Menstrual health management

There is no standard formula for menstrual health management that is suitable for everyone. The core of truly effective management is "based on the stable pattern of your own 3-6 consecutive menstrual cycles and making dynamic adjustments" - there is no need to shoulder all the discomforts and take "menstrual pain is normal" as the truth, nor blindly follow the Internet celebrity's regimen and put a bunch of unnecessary taboos on yourself. Your physical feelings are always more important than the "standards" on the Internet.

A while ago, a 1998 girl came to me for consultation. She said that she followed an online tutorial and drank two large cups of brown sugar ginger tea every day during menstruation for two months. She had to change seven or eight tablets for night use during each menstruation period, and her nose would bleed frequently. Only when she went to see a traditional Chinese medicine doctor did she find out that she has a blood-heat constitution. There are too many similar examples. Many people look for a "universal list" when it comes to menstrual management, but ignore their own physical characteristics.

Most of the menstrual standards that everyone often refers to come from clinical Western medicine: the cycle ranges from 21 to 35 days, each bleeding lasts for 3 to 7 days, and the bleeding volume is 20 to 60ml (about 10ml to cover an ordinary daily sanitary napkin). As long as it is within this range and there is no pain that is severe enough to affect normal life, most doctors will tell you "no problem, normal." Many people are afraid of becoming dependent on ibuprofen, and they really worry too much. Menstrual pain is mostly caused by elevated prostaglandins, and ibuprofen is specifically designed to inhibit this. Take 1-2 tablets each time, and only take it for two or three days a month. It is not addictive at all, and it is much more cost-effective than if you are in cold sweat due to pain and unable to go to work or school.

But if you go to see a Chinese medicine doctor, the criteria for judgment are completely different. Even if your cycle is 32 days and the amount of bleeding is completely stuck within the standard value, but a week before each visit your breasts are so swollen that you can't touch them, you want to quarrel with your partner for no reason, and you have red and swollen acne on your chin repeatedly, Chinese medicine will tell you that this is liver stagnation and qi stagnation, which needs to be adjusted. If your hands and feet are cold every time you come here, there are a lot of blood clots, and you feel dizzy even when you squat down or stand up, even if the pain is bearable, we will distinguish whether it is cold coagulation, blood stasis or lack of qi and blood, and slowly adjust your constitution. Neither of the two judgment logics is right or wrong, it just depends on which adjustment method you are more comfortable with.

In fact, ordinary girls don’t need to download those flashy menstruation apps. Not to mention a lot of advertisements, they will always push you anxious content that "your cycle is abnormal for more than 28 days." Just use the memo that comes with the phone to record the date on the first day of each visit, and write down a few sentences about the status of the day: such as "I have a little backache today, and the amount is a little more than last time." My best friend, her cycle has always been 33-35 days. She was always prompted by the APP that "menstruation is delayed" before. She was so scared that she ran to do a bunch of tests, but there was no problem. The doctor said that everyone's cycle is different. People's ovaries like to ovulate once every 33 days. Why should it be consistent with the 28-day standard?

As for the two questions that everyone is arguing about the most: Can I exercise during menstruation? Can I eat it cold? There's really no standard answer. I know a girl who runs a marathon. She usually runs 150 kilometers a month. As long as there is no obvious discomfort during menstruation, she will jog 5 kilometers in the first three days and slow down the pace for 1 minute. There will be no problem. ； But if you are too lazy to climb the stairs at ordinary times, and suddenly feel the urge to dance like Pamela for 40 minutes during your menstrual period, then you are simply asking for trouble for yourself. Don’t blame others if you feel pain.

The same goes for those who eat cold food. I have a friend from Fujian who has loved drinking iced milk tea since he was a child. He drinks it regularly during menstruation and has never had any pain. ； But another girl from the north feels pain for a long time even if she touches cold water in winter. Not to mention eating ice, even fruits at room temperature have to be warmed before eating. To put it bluntly, your body's reaction is the only criterion for judgment. There is no need to compare with others, and there is no need to have any moral burden of "eating ice means not cherishing yourself".

By the way, let me refute the rumors. What is said on the Internet about "detoxification during menstruation" and "menstrual period is the golden period for weight loss and you will not gain weight even if you eat anything" are all nonsense. Menstrual bleeding is the normal shedding of the endometrium. Where does the poison come from? If you eat three cream cakes a day during your menstrual period, you won't lose one or two pounds of fat. Don't pay this IQ tax. There are also those who advocate that "you should eat such and such products to discharge sewage during menstruation". They basically want to make money from you, so don't believe it.

In fact, let's talk about it, what are the KPIs that need to be strictly implemented in menstrual health management? To put it bluntly, it is the process of learning to talk to your body. Don’t always criticize yourself based on online standards, and don’t take all discomforts seriously. If the pain is severe or your menstrual period is a mess, go directly to a regular hospital for gynecology. It will be much more useful than buying thousands of menstrual creams and personal care products.

After all, your comfort is the most important thing, right?