7 Amazing Facts about Periods That Everyone Needs To Know

All women are eager to understand the transformations occurring in their bodies during menstruation. Therefore, discussing menstruation is not unusual, nor is the conversation about it.

It’s crucial to address this life occurrence and dispel the misconceptions, myths, stigma, and prejudices associated with it. 

This post highlights the most interesting facts related to a monthly menstrual cycle. 

Surprising Facts about Periods

1. You Lose a Lot Less Blood Than You Think 

Those sensations and visibility of flowing blood during your periods might make you think that you lose a bucket full of blood in your periods cumulatively. This is not so!

As per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, an average woman loses just 2 to 3 tablespoons of blood during menstruation.

This is because a period flow contains only 36 percent blood and 64 percent other elements, such as tissue, uterine lining, mucus, and blood clots. 

If your period lasts for more than 7 days and you face a heavier flow, you can try calculating your discharge using a menstrual cup.

Multiplying the volume marking by 0.36 will tell the total quantity of blood lost. If it turns out to be 60-80 millimeters or more, it is advisable to visit a gynecologist to check for menorrhagia.

2. Your Periods Aren’t Real if You Use Pills

Just like all that glitter is not gold, all that bleeds is not a period.

The bleeding a woman gets who is consuming birth-control contraceptive pills is different from a menstrual period.

This is because your period on the pill is not due to a natural ovulation, rather it’s just a ‘withdrawal bleeding’, which does not serve any biological purpose. 

The depletion of hormones due to pills causes the thin uterus lining to shed. Since no ovulation happens, the uterus wall does not prepare fully to welcome the baby and no ‘real’ periods occur.

3. Weight Matters 

Fat cells contribute one-third to the estrogen level in a woman’s body. Since estrogen is an important reproductive hormone regulating periods, hormonal imbalances caused due to fluctuations in weight can make your periods irregular and menstrual cramps worse. 

Obese women generally suffer heavier and abnormal bleeding- needing to change their tampons or pads every 1-2 hours.

Periods may get regular for someone who has lost weight after facing infrequent periods due to obesity. However, being underweight can be a problem too. 

Needless to say, thin women have less fat in their bodies which can decrease the levels of estrogen. This means a woman can go longer without ovulating. An extreme form can be amenorrhea which means not having a period for 3 months.

4. Mood Swings are Real

Mood swings, crying spells, insomnia, cramps, low mood, headaches: All seem like angry little ninjas making you lose your cool, don’t they?

Well, this is a real condition, known as Premenstrual syndrome or PMS, that every 3 out of 4 menstruating women goes through. PMS is primarily caused by chemical changes in the brain and cyclical hormonal changes during menstruation. 

Symptoms include psychological signs like anxiety, irrational anger, food cravings, and feeling low, and also physical signs including swollen breasts, acne, constipation, muscle pain, and more.

While it is completely normal for a bleeding woman to experience these symptoms, you should visit a doctor to check for PMDD if you feel your periods notably affect your overall well-being and cause serious mental health issues.

5. Smoking and Alcohol Can Create a Mess 

We know these are harmful to the respiratory system, but guess what, they can make your reproductive health go off-track too!

A higher number of cigarettes smoked translates to more severe menstrual cramps, bloating, backaches, and irritability.

A 2020 study found that using nicotine worsens the symptoms of PMS by one and a half times. Moreover, smoking tends to bring early menopause, a higher risk of irregular ovulation, and therefore lessens the chance of conceiving.

Although a glass of wine might help you relax during periods, it is important to drink judiciously since alcohol spikes estrogen levels, causing a heavier period.

It causes dehydration as well, worsening cramps and making the blood and mucus difficult to pass. In the long run, it can also affect fertility.

6. The Tampon Truth

There’s a whole lot of confusion around using a tampon. Many ladies avoid using it thinking that it is painful or can be upsetting for the vagina.

Many even believe that they will have to remove their tampon to pee or that using a tampon can make one lose their virginity!

These are all misconceptions! If inserted correctly, it will not even cause the slightest pain. Moreover, it does not stretch out your vagina. If the vaginal opening is flexible enough to pass a baby, a tampon is way smaller!

If you are irritated from waking up to see bed sheets resembling a crime scene, there’s no need to feel anxious to try a tampon once or continue using it if you feel comfortable.

7. You Can Get Pregnant While on Your Period 

While periods are a reaction by an upset uterus because it doesn’t get the fertilized egg, there are chances a woman could conceive during one of these less fertile times of the year.

Let us understand how. The typical menstrual cycle, starting with the first day of your period, is of 28 days and ovulation generally occurs on day 14. However, for women with a shorter cycle, it can also happen on days 11,12 or 13. 

Another consideration is that the egg, once released, stays for 12-24 hours while a sperm will stay for 3 days. So, if the sperm remained there and a new ovulation occurred towards the end of your period, bingo- there’s a baby on board! 

Conclusion:

Periods truly are a wild emotional ride every woman experiences every month but it is essential to remember that it reflects womanhood.

It is important to be fully aware of the kind of changes your body goes through, to reduce your misery and lead a healthy, happy lifestyle. 

Modern scientific advancements have eased the lives of people. Clinically-proven period pain relief devices are now a reality.

So, there is no need to designate period pain as an unavoidable element that women have to suffer without any respite. 

Just be kind to yourself and sorry would work for people around you who fell victim to your hormonal imbalances! Happy periods!

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