Enjoying your periond???

[thefinerthingsinlife]

I have seen on here a few times about how some of you manage to enjoy your periods

I hate every minute of mine. I end up getting really upset about it because it's so heavy and painful.

I really wish I could be more positive about mine, and hopefully that will rub off on dd.

Please can you give me tips on how not to hate my periods.

TIA

actually she is just a v. naughty girl

I honestly don't aspire to love or hate them. I consider myself a feminist but don't see what being feminist has to do with wanting to embrace and celebrate the monthly passing of unwanted blood from my body. They are a reality. I watch out for them as (hopefully) proof that I can have children but otherwise, I'm indifferent. I get a bit irritated if it's particularly heavy and gets in my way.

And if you're in pain then I think you have every right not to feel too happy about them. No one would tell you to celebrate a migraine or the pain of a broken toe.

I don't know about enjoying them, but I know that, even though I don't want any more children, I will be sad when they stop as it will mean that the fertile period of my life will be over.

Anyone read The Red Tent by Anita Diamant? Set in Old Testament times, all the women go and hang out in "the tent" outside the campe when they're on their periods - due to the cleanliness laws of the day etc. The men think they're suffering but in fact it's essentially a week of resting, getting away from the men and the chores and chatting with friends - now if that still happened I might enjoy mine more!

Mooncups scare me a bit. But then I've never gone looking for my own cervix, either, and everyone's doing that apparently

ooh god are they? smear test is quite enough fun for me, it feels weeeeeird.

Yeah I've read it, I liked the aspect of it that celebrates periods. Although of course it's only happening because the patriarchs (Jacob (?) is the main male character) think that menstruation is filthy.

Well I think that's the thing isn't it (re. periods being seen as dirty)?
For me it's not necessarily about enjoying it. And it's not about denying the fact that it can be very painful and inconvenient (and actually, there's been lots of talk on here about the pain during the period but what about the pain and other PMS symptoms prior to the period - my PMS seems to be getting worse and worse and kicks in 2 weeks before my period starts :()
I think it's about a) enjoying/celebrating the fact that periods symbolise our fertility and are an integral part of the amazing things that our bodies are capable of and b) not feeling ashamed or dirty because of our periods.
I'm not going to tell my dd she should enjoy the cramps and the bloody clothes/bedclothes but I'm going to make sure she grows up feeling it's normal and nothing to be ashamed of.

totally agree, RR.

At the same time, I get sooooooooo wound up by the "Have a happy period" adverts. Tell you what, advertising execs, how about I give you severe abdominal bruising, chemical downers, and cause you a non-clotting wound for 1 week out of four, would that bring you jollity? And if it didn't, would a nice absorbent pad to put over the bleeding really cheer you up?

Speaking of which, have a look at this if you haven't already. It's a blessed relief (although the version that features the word "vagina" was banned FGS).

Oh dear, do we have to enjoy them now?

nah, not doing it for me!

I know I will never "enjoy" them, I just dont want to despise them IYSWIM

I don't think I will ever 'enjoy' them, I don't get awful pains but any pain is too much in my book so that puts paid to any 'fun' that might be had with them.

I do love my mooncup though. It's the best of a crap lot of options. I feel comfortable (tampons were never comfortable and made me gag to get them out) and clean (never felt clean with pads) and I can do things like get out the bath or shower and not jump into knickers. I can empty it once in the morning and once in the evening. NO fuss. Love that.

My periods used to be hellish, i used to have really uncontrolable moodswing, i used to vomit and be literally doubled over in pain i aslso used to get really shakey and faint which was probably due to the huge amount of blood i was loosing.

Anyway i had a Merina Coil and i still have periods but they are light and nearly pain free.

I still dont enjoy them but they dont interfere with daily life anymore.

Titsalina I asked about the merina coil, but was told it would be no good as I have a bicornuate uterus.

Umm - tips on how to enjoy your periods.

I can definitely recommend getting a mooncup.

The reasons I like my mooncup:

• Feels more comfortable.

• No yucky slimy tampon which starts to slide down and become unconfortable.

• No yucky smell from tampons.

• You don't have to take anything into the loo with you.

• Cheaper and environmentally friendly.

• You "empty" it much less often than you have to change tampons.

I also think that if you having fairly significant pain which is interrupting your life then you should think about going to your GP or investigating natural alternatives.

I think this is an area where medecine has served women very badly - partially because women have not been encouraged to share stories and because doctors have not paid lots of attention to researching this area.

I believe that changes in diet can help. Apparently in other cultures PMS doesn't really exist. I have a fab book, Overcoming PMS but I have not put the ideas into practice .

everythingiseverything - your story sounds inspirational - can you share more - how did you decide to make your changes and where did the motivation come from and over what timescale did you do this?

er but don't you have to cook it on the stove occasionally? I live part time in a houseshare and I can't see that going down particuarly well Or have I got the wrong end of the cup stick?

elephants you can use milton tablets dissolve in water in a bowl in the privacy of your own room! Or wait and do the "boiling" at a later date - but before next use!

ah right. It's making me feel better just imagining the look of horrified puzzlement on housemates faces.

I've coped whilst living in houseshares too - the trick is to put a lid on it, that way everyone just thinks you're cooking pasta

Milton tablets probably a slightly less risky option though...

"Hmm, what's for dinner treacle? ohhhhh...."

thefinerthingsinlife I have similar problems to you, and iron tablets on the days of my period help. I must be getting a bit anaemic by the end of it.

Also I was told never to take ibuprofen-based painkillers for period pain, as they make clotting worse (?). I do not know. I just stick to paracetamol.

I definitely do not enjoy it, but since DS came along I do not have the time to be in pain so much. Going to the toilet with a 2.5 year old in tow is gross though.

That's interesting, gingercat - I remember being shown a study on different painkillers and their effectiveness on period pains, and ibuprofen came out as being the most effective - paracetamol was equal with the placebo. But then, that was just one study and I'm sure it differs between people.

It's only the nurofen plus that work for me (ibruprofen +codeine) - my doctor explained this as being something to do with relaxing spasms? So not only does it hurt less, but the clenching that causes the pain is actually happening less too.

My friend told me recently that using pads stops pains being as bad, and I have been trying that instead of tampons. Much more messy/inconvenient though.