Common misconception #1:
Your menstrual cycle, and all its accompanying symptoms, is just your period.
Actually:
Your menstrual cycle has 4 stages, and each comes with different physical, mental, and emotional symptoms. Your cycle starts on the first day of bleeding and ends the day before the next time you bleed.
It's important to know about your cycle and symptoms because:
It's your body!! You have the right to know what's going on and why :)
You can learn to predict your symptoms and get better control over them
It helps you better understand the root cause of your symptoms, and therefore better solutions
You can understand what is normal and what you should talk to your doctor about- menstruators' pain is often excused or ignored if you don't speak up about it, so we have to be educated on our bodies so you can seek help and stand up for yourself if necessary.
Your Menstrual Cycle
Week #1 (period):
Day 1 is the day bleeding (aka your period) starts.
In your uterus, this is when the lining made to nurture a potential baby is shedding.
Your hormones (particularly estrogen) start out low, but as it rises, your mood and energy will start to increase. However, since this is your period week, you may still feel tired and have physical symptoms like cramps.
Week #2 (follicular):
In your uterus, this is when its recovering from the shedding and preparing to release an egg.
Estrogen and testosterone are rising during this week, which means your mood and energy will continue to rise to their max. You may feel less pain, and confidence/impulsivity from testosterone.
Week #3 (ovulation):
In your uterus, this is when the egg is released in the hopes of being fertilized by sperm and lead to a baby.
Ovulation only lasts 1-2 days, but you'll feel higher libido (aka horniness) around this time, as well as tender breasts and a change in the consistency of your discharge, among other things.
Week #4 (luteal):
In the uterus, this is when the lining thickens all the way again in preparation for pregnancy.
PMS (premenstrual syndrome) is common during this time. 75% of women have mild PMS, and 20-30% have severe PMS. PMS symptoms include:
Physical: Bloating, acne, breast tenderness/swelling, muscle/joint pain, tiredness, cravings, headaches, etc
Emotional/mental: Anxiety, depression, drop in self-esteem/confidence, change in sexual desire, loneliness, irritability, mood swings, etc
Common misconception #2:
You can't do anything about your symptoms (such as cramps, acne, headaches, etc)
Actually:
There are tons of solutions to these symptoms that simply aren't talked about because of the stigma surrounding periods (and menstruators' bodies in general).
So what are these solutions??
Exercise: research suggests that regular exercise can help menstrual cramps. Exercise is also as effective (sometimes even more effective) as medication for mild depression and anxiety!
You can also use your cycle to your advantage- we now know that energy levels start to rise during your period and peak at ovulation, so use that information when making a work out plan!
Birth control: there are many kinds of birth control, and they all have different effects on your period and symptoms. Check out this guide by Planned Parenthood (who also provides a lot of birth control options for free!)- https://www.plannedparenthood.org/learn/birth-control
Eat a healthy balanced diet, stay hydrated, and get enough sleep (8-10hrs per night). This makes a huge change in mood and energy levels and is particularly important if you suffer from PMS symptoms!
Take pain medication! I know some menstruators try to tough it out, but I highly recommend taking pain meds like advil or ibuprofen if you're hurting. They have no negative effect on you, and they can make it so much easier to live with menstrual symptoms. You're going to have this same cycle for several more decades, so you should start creating habits to deal with it as soon as you can!
Infographic with awesome info and actionable tips!:
Resources:
Linktree with resources about a huge variety of topics related to your menstrual cycle and related mental health.
Join the Young Women's project to be paid $15/hour, work abt 5 hours a week, get to learn a ton about sexual health, menstrual health, equity, and more, make friends, and help make resources more accessible at your school!
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