Beware! Are you making these 9 Period mistakes?

Menstruation is exactly like toxic persons in your life. How much you try to get rid of them, they will still come and bother you every time. 

Isn’t it?

However, jokes aside we all know that it is inevitable and there are certain things you might be doing wrong which can seriously hamper your entire health.

We will now be discussing 9-period mistakes which you must avoid while you are menstruating.

9-period mistakes that you’re making every month

1. You’re not changing frequently

Are you saving your sanitary pads or tampons by not changing them frequently?

Well if yes you might be doing one of the biggest period mistakes. 

If you are using a sanitary pad you should ideally change it in between 6-8 hours depending upon your flow. Never ever wear them for more than 12 hours.

Not changing enough will lead to many types of infections down there. Along with the infections, your menstrual hygiene will be seriously compromised.

Pad rashes are very common if you don’t change them frequently and I am sure a rash is the last thing you would want during those days of the month.

For the end days when the flow is really scanty, I would suggest to go for a pantyliner and not your regular sanitary pad. 

If you are using a tampon, you should never put it inside you for more than 8 hours. 

Did you know that leaving a tampon for long hours can cause toxic shock syndrome?

However, this case is rare but if infected it can be fatal.

Having said all of that I want to suggest that if possible switch to a menstrual cup. It’s a blessing to the entire womankind and I am not even exaggerating.

So what are you waiting for research about it find the right size and get yourself the best period friend forever.

[Read more: How to use a menstrual cup?]

2. You’re using scented products

Artificially scented products are loaded with chemicals that can irritate your intimate parts because the skin there is really sensitive. You must also know that there’s a particular pH level that has to be maintained in order to keep your genitals healthy and scented products tends to mess with the natural pH levels.

Stop falling for those marketing gimmicks where they show how their product can give you a so-called ‘perfectly smelling vagina’.

“Your intimate parts aren’t meant to smell like roses and flowers” accept that. If nature wanted them to smell like that it would have.

It’s perfectly ok to have a slight vaginal scent. However, if the scent is strong, persistent and unbearable you must see your gynaecologist. 

Along with scented products, you should ditch using scented sanitary pads because those scented pads are loaded with harmful chemicals which no advertising company will show you. So using scented products during your periods is the 2nd common mistake you might be doing.

3. You’re eating junk

A lot of women make the mistake of eating junk in the name of PMS and cravings.

Snacking on salty foods can result in more water retention by your body and hence problems like bloating will arise.

Also, it’s common to be low on iron during menstruation because you are losing iron-rich blood. So it is advisable that you increase the intake of iron, especially during these days. 

A study done in 2016 on 250 women found out that women who maintained a healthy lifestyle experienced less painful periods than those who didn’t.

Here are some food items you should eat and avoid eating during menstruation.

Foods to eat

• Iron-rich foods such as chicken, fish, leafy green vegetables
• Vitamin-rich foods such as papaya, olive, broccoli, and the list go on
• Manganese rich foods such as walnuts, almonds, pumpkin seeds  etc
• Flax seeds rich in Omega-3 reduce inflammation

Foods to avoid

• Excessive caffeine
• Smoking, drinking alcohol
• Carbonated drinks
• Red meat
• Excessive sugar and salt
• Spicy food
• Fatty foods

Say a big NO-NO to these kinds of foods.

4. You’re not exercising

Well, I am sure for most women and girls to exercise would be the last thing they want to do during their periods. But I can talk at length about the benefits of doing exercise during periods.

Journal of education and health promotion experimented on 70 students to see the effects of aerobic exercises on periods. The duration of this experiment was 8 weeks. The results of this study prove that women who exercise 3 times a week for at least about 30 minutes experience less painful periods as compared to those who do not indulge in any kind of exercise.

Exercising during periods helps in

• Relieve period cramps
• Decrease PMS symptoms
• Release endorphins which is a natural painkiller
• Reduces bloating
• Removes water retention
• Regulates irregular periods
• Lightens up the mood

Yoga on the other hand is also an effective way to relieve period cramps. Yoga poses like adapted child pose,cat-cow, reclining twist, pigeon pose, etc can ease out the pain. However, this works best if you include yoga and exercises in your daily routine. This will help in balancing your hormones hence reducing period cramps.

5. You’re not tracking your period

Often we think tracking our period cycle is only needed when we want to conceive but that’s not true. Every woman should track their periods because it gives a better sense of what’s really going on inside our body. By tracking our period we can get to know 

• If our cycle is regular or not
• How the PMS symptoms vary every month
• The heaviness of the flow
• The duration of the entire flow

Nowadays there are a lot of apps available that help you to track your menstrual cycle. 

6. You’re douching

Douching means forcing a spray of water or any liquid in the vagina to clean it. 

If you think douching will clean your vagina then my dear friend you are very wrong. It will do more harm than good. Everyone should get their facts checked about the vagina. It is a self-cleaning organ. You don’t need to do anything in order to clean it. This spraying action can ruin the necessary balance of the vagina by eliminating the good bacteria. It can also cause an overgrowth of harmful bacteria that can lead to yeast infections and hence your intimate hygiene and health gets seriously compromised.

So now that you have understood what douching means, if you are doing anything of that sort, please stop it right away. Let your body do the work.

7. You’re not taking the medications proactively

What’s the worst thing about periods?

If you ask me I would say it’s the cramps and I am sure 90% or even more would say the same.

Isn’t it?

So another mistake you might be making is related to these painful cramps and that is not taking the painkillers proactively. Often we wait till the cramps become bad and then we go to take the medicine. This approach is wrong because after the cramps have doubled the medicines won’t be much more effective than they would have if taken earlier before the cramps had even started. It is easier to manage pain when it is mild than managing the pain when it is at its peak.

If your cycles are regular you can take it a day before your period starts and if you have irregular periods take the medicine as soon as mild cramping or bleeding starts.

8. You’re not checking the menstrual flow and colour

Do you find checking out your menstrual blood gross?

Well, there is nothing gross about it in fact you should definitely keep a check on your menstrual blood because it says so much about your menstrual health. Unusual colour and texture may indicate some problems which might need the doctor’s assistance and care. 

9. You are not resting properly

During menstruation, your body is already undergoing so many changes so don’t push yourself to do things according to your routine even if you don’t feel like doing anything. Take a break, pamper yourself more, practice self-love and take things slowly. Eat healthy and get a lot of sleep.

If you’ll not rest properly you might get crankier and anxious. This will make you more prone to eating junk. So it’s a vicious cycle. I hope you got the gist now.

Takeaway

So these were the main 9 period mistakes most of us are making knowingly or unknowingly that are very harmful to our entire health in long run. 

Periods are something that will be with us in our lives for a very long period of time so why not make it a comfortable journey rather than cribbing about it. 

So if you have made it to the end, GREAT!

Share with your fellow women if know someone who is making similar mistakes and help them in making their journey comfortable too. 

Frequently asked questions