#Relatable PERIOD.
By Nicole Sanchez
If you’re a person who gets menstruation, one of the things that you probably deal with is the pain that comes with it. Now, some of us are lucky enough to not have cramps or even go through heavy flow, but in my experience, I don’t there’s a lot of people that are that lucky. When dealing with the stigma behind menstruation, the easiest way or I guess that most popular conversations always revolve around how girls act during their periods. A lot of men, when they think about periods, the first thing that comes to mind is how “crazy”, “emotional”, “hormonal”, etc. womxn can be. But the reality is, there are so many reasons behind this famous roller coaster of emotions, and hormones are just the beginning of it.
When we interviewed our featured interviewee for the week, 58-year old Ivonne Garcia she shared, “I don’t think I ever became that comfortable with my period; it was always painful, there was heavy flow, I couldn’t sleep well. I also felt bloated, so overall I would say I never fully felt comfortable with my period and in fact, I was always happy when I didn’t have it anymore.” I am sure a lot of us can relate to this — I know when I am on my last couple of days of my period, I am always happiest. Getting through the painful first two days is always an achievement for me. For me, the biggest struggle was always the first two nights — my cramps get really bad throughout the night to the point where I don’t usually get proper sleep, especially when I don’t take ibuprofen prior to going to bed.
According to Mayo Clinic, “during your menstrual period, your uterus contracts to help expel its lining. Hormone like substances (prostaglandins) involved in pain and inflammation trigger the uterine muscle contractions. Higher levels of prostaglandins are associated with more-severe menstrual cramps.” Period cramps can really feel like your uterus is constantly punching you and not wanting to stop until you cry.
For Ivonne, “The heavy flow was probably my biggest challenge associated with my period; the accidents that occurred was probably the biggest problem I had, and trying to avoid them from happening was a hassle on its own.”
Now, I am sure you’ve had one of those days that you feel like you stained your pants because of how heavy your period is, and if you follow us on Instagram, you probably saw a couple of memes about this. And if you’re not following us on Instagram, what are you doing? Go follow us right HERE before you keep reading. :) Anyway, as I was saying, I know we can all relate to those days, and sometimes can cause anxiety and can make you really paranoid. I wear pads so this is something that I really struggled with. I have had my fair share of constantly looking back at the mirror of a public washroom in order to make sure my period is not staining my pants. It really was a struggle.
When we asked about her knowledge of menstruation prior to her experience, she shared, “I was not previously taught about menstruation and my mom was probably waiting for the right time to introduce me to the topic. So I did not know anything about it until it actually happened to me.” As we unravel these period stories, I think it just makes it more and more clear why we’re doing what we’re doing. We are constantly reminded of the lack of education and lack of awareness regarding this topic. So we’ll keep doing this. We’ll keep pushing for better period education and we hope you’ll join us.
How to Destigmatize Period Talk?
“Menstruation is something normal and not an illness, as well, everyone has a different experience. If you have any doubts you should consult your mom or a doctor, this way they can learn how to be clean and safe! And now there are many resources available to women. Overall, I think we should talk more about it! And with the numerous resources available nowadays, women can easily contact doctors and get the help that’s better suited to their experience with menstruation.” — Ivonne Garcia
How to Destigmatize Period Talk?
“Menstruation is something normal and not an illness, as well, everyone has a different experience. If you have any doubts you should consult your mom or a doctor, this way they can learn how to be clean and safe! And now there are many resources available to women. Overall, I think we should talk more about it! And with the numerous resources available nowadays, women can easily contact doctors and get help that’s better suited to their experience with menstruation.”
- Ivonne Garcia
What’s Next?
Our next blog will be about Polycystic Ovary Syndrome or more commonly known as PCOS. If you struggle with this and want to share your story with us and be featured in our blog, please book a time to e-meet with us HERE. Be the first ones to get your hands on Ruth Pads, sign up HERE to pre-order.
You can always check our website too for any updates and stay connected on our social media. Thank you for reading! Don’t forget to wear your masks when you go outside and wash your hands regularly. Stay safe!