Is Pre Menstrual Syndrome a Real Condition?

Pre Menstrual Syndrome (often shortened to PMS) is a real condition that affects your sexual and emotional wellness and wellbeing. It usually starts a few days before your period, when your jeans start to feel too tight, your head aches and you feel like crying for no reason at all. You may also find that you are snapping at people for no reason whatsoever. If this happens to you, you are not alone – many women experience the same symptoms every month, but the good news is that there are ways to help you alleviate the symptoms.

 

Premenstrual Syndrome can also cause body aches, tiredness and lead to diarrhea or constipation. Some women suffer from breast tenderness and many have a few spots that appear around this time of the month, too. Nobody knows exactly what causes PMS, but it is thought that the fluctuating levels of hormones are to blame. Oestrogen and progesterone begin to drop around two weeks before the start of your period.

 

To help reduce the severity of the symptoms of the condition, watch what you eat. Diet is closely linked to how you feel. Avoid salty foods as they can make you retain fluids, which you are especially prone to at this time of the month. Make sure that you get plenty of fruits and vegetables to top up your nutrients and stay away from processed foods such as cakes and sweets.

 

Drink as much water as you can, because being hydrated will help your period to be lighter and less painful and will also help you to avoid water retention. Drinking plenty of clear fluids can help to keep your skin free of blemishes, but avoid caffeinated beverages such as tea or coffee and sodas.

 

You may not feel like doing exercise, but a little gentle exercise can help you to ease stress and reduce any cramps that you experience.

 

Categories: avoid, feel, menstrual, menstrual syndrome, nbsp, period, PMS, pre menstrual, real condition, Symptoms

Menstrual Periods: What Are The Facts You Should Know?

The most significant change for girls during puberty is the start of periods. Menstruation is the turning point in a woman’s life where she develops from a child into a teenager, and among other functions it also means that you can now get pregnant. For many girls, this is unexpected and beginning to bleed is a shock The thought of bleeding from the vagina may frighten some girls and can be a source of embarrassment for some. But it is a natural process that all women go through, and the process the body goes through each month in order to give women the capability to have a child is truly remarkable. Talking to your mum or another adult to get information before your periods start is the best way to be prepared for this change in your life – they will be able to advise you on anything you’re unsure about, and offer information on how to deal with things like menstrual cramps. If you don’t have an adult at home you feel you can talk to, your school teacher or GP can offer advice on the subject.

Your first period usually occurs between the ages of 9 and 16, and lasts for around three to seven days. It then stops until your next period begins, which can be anywhere from 21 to 28 days after your period started. This timeframe varies between women and will be a little irregular to begin with, but it will settle down eventually once your hormones settle. During your menstrual cycle, one of your two ovaries releases a microscopic egg which is known as an ovum. The ovaries are a reproductive organ which measure around one and a half inches long, situated in the lower abdomen with one on each side of your uterus. Ovaries release hormones which control your menstrual cycle. The process in which your ovaries release the egg is known as ovulation, and this invariably occurs in the middle of your cycle, around 12 to 14 days in a 28 day cycle. However, this isn’t a set date and it can be irregular, particularly in the early stages of you having your period.

 

After the egg has been released, it moves through one of the fallopian tubes which are attached to the top of the uterus and lead to the ovaries. At the same time as the egg making its journey through the tubes, the body tissues and blood cells begin to line the walls of the uterus. This material develops to a spongy lining that will eventually protect the egg if it is fertilised; it will shed as your period if you do not get pregnant. But what is amazing about the human body is that you won’t feel any of this happening; it occurs within the body. If you were to have sex during this time, and a sperm fertilised the egg on its way through the fallopian tubes, the egg would continue on its journey into the uterus and embed itself into the spongy lining. You would, at this stage, be pregnant. But if this doesn’t happen, as previously stated, a different set of hormones are released and the lining gently falls away.This is referred to as your menstrual flow or period, and is sometimes accompanied by slight cramping in the lower abdomen for some women. However, the severity of this and the length in which it lasts varies with each woman.

Categories: body, Fallopian Tubes, hormones, menstrual, menstrual cycle, ovaries, ovaries release, period, Periods, spongy lining, Women

Period Drama: What To Expect from Menstruation

Of all the signs that you’re becoming a woman, getting your period is probably the biggest. Starting menstruation not only affects your sexual health – i.e. enabling you to get pregnant – but it can also be a confusing time, and have an impact on your mental wellness. While some of your friends may be excited to start their periods, others are probably feeling afraid or anxious about it. However, you’ll feel more positive about your wellbeing once you know more about your reproductive system and what actually happens during the menstrual cycle.

 

Girls can start having periods from the age of eight up to 17, but most girls tend to get them between 11 and 14. Generally, you can expect to get your first period about two to two-and-a-half years after your breasts have begun to develop. Also, roughly six months before your periods start, you might notice that you have an increased amount of clear vaginal discharge. This discharge is common, and you have no need to worry about it unless it has a strong odour or causes itchiness.

 

About once a month, a tiny egg leaves one of your ovaries (which sit on either side of your uterus, or womb, and contain thousands of eggs, or ova). This process is called ovulation, and lets one of your eggs travel down the fallopian tubes and on its way to your uterus. A few days before this, your body’s oestrogen levels will stimulate your uterus to get ready for a pregnancy. The uterus builds up its lining with extra blood and tissue, making then thick and cushioned. If a sperm then fertilises the egg, it travels to your uterus and attaches to these cushiony walls, so it can slowly develop into a baby.

 

However, as you ovulate every month, most of the time the egg will not be fertilised by a sperm (which happens during unprotected sex) and will not attach to the wall of your uterus. When this happens, your uterus needs to get rid of the extra tissue lining and will shed the blood, tissue and unfertilised egg. When this goes through the vagina and out of the body, it is a menstrual period. This will continue to happen almost every month unless you become pregnant, in which case you get nine months off! You continue to have periods until you reach menopause (which happens, on average, at the age of 52).

 

All girls are different, meaning their menstrual cycles will last for different lengths of time and the actual periods will vary. Your menstrual cycle starts on the first day you have a period, continues during the time you’re bleeding and lasts up until your next period. After your first period, you might find your menstrual cycle lasts anywhere between 21 and 45 days and, after a couple of years, cycles shorten to an adult length of 21-34 days. It’s common to have irregular cycles when you’re just beginning to menstruate, as your body is getting used to all the changes. Cycles usually become more regular after a year or two, but some women do have irregular periods into adulthood. It’s it’s a good idea to keep track of your menstrual cycle with a calendar.

 

In terms of how long your actual period will last, this also varies. For some girls it’s a case of two or three days, while others can last up to seven. Your menstrual cycle, or how how much blood comes out of your vagina, can vary widely from girl to girl, too. Most teens will change pads three to six times a day, with more frequent changes when their period is heaviest, usually at the start of the period. If you’re concerned about starting your period or that you’re losing too much blood, talk to a nurse or GP for more information.

Categories: cycle, menstrual, menstrual cycle, period, Periods, puberty, uterus