Let’s Talk Periods: My Story and How I Prepare

Ladies, you know the deal.

The Monthly Visitor: Let’s Talk Periods

I think that I should start my period post with a giant disclaimer: If talking about your lady bits bleeding freaks you out, click away from this post. For those of you who aren’t sheepish or freaked out by talking about your period, then gear up for a period blog that talks about dealing with the most annoying (yet really cool) thing about being a female.

The First Time I Had A Period

I got my first period when I was pretty young. I was around 10-11 and definitely was not thinking about getting my period any time soon despite hearing every girl wondering when they would become a “woman” and get theirs. Thankfully, it was in the summer when it happened so I didn’t have one of those bleeding all over the school chair, stories. But I was bike riding with my parents one evening, and when I came home and went to the bathroom, I was pretty convinced I had broken something that bled…

I broke nothing.

Turns out, I had started my first period. Like an actual one. Not one of those mini ones that girls get when their body is first adjusting to menstruation. It was a 5-day one and I was not impressed. And you think that maybe my body would have given me a bit of a grace period after (hah, I’m punny) and maybe I wouldn’t have another period again for another few months as my body was still adjusting. But no, I was fully into “womanhood” and I began getting my period on a pretty regular cycle every month, and it wasn’t light…(sorry if you think this is TMI!)

How Was the Adjustment? And What’s The Deal with PMS?

I was one of the first girls in my age group to have their period, despite the fact that I never told anyone because I didn’t want to be made fun of for being “a cranky b****” some days or “riding the crimson wave”. I think from a young age, I always had PMS symptoms. I’d be cranky, extra tired, extra hungry and extra painful and crampy a week before my period.

I probably didn’t notice it as much when I was young and playing sports on a regular basis, but by high school, I was much less active, and by university I was basically a slave to my desk and laptop. As the years went on, my PMS symptoms became increasingly more present. There’s probably some link between my PMS, mental health and my stress levels on top of the hormones throughout puberty, but I could sense my body preparing two weeks in advance of my period. I’d get all the PMS symptoms. Headaches, tummy troubles, tiredness, anger, mood swings, tears, extreme hunger, and cramps that would hold me down.

What’s My Period Like As An Adult?

As an adult, I can honestly say that my period has not gotten any better. I swear, anyone that says “It gets better as you get older” or “My PMS symptoms are barely there!” are just trying to mock me. I usually still PMS for two weeks or a week and a half, still bleed pretty heavily, and I still get cramps to the point where I sometimes just have to pop 2 Aleve’s and stay in bed all day with heating pads across by stomach and my back. And despite having medical hormones to help control my body (thank you modern medicine) which gives me “withdrawal bleeding” aka, not a real period even through it feels and acts like a regular one, there are still times when I think I may pass out or die or when my stomach and uterus feel like they will explode because of the pressure. I was even at the hospital once for a suspected ruptured cyst and endometriosis—and the results came back showing nothing of concern. But I know I can’t be the only one out there who suffers from insanely painful periods.

While I haven’t managed to find a system that takes away all of my PMS symptoms or extreme pain, I do have three top tips that help me prepare and deal with my time of the month.

1) Get Your Body Prepared

Sometimes the best form of offense is a well laid defence. When I was younger and started feeling the period pains coming on, I took Midol tablets. For anyone who hasn’t heard of Midol, was probably one of the most advertised period pain and PMS medications in the early 2000’s. I stayed true to Midol for a while, until I talked to a pharmacist who told me that Aleve would do me better for the pain because of its ingredients. Her advice was to take two at the first sign of PMS and then 1 every 12 hours as needed.

The other piece of preparation that’s a big game changer, is drinking loads of water. I know you’ll already feel bloated if you get PMS, and you may feel like water is the worst solution. But drinking a lot of water can help flush your body of any water it’s retaining, help fight off dehydration headaches and flush out toxins.

2) Get Beauty Rest and Don’t Feel Guilty

To all the women out there who go about their period with innumerable amounts of energy, all the power to you! But for me and other ladies I’ve talked to, our periods make us tired as hell. I used to feel really guilty for needing extra naps throughout the day or sleeping for 10 hours at night. No longer do I feel that guilt.

If you think about what your body goes through each month, I don’t blame it for needing some extra zzz’s. Instead of fighting the tiredness, I make sure I (somewhat) follow a sleeping routine throughout the month that gets a little extra attention during my PMS days. I like to spray my pillows and linens with a sleep spray that encourages calmness, I warm up 3 bean bags and a gel heating pack for my tummy and back, and I like to pop on a sleeping mask. I tend to be a little bit of a restless sleeper around my period, which is actually a real thing that some women experience, so the more relaxed I can be, there’s more of a potential for sleep.

3) Get Your Supplies Beforehand

No one wants to be running out to get period supplies once they already have their period. Keep an eye on your stash of pads, tampons and liners throughout the month so you know when you’re running low. Before the PMS kicks in and before your period starts, you’ll be able to go out and buy everything you need.

In terms of what you buy, this is completely dependent on your comfort levels and your flow. Yep, I said it. Flow. Because I’ve always had heavier periods, I’ve always reached for pads that are more geared for heavy or overnight use (shoutout to Always pads). But there are some cycles where I can get away with the regular ones for a few days, and eventually liners (the Kotex ones are wonderful). So if you really aren’t sure what you’ll need or what your body will do, it’s best to stock up on a variety and test them all.

And don’t forget to pick up some feel-good snacks that you’ll want to eat! I personally love the mix of sweet and salty throughout my period, so I turn to Sea Salt Dark Chocolate from Lindt to get my fix. I try not to eat the entire bar…but things happen!

So What Else Do I Do?

Like most other women I know, I experience an emotional roller-coaster as my body gears up for my time of the month. You can argue that it’s not really a “period” because it’s controlled by medical hormones, but it still feels and acts exactly like my natural period did. Which means, I do still get emotional and feel like absolute poop for a few days in the month like other women.

I try to remind myself that it’s just my body doing what it needs to do. In the back of my mind, I do still worry about endometriosis or being one of those people with extreme pain no matter what they do, but I’m starting to come to terms with having a period with its own schedule with my body.

So what do you do for your period and “that time of the month” and what is your experience with your period? Let me know down your thoughts down in the comments,  and let me know if you’d like to see more period talks on the blog!

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