We Asked The Buzzfeed Community To Share Superstitions About What People Shouldn’t Do While Menstruating And We Heard From More Than 6000 Of You From Around The World
As many of you pointed out in your submissions, some of these aren’t widely believed today. None of the responses should be taken to speak for an entire country, culture, group, or religion there are, of course, many diverse beliefs and practices within each. But here are some of the things readers shared.
Donts During Your Menstrual Period
During a menstrual period, the body sheds some outermost parts of the uterine lining.
Although a natural process, women usually experience discomforts such as depressive moods, painful cramps, breast tenderness, irritability, and bloating.
When the scenario is worse in your case, try to modify your daily diet during the period.
How Does Eating Citrus Affect Your Period
As mentioned, water with a twist of lemon increases your vitamin C intake and helps you stay hydrated. Fresh-squeezed juices and blended smoothies are awesome foods to eat on your period as long as you minimize the sugar content. Fruit contains plenty of natural sugars, so theres no need to add more.
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Dont Feel You Have To Skip Cake
Your hormones are running riot and your pain threshold is at its lowest, says Jodie Hughes endometriosis research advisor and founder of Endometriosis South Coast, who works with period patch brand Beyou. If you want that piece of cake, eat it! If you feel the need to cry all day and purge your feelings, do it. Do whatever comes naturally without judgement and be kind to yourself. Pain during periods is so high it can cause all of the emotions and feelings to come to the surface. Sit with them and look on them with acceptance.
Avoid: Foods With A High Salt Content
Canned soups, bacon, and chips are foods to avoid during periods as they are high in salt. The hormone responsible for menstruation already causes water retention and a high salt diet will cause a gassy, bloating feeling. If you are someone who feels particularly sluggish, lazy and generally uncomfortable around your period, then you must really take a good hard look at the amount of salt you consume.
Tip: Instead, opt for simple dal-chawal with yogurt or toss up a salad. Be mindful of what youre eating and eat in moderationespecially when youre on your period.
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Do Skip Your Usual Latte
A good coffee can be one of the greatest joys in life, but go easy on caffeine when youre on your period, advises Tania Adib, consultant gynaecologist at tampon and towel brand . Caffeine can make your cramps worse as it can constrict your blood vessels.
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How Do I Know If Im Ovulating
A few days before you ovulate, your vaginal mucus or discharge changes and becomes more slippery and clear. This type of mucus helps sperm move up into your uterus and into the fallopian tubes where it can fertilize an egg. Some women feel minor cramping on one side of their pelvic area when they ovulate. Some women have other signs of ovulation.
Luteinizing hormone is a hormone released by your brain that tells the ovary to release an egg . LH levels begin to surge upward about 36 hours before ovulation, so some women and their doctors test for LH levels. LH levels peak about 12 hours before ovulation.1 Women who are tracking ovulation to become pregnant will notice a slight rise in their basal temperature around ovulation. Learn more about tracking ovulation to become pregnant.
Dont Issue Ultimatums And Threats
Look, this is a hard topic and emotions will be high. But try as much as you can not to act rashly and issue hard threats or ultimatums to try to control the persons behaviour.
Telling your loved one youll cut them off if they dont stop using drugs or alcohol isnt the way to support them through recovery.
Positive reinforcement is more likely to work than issuing threats or demands, said Nick.
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When You Have Your Period You Could Literally Start Tripping
Itâs normal to feel somewhat off when you start your menstrual cycle. After all, your body is going through a lot, and with all the pain, pimples, and cravings coming your way, you might not feel like yourself for a few days when you have your period. However, did you know what when you have your period, your body might cause you to be clumsier? As strange as it sounds, itâs true.
Gynecologist Alyssa Dweck, MD, who teaches at the department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Science at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine, told Health that feeling off while walking is ânot an uncommon complaint from my patients.â Yes, your period can make you clumsy. âIt might be because of increased fatigue during this time, water retention thatâs throwing your center of gravity off, or the hormonal imbalance,â Dweck shared. Additionally, all that water retention during your period might make your contacts fit differently, which doesnât exactly help your balance either.
When Should I Have Sex To Conceive
Conception can happen after unprotected sex as early as five days before ovulation. This is because some sperm can live that long inside female reproductive organs.
If youre trying to conceive, the best times to have sex are:
- In the three days before ovulation: In this scenario, sperm will be waiting for the egg to come down the fallopian tube.
- At ovulation or within 24 hours of ovulating: Your egg lives for only 24 hours, so if you have unprotected sex during this time, your egg may end up waiting for sperm to reach it, or they may run into each other in your fallopian tubes.
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When Does A Girl Usually Get Her First Period
The average age for a girl in the United States to get her first period is 12.6This does not mean that all girls start at the same age.
A girl may start her period anytime between 8 and 15. The first period normally starts about two years after breasts first start to develop and pubic hair begins to grow. The age at which a girls mother started her period can help predict when a girl may start her period.
A girl should see her doctor if:
- She starts her period before age 8.
- She has not had her first period by age 15.
- She has not had her first period within three years of breast growth.
Get more information for girls about getting their period at girlshealth.gov.
Where Do You Massage For Menstrual Cramps
Massages may reduce uterine spasms by relaxing the uterus. In order to most effectively manage period cramps, massage therapy should focus on the abdominal area.
When should you get a self fertility massage?
the ideal time to have fertility massage is the end of menses to ovulation. This is commonly from day 7 to day 14 of your cycle. . with IUI the ideal time for fertility massage is from menses to ovulation & insemination.
What is the best time of ovulation to get pregnant?
Understanding your menstrual cycle Youre most fertile at the time of ovulation , which usually occurs 12 to 14 days before your next period starts. This is the time of the month when youre most likely to get pregnant.
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How Often Should I Change My Pad Tampon Menstrual Cup Sponge Or Period Panties
Follow the instructions that came with your period product. Try to change or rinse your feminine hygiene product before it becomes soaked through or full.
- Most women change their pads every few hours.
- A tampon should not be worn for more than 8 hours because of the risk of toxic shock syndrome
- Menstrual cups and sponges may only need to be rinsed once or twice a day.
- Period panties can usually last about a day, depending on the style and your flow.
Use a product appropriate in size and absorbency for your menstrual bleeding. The amount of menstrual blood usually changes during a period. Some women use different products on different days of their period, depending on how heavy or light the bleeding is.
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Why Should I Keep Track Of My Menstrual Cycle
If your periods are regular, tracking them will help you know when you ovulate, when you are most likely to get pregnant, and when to expect your next period to start.
If your periods are not regular, tracking them can help you share any problems with your doctor or nurse.
If you have period pain or bleeding that causes you to miss school or work, tracking these period symptoms will help you and your doctor or nurse find treatments that work for you. Severe pain or bleeding that causes you to miss regular activities is not normal and can be treated.
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Skip The Morning Coffee
Caffeine might make the world go round, but drinking it while on your period can make your cramp significantly worse. Drinking caffeine-filled drinks like tea and coffee can increase your estrogen levels, which can make PMS symptoms worse. Save yourself the trouble and avoid caffeine-heavy food and drinks when you’re on your period.
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What Types Of Exercise Are Best Across My Cycle And Why
If youre someone with a period, you might have heard a lot of different information about when to exercise and what types of exercises are best across your cycle.
Feeling a bit confused? So are most people. Lets simplify it!
Basically, studies have found that whilst changing hormone levels across your cycle can affect your energy levels and exercise performance, theres nothing to say dont exercise. Also, keeping physically active can help to reduce symptoms of PMS.
Heres some ideas to help you get the most out of your workouts and nurture your body across your cycle.
How Do I Tell My Mom Or Dad That I Got My First Period
It’s normal to feel a little shy about sharing this bit of news. In some families, talking about body stuff might seem like no big deal. With this kind of family, they might take you out to dinner to celebrate your period!
Other families might be more private, so it can be hard to know exactly what to say or whom to tell.
But this news needs to be shared, at least with one grown-up in the family. You might just pull the person aside and say it clearly, like this: “I got my first period today. Do you think you can help me get some supplies?”
If brothers and sisters find out, they might tease you a bit. Just tell them that it means you’re getting older.
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Why Isnt My Period Regular
It can take a few years from the time a girl starts menstruating for her body to develop a regular cycle. Even then, whats regular varies girls cycles can range from 21 to 45 days.
Changing hormone levels might make your period short one month and more drawn out the next. You might skip a month, get two periods almost right after each other, have a really heavy period, or one so light you almost dont notice it.
All this irregularity can make planning for your period a real hassle. Try to keep track of when your last period started, and guess that about 4 weeks from that day you could be due for another. If youre worried about wearing that cute dress and suddenly starting your period at school, just make sure you pack protection. Carry a pad or tampon in your backpack, and wear a pantiliner to handle the first wave.
When it comes to periods, every girls body has a unique timeline for getting on track. If your period still has not settled into a relatively predictable pattern after 3 years, or if you were having regular periods and then become irregular or have no period for a couple of months, make an appointment with your doctor to check for possible problems.
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Will I Have Periods Forever
You wont have a period for the rest of your life, but youll probably have it for quite some time.
Most people will have a menstrual period until they go through menopause. Menopause occurs when the hormones that increased to trigger your first period begin to decrease.
Menopause typically begins between ages 45 to 55.
Stress and other underlying conditions can also cause your period to stop.
If you begin experiencing any unusual symptoms alongside a missed period, talk to a doctor or other healthcare provider.
If you want to stop having a period, you may consider talking to your healthcare provider about hormonal birth control.
Certain forms allow you to skip your period whenever you like or stop it entirely.
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Fried Foods Are The Enemy
This sounds like a no-brainer, but sometimes you just can’t help but crave a slice of pizza, pile of French fries, or doughnuts on your period. That’s totally fine, but fried foods can actually cause inflammation, which may be linked to increased pain during your period, according to a study by the Department of Nutrition, University of North Carolina at Greensboro. Thankfully, you can reduce your painful period cramps by opting for a snack free of grease.
Forget You Have Your Period
Lets face it. We act different and feel different when we have our period. There is no way around it and pretending that we dont have our period can make us more miserable and more out of sync with our bodys natural rhythms than if we just succumb to spending the day in bed. Instead, we should prepare for our period by stocking up on pads and tampons, buying healthy snacks to eat in bed, and even taking out a few books from the library to read when nothing else seems to make us happy.
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/8refined Carbs And Sugar
Your blood sugar fluctuates a lot when you are menstruating. If you consume more sweetener during this phase, it adds fuel to fire. Your blood sugar level will rise and drop drastically. Additionally, sugar is inflammatory and can increase cramping and you surely do not want this to happen. Refined sugar also causes your body to retain sodium and water, which leads to bloating and mood swings.
What Is The Menstrual Cycle
The menstrual cycle is the monthly hormonal cycle a females body goes through to prepare for pregnancy. Your menstrual cycle is counted from the first day of your period up to the first day of your next period. Your hormone levels usually change throughout the menstrual cycle and can cause menstrual symptoms.
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What Are The Pressure Points To Relieve Menstrual Cramps
Starts here1:17How to Relieve Menstrual Cramps with Acupressure YouTubeYouTube
Does massage help menstrual cramps?
Massages may reduce uterine spasms by relaxing the uterus. In order to most effectively manage period cramps, massage therapy should focus on the abdominal area. But a full body massage that reduces your overall stress may also help to relieve menstrual cramps.
Changes In Your Periods
Your periods can change for example, they may last longer or get lighter. This does not necessarily mean there’s a problem, but it does need to be investigated.
You can see your GP, or visit your nearest women’s clinic or contraceptive clinic.
Bleeding between periods, bleeding after having sex, or bleeding after the menopause needs to be checked by a doctor.
It might be caused by an infection, abnormalities in the neck of the womb or, in rare cases, it could be cancer.
You could be pregnant if you miss a period and you’ve had sex. See your GP if you’ve taken a pregnancy test and the result is negative and you’ve missed 3 consecutive periods.
They will investigate the cause and recommend any necessary treatment.
Read more about stopped or missed periods.
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