Menstrual Health 101: Common Issues and How to Manage Them

Menstruation is a natural process of women and it has to be there for proper health of a woman but nowadays, menstruation is considered as very impure. The information must be correct and the woman needs to have knowledge of what, why & how she can empower herself for managing her own health better resulting in seeking care. It typically lasts between 21 and 35 days. The period is often colloquially referred to as one’s ‘period,’ lasts between 3 and 7 days on average. So, when the uterus walls that have built up over the past month break and bleed, it means you’ve got your period. Estrogen and progesterone are the hormones in charge of regulating this cycle. Menstrual Health is important and we should know the common issues affecting it.

Common Menstrual Issues

Dysmenorrhea (Menstrual Cramps)

Signs and Symptoms: Dysmenorrhea, pain in the lower abdomen, usually associated with backache, nausea, headache, etc may be present before and during menstruation. 

Premenstrual Syndrome (PMS)

PMS stands for premenstrual syndrome: the jumbles of emotional and physical symptoms women experience premenstruation, one to two weeks before menstruation begins. 

Key symptoms include bloating, moodiness or erratic emotions, irritability, breast tenderness, and fatigue.

Menorrhagia (Heavy Bleeding)

Signs and Symptoms: Menorrhagia is characterized by abnormal heavy or prolonged menstrual bleeding. It is sometimes marked with excessive blood loss, which might result in fatigue, anemia, or going through frequent bodily changes

Irregular Periods

Signs and Symptoms: A woman will be said to be having irregular menses if the periods occur after a less than 21 day’s cycle or, alternatively, after every 35 days. The flow and duration of which it takes is also very different and varies greatly.

Amenorrhea

Signs and Symptoms: Amenorrhea is when a girl does not experience menarche till 15 years, while in an older woman, she goes for more than three months without menstruating.

Conclusion

Women should be made more knowledgeable on the basic menstrual health issues and when to report for medical attention. Sensitization would be coming out a long way in making the women speak out instead of suffering in silence. Research asserts that varied experiences of women are sometimes seen during menstruation. What helps one woman might not help the other. it is only right to listen to themselves and ask for the help when needed.

 

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