Information To Raise Awareness About The Menstrual Cycle And Menstrual Health; Do you know that the menstrual cycle repeats 450 times throughout its life? While the menstrual cycle, which is an integral part of the life of every woman with a healthy reproductive system, has similar characteristics in individuals with female bodies and female reproductive organs, it can also manifest itself in different situations that we all experience uniquely.
Many differences that can be seen in the menstrual cycle, such as the menstrual cycle being too long or short, menstrual irregularities, premenstrual tension called PMS (premenstrual syndrome), may raise questions about how much of it is ‘normal’ and how much can indicate health problems. Menstrual symptoms, which may manifest themselves with intolerable cramps in some months or with bleeding that lasts much longer, may not appear at all in some months, and it may cause you to be confused about how much of these changes in the menstrual cycle are normal and at which point they can be a sign of bad health.
Unbearable cramps, sudden changes in mood, unexplained pains, sudden cravings for sweets, bloating, irregular bleeding, gynecologists who make different recommendations each time, birth control pills… Even talking about menstrual health, which is an integral part of women’s life cycle, is still taboo today. We have brought together the issues that every woman should know, talk, research and raise awareness about health.
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Menstrual health is about the entire menstrual cycle, not just the bleeding phase. Although the first thing that comes to mind when most of us think of the menstrual cycle is the 3-7 day period when bleeding occurs, menstrual health is about the entire 28-day menstrual cycle, and the bleeding period is only a small piece of the puzzle.
The menstrual cycle consists of 4 phases, which you can find in detail below, and in addition to the menstrual phase when bleeding occurs, the entire body undergoes changes with hormonal changes during periods such as the follicular phase and ovulation phase. Therefore, observing what is going on in your body at every stage, being conscious of the changes and observing the differences in your own cycle, is extremely important for you to reach feminine wisdom and to get to know yourself and your body better.
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Tracking your cycle progress improves your menstrual awareness
Although it may seem challenging to follow the menstrual cycle day by day and to be aware of the changes your body is going through, it is an important habit to gain when it comes to maintaining your menstrual health. Moreover, with mobile applications such as Pepapp, Menstrual Calendar, and Clue, it is possible to easily observe how all the situations that affect your general health and quality of life, from your exercise routine to your diet, from your sleeping habits to your mood, change during your cycle, and you can improve your quality of life by arranging your routines according to your cycle.
The menstrual cycle is calculated as the time from the first day of bleeding to the beginning of the next menstrual bleeding. Normally, almost every woman experiences a menstrual cycle that ranges from 21 to 35 days in length. If there is intermittent bleeding and excessive bleeding outside of this order, or if the time period between two bleedings is prolonged, this is considered as menstrual irregularity. Although everyone’s menstrual cycle length, body changes in each phase, and the symptoms brought by hormonal changes are different, knowing the possible situations and changes that may occur in the 4 main phases of an average 28-day menstrual cycle can help you be more prepared:
Menstrual phase
In the menstrual phase, which covers an average of 5 days (can vary between 3-7 days) during which bleeding occurs, the body enters the resting and regeneration process. Consumption of light and nutritious fruits and vegetables that do not disturb the digestive system, resting and sleeping abundantly when feeling tired, calm yoga flows such as walking or vinyasa, which will relax the body instead of intense and fast exercises, will help you meet your body’s needs during this period. might help.
Follicular phase
When the bleeding ends, the body, which is rested and renewed in the follicular phase, which covers a period of 7-10 days, is ready to reconnect with the outside world, to produce and to spend energy. As hormone levels begin to rise, your productivity, creativity, and life energy begin to rise. Socializing, connecting with the outside world, and doing exercises that require bodily energy can help you feel more balanced during this period.
Ovulation phase (ovulation)
It may be easier than ever to work long hours, start a new project, and solve the problems you may encounter during the ovulation phase, which is a period when you will feel incredibly productive with the increase of both estrogen and luteinizing hormone. In addition to strength and resistance training, excessive movement and energy expenditure can increase your appetite, so getting enough carbohydrates, healthy fiber and fat can help your body come into balance.
Luteal phase
In the luteal phase, which is one of the most unpopular phases of the menstrual period, unpleasant symptoms such as sudden mood swings, inexplicable bodily pains or a feeling of fatigue, also called PMS, can be observed because the estrogen hormone is at its lowest levels. In this phase, where it is important to relax and be flexible both physically and mentally, being kind to yourself and calming and slowing practices such as meditation that will make it easier for you to return to your inner self will make you more prepared for the menstrual phase by passing this phase more easily.
The birth control pill is not the only option for a regular menstrual cycle. If you have gone to the doctor with menstrual irregularity problem at any time in your life or if you are faced with a situation that many women experience, such as polycystic ovary syndrome, you may be using birth control pills with the recommendation of your doctor to regulate your cycle.
However, there are many different treatment methods such as NuvaRing, hormone injections, birth control pills recommended for menstrual irregularity and related problems, and it may not always be easy for you to realize that they can bring the most harmless, natural and most effective solution for you.
It is a very personal decision for you to decide which hormone therapy or other birth control methods you can use to relieve symptoms such as pain, pain and menstrual irregularity is best for you. The method that is right for your best friend or even your gynecologist may not be right for you. Whether you choose hormonal birth control or a hormone-free method, explore all your options. Try to understand the root cause of any symptoms you think may be related to your menstrual cycle, listen to the opinions of different experts and do not hesitate to talk to your doctor about the methods that may be best for you, research about alternative methods and ask questions.
It is perfectly normal that you cannot develop body wisdom and awareness, and that you cannot always understand your body.
Like everything else in life, our body is in constant change and development. Therefore, with each new day we wake up, we can notice and learn new things about our body that we were never aware of before. We can develop new allergies, witness our oily skin turning into dry skin for years, or experience severe pain that we have never experienced before.
Moreover, not only our body, but also environmental factors such as changes in nature, seasonal changes, weather conditions, environmental pollution, working under intense stress can noticeably change the functioning of the body. The menstrual cycle is naturally affected by this dynamic change process in which the body is involved, and no matter how well you know your body, it is perfectly normal to encounter dozens of different situations in your menstrual cycle that you cannot understand and have never experienced before, no matter how advanced your body awareness is.
Of course, many of us try to find the right birth control method, develop methods to relieve menstrual pain, explore our sexuality in a social order where everything related to sexuality is taboo, or develop our feminine wisdom by sharing our individual experiences about our menstrual cycle with each other. In an environment where women’s reproductive and sexual health cannot be talked about easily, do not feel guilty for things you struggle with, feel uncomfortable or do not know.
Information To Raise Awareness About The Menstrual Cycle And Menstrual Health; Rather, encourage yourself to educate, talk, and share about your body and your individual choices. Do not be afraid to ask questions and express yourself clearly. Liberate and liberate all the women around you by accepting and normalizing your menstrual cycle, which is as natural as breathing, sleeping and eating and is a part of your biological cycle, and supporting your perception with your behavior.
PMS symptoms may be your body’s way of communicating with you. While developing ways to deal with severe cramps and pain is essential to establishing a more comfortable, comfortable and healthy menstrual cycle, try not to lose sight of the big picture by focusing only on relieving symptoms. Getting down to the source of the symptoms and trying to understand the causes of your bodily sensations can help you anticipate many conditions related to your general health.
Stress, frequency of sexual activity, diet, even the weather can be the source of symptoms triggered by changes in your menstrual cycle. Therefore, menstrual bleeding does not mean that you are ‘sick’ or ‘dirty’. Only the changes experienced throughout the body during the menstrual cycle determine how much of your existing symptoms appear.
Especially during periods when PMS symptoms are felt intensely, the inner wall of your uterus is literally dissolved and thrown out of your body, and an egg is released into your uterus every month. Although this biological event in the body happens every month, it is a very energy-consuming process and you should not beat yourself up because you cannot be productive at work, your exercise performance decreases or you cannot control your emotions during this process.
Going inside, accepting your body as it is, celebrating the power of creation and production that it offers you, focusing only on yourself and your body’s needs can strengthen the bond you establish with yourself and alleviate unwanted symptoms during the unpleasant phases of your cycle.
You are the only person who knows and understands your body best and knows its needs best. No matter how expert you are, at the end of the day, the only person who can know your body better than a doctor and understand what it needs is yourself. You may be experiencing severe pain in your menstrual cycle, bleeding heavily, or feeling helpless and frightened in an extremely irregular cycle. However, at the end of the day, almost all the biological processes in your body are not for self-destruction or harm, but rather to meet their own needs in the most effective way.
Therefore, be aware that everything that happens in your menstrual cycle is connected with other systems of your body or your habits, even if it disturbs you and negatively affects your quality of life. In addition to trying to reduce the problems you encounter in your menstrual cycle, write down all the symptoms you feel day by day and share them with your doctor and shape together with your own notes what you can do to regulate the flow in your cycle.
Take care of your body and your cycle with the awareness that you should be completely in charge of everything related to your own body. Your body, your decision!
