Periods

I guess I really am running out of things to write given that I've been hermit-ing in my room for days.

Anyway, for the girls out there who are just starting to go through puberty, I got you. ;D

Frequency

Everyone's body clock is different. Normally periods have a 20-40 days cycle. Mine is about 30+ days so it comes later and later every month but that's normal. I have a friend whose cycle is like 3 months. -_____- Apparently it's genetic. As long as the cycle is regular there is nothing wrong.

PMS

They are very, very real. Secondary school biology will teach you all the names of the changing levels of hormones in your body. If you find yourself getting all moody -sudden bursts of anger, happiness, hilarity etc- then you are most probably experiencing PMS (Pre-Menstrual Syndrome) and your period should come a few days later.

Bigger Boobies

Yes they do get slightly bigger. Part of PMS.

Cramps

Some have it, some don't. If you don't properly take care of your body, you'll get it one day and believe me, it is horrible. I didn't use to have cramps and I took that for granted and continued eating ice cream, drinking cold drinks, and sleeping late and now I have cramps. T^T
Sometimes I forget that it's that time of the month and I'll forget to take precautions. If I slept late or had cold foods the day or the day before my period came, the cramps would be so horrible. It's like someone repeatedly stabbing your uterus (where the womb would be if you're pregnant) (lower than your belly, slightly above your bladder area). Or someone slowly peeling away the walls of your uterus, leaving a bloody mess (this is essentially what is happening inside your body).
So, moral of the story, take care of your body.


Sleepiness

I don't know about others, but this is true for me. I sleep a lot when I'm on my period and get tired really easily.

Body Odour

Your odour becomes really concentrated because of hormonal change. This happens to all animals. If your female dog suddenly smells really strongly, then she's in heat (fertile period).

Pads / Tampons

Please, please use the right type of pads/ tampons. If you know you have a really heavy flow then get the gigantic ones. It is really embarrassing and annoying when you 'leak'. Some friends 'leak' almost every single time and I don't understand why. Can't get bigger pads? Bad positioning?? Bad sitting posture?

On the side note, do you know that pads and tampons are a very recent invention? My mom didn't have them in her school years so they had to stuff big wads of tissue in their underwear instead. And big wads of tissue fall out really easily. The students often find wads of bloody tissue lying on the ground and nobody would dare to go pick it up because how embarrassing is that?? And she was in a co-ed school. Tough times, tough times.


In very conservative countries like India, periods are considered as punishment for girls and is shameful and taboo. Thus they are embarrassed and often use the same piece of cloth, over and over again, without washing because they are too ashamed to wash it in case anyone sees. This is extremely unsanitary and needless to say, the women have contracted many diseases.
Article here (warning: harsh reality)


Alright I hope I shed some light on things regarding menstrual periods. Nothing to be embarrassed about. Half the world population have it or had it, and that's about 3.5 billion now.
University starts next week. GAHHH.

Note: I got all the images from google images search. I must have the weirdest image search history.