Menstrual health articles

The core of judging menstrual health depends on four hard indicators: cycle 21-35 days, menstrual period lasting 3-7 days, menstrual volume 20-60ml, and no unbearable severe pain. In addition, 90% of the so-called "abnormalities" are mostly individual differences, and there is no need to blindly supplement or medication intervention.

I have worked as a nurse in the gynecology department of a tertiary hospital for three years. I have seen too many girls frighten themselves when they look at the "standard comparison chart" on the Internet. Not long ago, a little girl from 2000 came to the hospital with a popular science guide from a certain red book and said that her 32-day cycle was an "insufficient luteal corpus". She spent more than 2,000 on supplements and took them for half a month. I was so scared that I went to check my hormones. It turned out that all the indicators were within the normal range, and I spent a month in vain. In fact, menstruation is a very "casual" physiological reaction, just like the weather APP on your mobile phone. It is normal to occasionally have an inaccurate light rain forecast. Only when problems occur for two or three months in a row do you really need to be vigilant.

For example, "Can we eat ice during menstruation?" has been debated for decades, and there is still no unified answer. Traditional Chinese medicine believes that raw cold will cause cold coagulation and blood stasis, aggravating the symptoms of dysmenorrhea and blood stasis. ； The view of modern evidence-based medicine is that there is no evidence that eating ice will directly cause menstrual discomfort. As long as you don’t have abdominal pain or diarrhea after eating it, there is no need to eat ice. I am from Jiangsu and Zhejiang. I have rarely touched ice since I was a child. Even a mouthful of iced milk tea during menstruation would hurt for half a day. However, a girl from the Northeast in the same department could chew two popsicles on the first day she came to my aunt. It was nothing. To be honest, it all depends on the individual's physical constitution. There is no need to restrain yourself by other people's standards, and there is no need to judge others based on your own situation.

By the way, what many elders say about "don't wash your hair during menstruation" is actually the same. The older generation didn't have hairdryers back then, and blowing cold air on their wet hair after washing their hair would easily lead to colds and headaches. This experience is no longer applicable today. When I was on duty late at night, I was in my period. I was so sticky with sweat that I felt uncomfortable after working hard. I took a hot shower and blew my hair dry. It was much more comfortable than having a greasy head, and I never had any pain. Of course, if you have menstrual headaches, which are easy to cause if you don’t blow dry your hair after washing, then of course you can avoid washing on the two days when you wash more frequently, and do whatever makes you feel comfortable.

Many people ask me whether they can exercise during menstruation, and there is no standard answer to this. I have seen girls who practice triathlon running 10 kilometers during their menstrual period with no problems, and I have also seen girls who don’t move much during their period. Liu Genghong suffered from heavy bleeding and went to the emergency room after half an hour of menstruation. The core thing is to see how your body feels: If you only have slight soreness during menstruation, doing some low-intensity stretching and walking can promote pelvic blood circulation and reduce the feeling of bloating. ； If the pain is so severe that you can't straighten your back, just lie down. There is no need to carry it out to "maintain exercise habits."

As for what to do with menstrual cramps, which is the most frequently asked question, I really advise you not to drink brown sugar water. If the pain makes you vomit and have diarrhea, taking one pill of ibuprofen is much more effective than drinking ten cups of hot brown sugar water. It will take effect in 20 minutes. If you only take one or two pills a month, there will be no dependence or side effects at all. On the contrary, the pain will cause stress and you can't sleep well, which will really easily lead to menstrual disorders. Of course, some people say that taking ibuprofen is useless and may even lead to less menstrual flow. In this case, don’t insist on taking it. Try a hot water bag on your stomach, or ask a doctor to prescribe other painkillers. Individual differences are here, and there is no method that is suitable for everyone.

Of course, this does not mean that all abnormalities should be ignored. There are several signs that you should go to the hospital in time: For example, if ordinary daily sanitary napkins are completely soaked in two hours, and this happens for three or four consecutive pads, it means that the menstrual volume has exceeded 80ml, and it is likely to be a problem with uterine fibroids or endometrial polyps.； If your menstrual period lasts for more than 10 days and is still dripping, or the pain is so painful that painkillers are useless, or you even have backache and leg pain that makes you unable to straighten up, you should be alert to whether it is endometriosis or adenomyosis, and don’t delay treatment by drinking Warm Palace Tea at home. By the way, there is another point that is easily overlooked: if the cycle fluctuates by more than 7 days for three consecutive months, or it is delayed for more than ten days, or it comes only once every half month, and hormones are also checked, it is likely that there is an endocrine problem.

In fact, my biggest feeling after working in this industry for a long time is that there are not so many rules and regulations on menstrual health. Most of the "ten things you must do during menstruation" and "five foods you must not touch" mentioned on the Internet are eye-catching gimmicks. Your own body feeling is the most accurate yardstick: you can eat ice if it doesn't hurt, drink brown sugar ginger tea if it feels good, move if you want to exercise, lie down if you want to, don't be kidnapped by various experiences, and don't scare yourself. If you are really unsure, go to a regular hospital to find a doctor, which is more reliable than searching Baidu a hundred times.

Oh, by the way, one last question that many people are embarrassed to ask is whether sex is allowed during menstruation. There are no absolute contraindications in medicine, but the cervix is ​​open during menstruation, and the risk of infection is much higher than usual. If you really want to, you must do a good job of cleansing and contraception. Don't believe the nonsense that "you will never get pregnant during menstruation". There are many cases of abnormal ovulation, and you are the one who suffers when there is a real problem.