Periods

What does your period say about you? Does it leave you doubled in pain or do you breeze through it every month? Check out what your menstrual cycle says about your health. Periods are a part of every girl’s life and yet when it’s ‘that time of the month’ we start groaning. So what does your period say about you?

Right on time and Hassle free

If your menstrual cycle occurs at a regular interval every month, with bleeding for three to five days, is relatively free of pain and blood clots, and you need to change your pad just once or twice through the day, your period falls under the ‘normal’ category.

Health: congrats! If you get your period on time, you know that some important things are right with your body. A normal or regular period is usually a sign of good health. It means that your pituitary glands are sending chemical messengers to your ovaries at the right time, and the ovaries are producing hormones on schedule. Simply put, your health is normally.

White Discharge: if your white discharge is thicker right before your period, don’t stress as it’s perfectly normal. So is a change in the number of days your period lasts, provided it’s just one or two days more or less than your regular cycle.

Painful Periods

If your period pain is severe enough to make you cry, you probably suffer from dysmenorrhea. Most women have pain with their periods. The pain can start just before your period or at the beginning of your period and can last for one to three days. However, if you have severe and persistent pain that affects your day to day activities, it’s time to look into the matter. The pain is mostly due to excessive inflammatory chemicals secreted during periods. The pain may also be the result of abnormalities in the genital organs like pelvic inflammatory disease or ovarian cysts.

Health: get an ultrasound test done to rule out ovarian cysts.

A bit Early or Late

If the gap between your periods is shorter than 21 days or longer than 35 days, you have irregular menstrual cycle.

Health: the fluctuation in periods indicates a disturbance in the natural chain of hormonal events that manage menstruation. You may be suffering from hormonal imbalance, which can be treated with the right medicine. Irregular periods can also be because of smoking. Extreme alcohol intake is also a major factor. The other factors responsible for irregular menstrual cycle include extreme weight gain or loss, obesity, mental and physical stress, over exercising, breastfeeding, polycystic ovarian syndrome and poor nutrition.

Solutions: get a simple pelvic sonography done to rule out ovarian problem. Also don’t try self medication, especially emergency contraceptive pills. If you are stressed, find way to relax. Enroll yourself in a yoga class, follow breathing exercises, or simply take small breaks at work. Go easy on alcohol and follow a healthy diet to get your cycle back on track.

Needs Double Pads

A regular period with heavy bleeding is also known as menorrhagia and includes flooding, soaking of bed clothes, passing clots and need for double sanitary protection.

Health: prolonged and continuous menstrual bleeding is not common in healthy women. Heavy bleeding is an indicator that your hormonal balance may be upset. Hormones like oestrogen and progesterone affect menstruation, since they regulate the ovulation process during the cycle. Without a balanced level of these hormones, women are unable to properly ovulate. Other reasons include anxiety, emotional stress and fatigue.

Solutions: prolonged bleeding is likely to be uncomfortable, so it’s important to get it under control. Head for the doctor for an evaluation.

Missed Cycle

If you are suddenly faced with a missed cycle, after having relatively painless, regular periods all your life, you may be pregnant. Take a test, even if you are using contraceptives. If your pregnancy test is negative, it could be a sign something is not right.

Health: there are different reasons for a late or missed period, including premature menopause, stress, illness, hormonal imbalances, or even changing work hours. If it’s not pregnancy consider the other reasons. Certain birth control pills can also cause menstrual cycle disturbances.

Solutions: visit a doctor to establish the exact cause. Make an effort to change your lifestyle to one that is less stressful. It’s all right to miss a period, but if it’s a one time thing. If the problem continues, seek professional help.