average cycle length. Now you can count when your next period is due by counting the average cycle length starting from the last day of your previous cycle.
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Take A Home Pregnancy Test
The cheapest, easiest, most accessible way to confirm youâre pregnant is with a home pregnancy test. This form of testing can identify a positive pregnancy result as early as two weeks after fertilization, making it one of the fastest ways to learn more about your situation. Youâre probably familiar with how the little stick you buy at the supermarket or convenience store worksâyou bring it to the restroom with you, urinate on it, and wait for the results.
The test works by looking for human chorionic gonadotropin in your urineâa hormone your body starts to crank out in large quantities shortly after conception. If you test negative on the first try, many pregnancy tests recommend you check again three to five days later. Why? Because hCG can take several days to build up in your body, the first test may accidentally give you a false negative!
This retest is really important. If your first test suggests youâre not really pregnant , you may not know to reach out to your doctor or physician to get the checkups, vitamins, or medications you need to ensure you and your baby remain healthy. If/when you get a positive resultâwhether itâs on the first, second, or eighth timeâmake sure you take the next step by scheduling a medical visit!
Can I Use My Menstrual Cycle To Predict My Due Date
Yes. You can work out how far along your pregnancy is by counting from the first day of your last period.
This can be confusing because you probably didnt get pregnant until around 2 weeks later, after you ovulated. Even if do you know the date you got pregnant, this is counted as day 14 of your pregnancy , not day 1.
Your pregnancy is calculated from your last menstrual period because every time you have a period this is the bodys way of getting ready for pregnancy. It also gives healthcare professionals a standard to follow because its very difficult to know exactly when the sperm fertilised the egg.
If your period is irregular or if youve recently been on the pill it will be harder to try and work out your due date.
The most accurate way to work out your due date is to have an ultrasound scan when youre around 11 to 14 weeks pregnant. This is used to see how for along you are and check your babys development.
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Are Home Pregnancy Tests A Foolproof Indicator Of Pregnancy
During pregnancy, the body produces human chorionic gonadotropin , which can be detected in the urine. A Home Pregnancy Test checks for the presence of this hormone and declares a positive or negative result. While most home pregnancy tests are considered accurate, it is also dependent on the brand of pregnancy test you choose, as well as the timing of the test. Each pregnancy test brand recognises varying amounts of hCG in the urine. Moreover, hCG levels are low during the initial stages, and gradually increase as the pregnancy progresses. In many instances, you may take the test too early or use a less accurate test, prompting a negative result even when you may be pregnant, also called a false negative result. In some cases, certain drugs, medication, or proteins in the body may cause a false positive result. Hence, it is always best to confirm pregnancy by a doctor, via a blood test.
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Did We Answer Your Question About Pms
For more information about PMS, call the OWH Helpline at 1-800-994-9662 or check out the following resources from other organizations:
- Premenstrual Syndrome Information from the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists
- Premenstrual Syndrome Information from the National Library of Medicine
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