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

What Everyone Ought to Know About Sex During Periods

During menstruation, many people do not feel sexual at all and so refrain from having intercourse. Others may worry that their wellness and wellbeing may be compromised by having sex when they are on their periods. This feeling can come from folklore, tradition or religion, or simply a feeling that it is ‘not right’. In some traditional households, women are not allowed to pray, touch anything holy or go anywhere that is thought to be ‘near God’ when they are menstruating.

 

Nevertheless, many people do not fully understand about having sex during their period, and wonder if intercourse during their period means that they will not fall pregnant. In truth, the chances of falling pregnant during your period are minimal, because your body is shedding the lining of the uterus, and even if the unfertilized egg happened to be present, it would be unlikely to stick. The hormones are not generally conducive to pregnancy during your period, either. This does not mean that it is impossible, however, and you should still take every precaution to make sure that pregnancy does not occur. You are also even more susceptible to sexually transmitted diseases during your period, making condoms even more of a necessity.

 

Many women suffer from painful cramps and bloating during their periods, and may also suffer from mood swings. This may make sex the last thing that they feel like doing, and that is perfectly normal. It is interesting to note, however, that sex when you are on your period is actually more intense, as your sexual organs are engorged, leading to increased sensitivity and better orgasms.

 

IF you do have sex whilst on your period you may find that the contractions of the uterus and the hormones in the semen cause your period to ‘speed up’ and that the whole thing is over much quicker than you might expect.

Categories: Menstruation, nbsp, period, Periods, Sex, suffer, uterus

Contraception Caution: The Side Effects of Copper T

Even though there are plenty of contraceptive methods around these days, it’s hard to tell which one is best for your sexual wellness. Most of us opt for the Pill and/or a condom, but other methods may be better for your family planning needs. One such device is the copper T, which has a failure rate of less than 1%, but still with any new sexual health device, you need to take care of your wellbeing and watch out for certain side effects. Though the adverse outcomes of the copper T tend to fade away with time, you should consult your GP before you have the device inserted. Let’s take a look at the potential side effects of the copper T.

 

1. Severe bleeding and cramps: Many women who have the copper T inserted complain of bleeding in between periods, as well as severe cramps – but these can be subdued with simple painkillers like ibuprofen. Heaving bleeding during your menstrual cycle and clotting between periods is also a common complaint, and can last for a few months after the device is inserted. These initial pains are often regular and severe, but once these subside you should be experiencing less bleeding and cramping than you had before you began using the copper T. In very rare cases, however, the excess bleeding continues for longer.

 

2. Allergies: If you’re one of a few, rare cases, insertion of copper T can cause you to experience irritation, itching and rashes in the vaginal area. As you might assume from the name of the device, it is covered with a copper coating which doctors believe is the main cause of allergies in these cases. The best way to stop this from happening is to work out whether or not you’re allergic to copper before you have the device inserted. This is vital, as the infection can spread to your fallopian tubes and cause real damage. If you are allergic, have the copper T removed at once and instead go for a hormonal IUD.

 

3. Rejection: Again, this is a rare one but some women find that the device is rejected and ejected by the vagina, all by itself. However, if your uterus pushes out the copper T, you’re at a high risk of getting pregnant as it is very difficult to trace or even notice if and when this has occurred. This is why you HAVE to get regular check ups done every year to make sure your copper T is where it needs to be.

 

4. Cuts in the uterus: The device has been known to cause perforation in the uterus, which means that you need to have the copper T removed immediately. If an emergency removal does not take place, the copper T can automatically move to your other organs, which may mean that you have to have surgery to retrieve it. If, at any stage after getting a copper T fixed inside your uterus, you start to feel any discomfort, you could notify your doctor as soon as possible and go for an internal check up.

 

5. Increased risk of miscarriage and infertility: If you get pregnant while using copper T, you have a high chance of miscarriage as this means the egg has been fertilised somewhere outside the uterus wall. This causes an array of complications and, ultimately, the loss of the foetus. If you suspect pregnancy, you should get it checked immediately and have the device removed if you are expecting. Also, as copper T works by causing inflammation of the uterine lining, it can contribute to secondary infertility later on as the inflammation can produce scar tissue in your uterus, which can make it hard for a baby to implant successfully.

Categories: copper, Copper T, Device, device inserted, miscarriage, rare cases, Side Effects, uterus