If you menstruate, it’s crucial to learn more about how alcohol can affect your period. Drinking alcohol is a common activity, but it can have disruptive impacts on your body during menstruation.  

Further, there are many misconceptions about vaginal health, reproductive well-being, and menstruation. With such pervasive myths, it’s difficult to know how to best care for yourself during your cycle — which, for many people, is already a challenging and painful time.

Learning more about alcohol consumption during menstruation will empower you to make the best possible decisions for your reproductive health. Here’s what you need to know.

The world is full of health misinformation. You probably already know this. What you likely don’t know is how much this misinformation harms women. Common knowledge regarding birth control, menstruation, and hormonal health is often factually inaccurate and damaging to women’s health. The following will focus on one area of women’s health specifically: periods. In particular, what to do when you have a particularly painful period.

If there is one thing that women dread every month, it’s their menstrual cycle. Not only do they not look forward to this time, but they also have to worry about preparing for it too, as crazy as that may sound. The overall cycle can last anywhere from 1-7 days, if not more, so preparing for menstrual cycles allows women to get their minds and bodies ready. Although your period may bring you down and make you feel like you are not yourself, there are some tricks you can do to help you feel better.

Anticipating your menstrual cycle can take a toll on you, but it is something that your body will thank you for. The preparation may consist of eating healthy before you crave all those sweet snacks, stocking up on the essentials like pads and tampons, and getting your mind ready to take on another cycle. If you are someone looking to improve how you get ready for your period, keep reading!

Hormone fluctuation is a natural part of every female’s menstrual cycle. When you feel changes in your mood, energy, food cravings, and more, it’s often your body communicating the shifts it’s experiencing. When you begin to track your cycle, you can better understand how hormonal changes impact your body and take proactive measures to keep yourself in tip-top shape.

Premenstrual syndrome (PMS) can cause various symptoms for those who experience a period. Mood swings, irritability, cramping, bloating, pelvic pain, and even teen and adult acne are some of the more common symptoms. However, the changes that the body goes through during the menstrual cycle can result in numerous other issues, which primarily stem from the changes in hormone levels.

This article will review some of the lesser-known symptoms that can accompany a period, including what causes them and guidance on relieving them.

Lyme disease is one of the most common tick-borne illnesses in the U.S. and Europe. Caused by certain species of bacteria, including Borrelia burgdorferi, Lyme disease leads to various short-term and long-term symptoms.

Despite being a common bacterial infection, Lyme disease is difficult to diagnose. That is because many Lyme disease symptoms overlap with those of other illnesses, such as fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome and rheumatoid arthritis.

Managing the symptoms of Lyme disease can be particularly difficult for women. Fluctuating hormone levels throughout the menstrual cycle can lead to sudden flare-ups. Symptoms such as depression, anxiety, insomnia and body ache can worsen when a female patient is menstruating.

For many women, menstruation is the reason why they don’t travel as much because it's not very convenient to be on the road when they’re on their periods especially with the discomfort. In reality, you can actually travel on your period and minimize the inconvenience if you make a good plan.

Here is a step-by-step guide on how to travel on your period.

Noticing a pattern in your behavior during certain times of the month that you don’t seem to be able to control regardless of what else is going on in your life? You’re not the only one. Experiencing bouts of depression  in the lead up to getting your period, along with all of the many symptoms that go with it, is actually perfectly normal but that doesn't mean you can’t do anything about it. Read on to understand what exactly is happening in your body to make you feel like crying every time you hit your luteal phase hits, and what you can do to combat these symptoms. 

You notice some blood spots on your underwear today. You scour your things to find sanitary napkins. You realized you did not buy them when you had your last trip to the grocery. You did not expect your period to come today. You are not tracking it because you never thought of it as essential until you have to take a quick trip to the pharmacy to get your supply of sanitary napkins.

Maybe, you do not have enough reasons to monitor your period. Let us understand why you need to in this article, but let us go through the menstrual cycle first.

Menstruation is never an easy time of the month, however, it can be even worse when one's hormones are out of sync. If the cramps, pain, and general discomfort weren't enough, women who experience prolonged menstruation suffer even more.....

The monthly period comes both with positive and negative aspects. Maybe the negative ones are the most alive in the mind of every woman that suffers from premenstrual syndrome (PMS). These usually include tender breasts, mood swings, intense feelings of irritability and anger, headaches, and many more. It is estimated that between 70 and 90 percent of women have at least one symptom of PMS every month. Which sometimes makes it more difficult to live with.

Many of the symptoms of PMS affect your mental health. But how does this happen? Learn how your mental health is affected by your monthly period by reading the following synthesis.

Flip through any fashion magazine and you’re bombarded with images of “perfect” bodies.  There they are – stick-thin women with perfect hair and makeup, sometimes draped over hunky guys with abs of steel.  Most of us know these images aren’t real life – they’re an advertising ploy designed to sell the latest in fashion or makeup or shampoo. 

What is the perfect body, the perfect weight?  The answer could depend on where you live.  Not all cultures value slender bodies.  According to Bradley University, in Fiji “larger bodies are symbols of health and connectedness to the community.  People who lose a lot of weight or are very thin are regarded with suspicion or pity”.  In Jamaica, “plump bodies are considered healthiest and most attractive”.  In western culture, a lean body is considered the beau ideal.    

Every woman feels differently during her period, but some symptoms are common to all girls. Cramps, bloating, sore breast, getting pimples, or mood swings are among the most common ones. Periods can turn out to be pretty tough, especially if they take you by surprise. It seems that no matter how much you prepare for it, your monthly period always manages to come when you least expect it.

So, how can you make period days more bearable? 

In every woman's life, the challenge of the menstrual cycle and its side effects appear each month.
Even if we tend to think only of its negative aspects, there is beauty and positivity behind this experience.

Menstruation can be transformed into a less traumatic experience following a few simple ground rules. So, if you have ever been in at least one of the uncomfortable situations that occur with the menstrual cycle, we believe that the following tips can be very useful for a much faster and easier transition during this period.

All girls will experience menstruation, as they grow up. Whether they'll get their first period at school, camp, or when Mom isn't around, it can be a scary experience.

While no one has control over when a girl's period will begin, you can prepare your daughter(s) for that day – no matter when that is – and reduce anxiety. Here are six ways to go about this.

Is it just me, or do others feel kind of sluggish and out of shape from those long, long months of fitness centers being closed?  I know there are some exemplary ladies with the self-discipline to carry on an exercise routine on their own.  I’m not one of those.  After a few months of a sporadic routine of half-hearted sit-ups and jumping jacks, it’s time to get back into some regular exercise.

Exercise is a very good thing. The Illinois Department of Public Health has a comprehensive list of the general health benefits of exercise for women and, according to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, “for many women, regular aerobic exercise lessens PMS symptoms”.

If you often curse your monthly cycle for making you feel crampy and crummy for a full week straight (or more), you are not alone nor being unreasonable. Our menstrual cycles not only bring on heightened emotions but are also frequently accompanied by general feelings of uneasiness and sickness that we’d rather not deal with. Here is why and how to handle them......

Dr. Ammar Mahmoud, OB-GYN

Whether you cut your knee or twisted your ankle trying on shoes that were way too high, your first aid kit is always ready. But what about your PMS? This quick guide will tell you everything you need in your premenstrual first aid kit to ensure you’ll have a smooth flow. Especially during the pandemic.

What is pre-menstrual syndrome? 

Some of you may have an app that estimates the date of your monthly menses. Others don’t need an app and can rely on bodily changes. These bodily changes that occur days or weeks before your period are known as premenstrual syndrome (PMS). These symptoms are caused by fluctuations of certain bodily hormones before menstruation. They may be physical or emotional and they often disappear once menstruation begins.

J.B.

Menstruation is the body’s process of discarding blood and tissue from the uterine lining after an egg released during ovulation is not fertilized.  The menstrual discharge, a combination of blood, the unfertilized egg, and uterine lining tissue, often has a slight odor.  This odor may be metallic, due to the presence of iron and blood.

Vaginal secretions at times other than menstruation may also have a slight odor.  This is due to the presence of good bacteria such as lactobacillus, an important organism that plays a role in protecting against urogenital infection. 

If you notice a slight odor (usually a “musky” or “earthy” smell), it’s probably not a cause for concern and the chances are that you’re the only one who notices it.  But if you’d rather it wasn’t there, there are a few things you can do to cut down on it.

Beatrix Potter

It is crazy to think throughout history that when a girl got her period, she was restricted from attending school. Imagine if once a month, you missed an entire week of education simply because your body was participating in something completely natural. You would find yourself behind on assignments and missing out on so many new experiences.

Luckily times are changing, and every day new tools and techniques are invented to help us as women better navigate how to both embrace our femininity and succeed academically and professionally.

Getting your period at school is nothing to be embarrassed about, and honestly, it just makes you more of a boss. So since you know you are going to deal with it no matter what, I want to share just a few tips that will make your experience so much better.

Image source: amyshamblen

The New Year is here and with it comes the resolutions, some of them easier to keep than others.  Common resolutions are to lose weight, quit smoking, save money, exercise more, read more, learn a new skill.  These are all laudable goals.  But how do they affect your period?

Weight Loss

If you’re determined to lose weight to improve your health, that’s awesome!  Rock on, Sister.  But take it easy – don’t expect to lose an extreme number of pounds quickly and keep them off (no matter what the faddists on the internet have promised you).  It’s actually much healthier to lose a maximum of 1 or 2 pounds a week and gives a much more sustainable reduction in weight.

Is there anything more disheartening than witnessing the monthly return of our period pimples? It seems that even as we stride deeper into adulthood, outbreaks during our time of month is a constant that we just can’t get rid of.

Trust me - the frustration is not only understandable but 100% relatable.

But don’t worry, there is hope. By understanding how our skin works and why period outbreaks are common, we can tackle this problem from the inside out. So first things first, let’s dig deep into the science behind it all.

Kaitlyn Luckow

I remember being in middle school and always so excited to read the next issue of Seventeen Magazine. And the first page I would turn to? Embarrassing period stories.  

I would sit there and giggle, but most importantly, it helped me realize that I wasn’t alone. If these awesome people could make it out of these embarrassing stories still being the badasses that they were, maybe I would be okay.

However, as I’ve gotten older, it has become even more than that. I have realized that these “embarrassing” period stories weren’t embarrassing.

I did a little research into the word “embarrass” and it’s the feeling of discomfort..... 

Samantha Mittelmeier

Since more than 90 percent of women experience at least one PMS symptom prior to the beginning of their period, it’s no surprise that those symptoms are pretty well known. Nearly every woman is familiar with the moodiness, bloating, cramps, headaches, and general discomfort that tend to pop up every 28 days or so.

For most women, these symptoms are relatively minor and are not a significant cause for concern. Others, however, face much more severe complications when their periods roll around each month. Between three and five percent of the menstruating population suffer from a debilitating condition known as premenstrual dysmorphic disorder, or PMDD. This condition is an extension of PMS that includes a range of troubling emotional and behavioral symptoms.

Heather Silvers

Have you ever caught yourself fretting about why your period is late? Before you head to the local pharmacy to pick up a home pregnancy test, it’s best to consider other reasons why your monthly cycle could be off. Not every late period means you’re pregnant. Irregular cycles are more common than you think. University of California Professor of Obstetrics-Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences Dr. Amy Autry discussed how at least 30% of women have irregular periods during their childbearing years. Another report published by the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism cites that many women experience occasional period irregularities throughout their reproductive years. While many women may experience late periods, the factors causing it can greatly vary. Below, we’ll take a look at the reasons why your period could be late.

J.B.

If you thought your skin was acting up just before or around the time of your period, you’re not imagining it.  According to a study published in the Journal of Clinical and Aesthetic Dermatology, “a significant number of adult women have perimenstrual acne symptoms”.   There are also some women suffering eczema or psoriasis that seems to get worse around the time of their period.