#menstual health

[insufficient-earth-skills]

If you're up for it, for anything to do with the reproductive cycle, look into functional medicine findings and treatments. If you're willing to sift through what some in the medical system would call bullshit, there is information to be found outside of the peer-reviewed journals. Practitioners who have treated literally thousands of cyclical people will notice patterns.

PCOS generally has 4 subtypes, some of which are linked to insulin resistance and some of which are due to totally different causes for ovarian cysts. (Also, polycycstic ovaries and PCOS are two different things.)

Functional medicine will also offer guidlines for markers of hormones that are different or non-existent in classical medicine. Sometimes there's a reason for that, like the fact that there is no study out there that concludes a marker should be a certain number or range. But also, unfortunately, mainstream medicine does not offer time and space for personalized tailored treatments, even if the information IS there. Functional medicine tries to fill this gap.

These books are on my shelf since I started a podcast in Dutch about the menstrual cycle because I found that the information we receive in education and doctor's offices is woefully inadequate and made me accept my endometriosis symptoms for 15 years:

Period Repair Manual by Lara Briden: literally what it says. A description of how the cycle works and what functions our different hormones have in our bodies. Followed by an index of different symptoms and what they may mean for your hormonal status and a description of disorders, syndromes and illnesses (like PCOS, endometriosis, fibroids, etc). Comes with guidlines for supplements and lifestyle changes, focused on separate nutrients that are probably low or out of balance in different conditions. Clinical. Ideal if you have a specific issue or maybe even a diagnosis already and want to go beyond what your doctor prescribes you. Personally less of a fan of this one since it doesn't look at the body as a whole.

Beyond the Pill by Jolene Brighten: one of the first in a big boom of period books that started about 5 years ago. Very thorough explanation of what a healthy cycle is, what can indicate minor cycle problems and what symptoms are downright problematic and can lead to autoimmunity like Hashimoto's. One of my faves since it not only comes with recommendations for treatment plans that you can figure out yourself with tailored supplements for each condition with an explanation of what that supplement does in the body; it also includes ideas for recipes and encourages you to look at your whole lifestyle (emotions and stress play a BIG role in cycle health). Prioritizes 'joyful movement' over rigorous exercise which honestly, fuck yeah. Clinical with a couple of spiritual points. Ideal if you have a specific issue or maybe even a diagnosis already and want to go beyond what your doctor prescribes you. Personally I like what she writes but I'm not a fan of her tone of voice and the jokes she sometimes includes. Minor point though.

Period Power by Maisie Hill: my absolute favourite. Does what the two above do, but the book is divided in chapters by cycle phase and how they affect your brain, mood, physical state, digestion and more. Puts the information from the other books into perspective and most importantly is the easiest to read IMO. Medical info relayed in laymen's terms. Aims to give you the information to make the most powerful choices aka get the most gain out of small changes. Suitable if you have a specific issue but really good if you want to optimize your cyclical health in general. You don't have to wait until things get really bad to do something about it. Hill has been diagnosed as autistic around age 40 after the publication of this book and has started paying attention to neurodivergency in the rest of her work. I think that's cool.

Fix your Period by Nicole Jardim: haven't read this one yet but it's a mainstay on the topic. Jardim also has a programm in which she teaches about the biochemistry of the cycle.

The Fifth Vital Sign by Lisa Hendrickson-Jack: haven't read this one either but as the title says, it's about what your cycle can tell you about your whole body health. The ACOG has agreed that the period IS a fifth vital sign, but only for teenage menstruators. Hendrickson-Jack makes the case that it should be seen as that for adults as well.

Wild Power by Alexandra Pope and Sjanie Hugo Wurlitzer: another one I haven't read. Supposed to map out a way to live according to your cycle.

Basically from reading these books, reading a lot of free information by practitioners on their blogs and socials*, and talking with midwives, one conclusion seems to be that many cyclical people don't know how to eat to serve their body. Both for PCOS and endometriosis (but also general health for cyclical bodies) the tentative conclusion seems to be:

A. eat more (generally pay attention to carb/protein/fats balance); B. eat more protein (30 grams per meal, min 100 grams per day); C. eat as soon as you can after waking up, fasting or waiting longer than 30-60 minutes to eat your first meal will make you more prone to insulin resistence; D. DON'T try to lose weight to get rid of symptoms. Often, chronic diseases are in part due to our bodies not getting the right nutrients for an extended period of time. Nourish yourself. ENJOY FOOD. E. go outside and/or move, even if it's 'just' a daily walk**. Yoga is good, weight lifting is good (especially for insuline resistence), swimming, roller skating, ... just make sure you're eating well to support the extra energy expenditure (you LITERALLY cannot build muscle without eating more) and pay attention if the movement really makes you feel better in the long run. Metabolic dysfunction is partly a response to stress overload, and working out creates stress on the tissues, so evaluate carefully if it's getting you anywhere.

Anyway this is a jumbled reply because I have SO MUCH to say about this topic. Anyone who wants to know more or get a reference, please DM me.

(* Yes, social media can contain lots of misleading information. I've selected carefully whose writings I read. I only trust those who include references to PMID or other studies in their writings and their work. As a historian I feel capable of judging which of these are to be trusted.)

(** A daily 10 minute walk might not seem like much, but it is better than not doing any movement. In January 2021 a study came out about activity levels and hospitalization rates due to covid. The conclusion was that consistently active people were at considerably less risk than inconsistently active people AND consistently inactive people. It would be unethical to transfer these findings to PCOS etc, of course. However, the metabolism and the immune system seem to be linked, and being consistently active is great for your general health, so I feel like I should leave this info here.)

I forget why, but I was on the Wikipedia page for polycystic ovarian syndrome, and I started researching hirsutism in women, and I learned the following things in this order:

there's a diagnostic criteria used to evaluate how hairy a woman is

This is important because being too hairy is a diagnostic criteria of most disorders that cause hyperandrogenism

Disorders that cause hyperandrogenism can be diagnosed by...measuring how hairy you are (this is the main and most important diagnostic criterion for PCOS)

Disorders that cause hyperandrogenism are important because they are correlated with obesity, infertility, and...being too hairy?

I think to myself, wait, what is a normal range for testosterone in women? I find this article...which set reference ranges for "normal" testosterone levels in women...EXCLUDING WOMEN WITH PCOS?

Quote: "Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is another notable condition in genetic (XX) females, which is characterized by excessive ovarian production of androgens. This condition is included for comparison with DSD, as the affected females with PCOS are genetic and phenotypic females. The elevated levels of testosterone in these females can lead to hyperandrogenism, a clinical disorder characterized variably by hirsutism, acne, male-pattern balding, metabolic disturbances, impaired ovulation and infertility. PCOS is a common condition, affecting 7%-10% of premenopausal women."

So: the study claims to demonstrate a clear distinction between the normal range of hormone levels in "Healthy" men and "healthy" women...with "healthy" being defined in the study as...having hormones within the "normal" range.......................

So I researched what the clinically established "normal" range for testosterone in women is

THERE ISN'T ONE????

Quote from the above article: "Several different approaches have been used to define endocrine disorders. The statistical approach establishes the lower and the upper limits of hormone concentrations solely on the basis of the statistical distribution of hormone levels in a healthy reference population. As an illustration, hypo- and hypercalcemia have been defined on the basis of the statistical distribution of serum calcium concentrations. Using this approach, androgen deficiency could be defined as the occurrence of serum testosterone levels that are below the 97.5th percentile of testosterone levels in healthy population of young men. A second approach is to use a threshold hormone concentration below or above which there is high risk of developing adverse health outcomes. This approach has been used to define osteoporosis and hypercholesterolemia. However, we do not know with certainty the thresholds of testosterone levels which are associated with adverse health outcomes."

What the fuck?

What the fuck?

It's batshit crazy to make a diagnostic criteria for medical disorders by placing arbitrary cutoffs within 2-5% of either end of a statistical distribution. What the actual fuck?

"The results came back, you have Statistical Outlier Disease." "What treatments are available?" "Well, first, we recommend dietary change. You should probably stop eating so many spiders."

Another article which attempted to do this

Quote: "Subjects with signs of hirsutism or with a personal history of diabetes or hypertension, or a family history of polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) were excluded."

"We're going to figure out the typical range of testosterone levels that occur in women! First, we're going to exclude all the women that are too hairy from the study. I am very good at science."

Anyway I got off topic but there are apparently race-specific diagnostic tools for "hirsutism." That's kinda weird on its own but when I looked more into this in relation to race I found this article that straight-up uses the term "mongoloid"

[of-faunsandyellowflowers]

The IUD is bad too. It stops fertilized eggs from implanting (it kills these children).

😂😂😂😂😂 bro

BRO you did NOT just come at me with ur shitty Christian point of view about birth control

Tw: abortion, sex, miscarriage, pregnancy, and all that comes with that.

Eggs, are not children.

Just as sperm, are not children.

Taking birth control does not kill children. Eggs are not children, nor are embryos. It's clear you are lacking the scientific knowledge behind this as many many MANY pro lifers do.

Lemme break it down for you:

Sure, one could say that the majority of people who take many forms of birth control use it to not get pregnant. That? Isnt abortion. It's a tool we use in order to not have a child when we are not ready, or if we don't want any kids at all.

The person who has a uterus is the one who gets the make the choice if they want to become pregnant, or not. Not you, not someone with a penis, each individual person who has a uterus.

But birth control isnt JUST for not getting pregnant. Theres a long long long list of illnesses, diseases, hormonal imbalances, syndromes, disorders, etc that are all helped with birth control. That's the case for me. I had awful painful periods and raging issues with emotions, as well as bleeding so much I'd pass out from low iron. My iud helps control my disorder and prevents me from losing too much blood, and just plain being miserable too.

Let's also mention you seem to be lacking the knowledge of what goes on during periods as well. I'm going to break it down for you during our 28 day cycle that happens monthly from ovulation to menstruation because I think it's important you learn this. This is standard and is slightly different for everyone, but it's still good info. And you're welcome, for me taking the time to teach you too btw

I'm going to use a gender neutral format, though this information is from womenshealth.gov. I had to change the terms to fit gender neutral, as not everyone who has a uterus or a penis is cis.

28 day cycle:

Day 1 starts with the first day of your period. The blood and tissue lining the uterus (womb) break down and leave the body. This is your period. For many people, bleeding lasts from 4 to 8 days. Hormone levels are low. Low levels of the hormone estrogen can make you feel depressed or irritable.

Days 1 through 5

During Days 1 through 5 of your cycle, fluid-filled pockets called follicles develop on the ovaries. Each follicle contains an egg. An egg is not a child.

Between Days 5 and 7, just one follicle continues growing while the others stop growing and are absorbed back into the ovary. Levels of the hormone estrogen from the ovaries continue rising.

By Day 8 the follicle puts out increasing levels of estrogen and grows larger. Usually by Day 8, period bleeding has stopped. Higher estrogen levels from the follicle make the lining of the uterus grow and thicken. The uterine lining is rich in blood and nutrients and will help nourish the embryo if a pregnancy happens, however once again, this is not a child, it is cells. Estrogen helps boost endorphins, which are the “feel good” brain chemicals that are also released during physical activity. You may have more energy and feel relaxed or calm.

Day 14

A few days before Day 14, your estrogen levels peak and cause a sharp rise in the level of luteinizing hormone (LH). LH causes the mature follicle to burst and release an egg from the ovary, called ovulation, on Day 14. A person with a uterus is most likely to get pregnant if they have sex on the day of ovulation or during the three days before ovulation (since the sperm are already in place and ready to fertilize the egg once it is released). A person with a penis sperm can live for three to five days in a person with a uterus reproductive organs, and a person with a uteruses egg lives for 12 to 24 hours. In the few days before ovulation, your estrogen levels are at their highest. You may feel best around this time, emotionally and physically. Again, eggs and sperm are not children, and neither are embryos. They are cells.

Over the next week (Days 15 to 24), the fallopian tubes help the newly released egg travel away from the ovary toward the uterus. The ruptured follicle on the ovary makes more of the hormone progesterone, which also helps the uterine lining thicken even more. If a sperm joins with the egg in the fallopian tube (this is called fertilization), the fertilized egg will continue down the fallopian tube and attach to the lining of the uterus (womb). Pregnancy begins once a fertilized egg attaches to the womb. This is an egg/embryo, again, not a child, its cells. People can have miscarriages during any point of pregnancy..

Day 24 through 28

If the egg is not fertilized, it breaks apart. Around Day 24, your estrogen and progesterone levels drop if you are not pregnant. This rapid change in levels of estrogen and progesterone can cause your moods to change. Some people are more sensitive to these changing hormone levels than others. Some women feel irritable, anxious, or depressed during the premenstrual week but others do not.

In the final step of the menstrual cycle, the unfertilized egg leaves the body along with the uterine lining, beginning on Day 1 of your next period and menstrual cycle.

And THAT is what a normal cycle looks like.

However, it's not like that for all of us. Theres endometriosis, alongside other disorders and illnesses that affect the uterus and can cause a lot of pain, hormone imbalances, so forth.

Source: womenshealth.gov

So, a person who has a period and doesnt get pregnant, the egg is shed. Does that mean their killing a kid too? No.

What about people who cant shed eggs? Nope.

Beyond that: what about sperm?

If you wanna take that route, any time a guy ejaculates, hes killing multiple of his sperm, aka to you: kids.

And this also happens during fertilization, because thousands of sperm try to enter the egg and only one is successful. Does that mean thousands of children are dying? Nope! Just cells!

Thousands of eggs and sperm die every day. That's just natural.

Cells are also things like: shed skin, shed hair, spit, fingernail clippings. The only difference is that each has an individual purpose. Sex cells are not children.

Now let's talk about the people who CANNOT have kids, or are at high risk for pregnancy. We use birth control for our health.

Is someone who sheds eggs but cant get pregnant killing their kids? No, that would be a ridiculous thing to say.

Is someone who uses birth control because pregnancy would be EXTREMELY hard on their body killing their kids? No, that would be a ridiculous thing to say.

People also have miscarriages.

People also have the right to abortion, and it's not your right to know why either.

Pregnancy, and raising a child is not for everyone. We have so many kids in abusive homes, so many kids in foster care that never get adopted, so many kids who grow up with mental illness due to their parents not wanting them.

Pregnancy can be incredibly hard, especially for someone like me who has chronic pain, amongst other things. It can also be incredibly risky and people have died just from being pregnant alone.

Many fetuses develop deformities, alongside disorders rhat are severe and would not produce a very long life, or they will not live healthy, happy lives if born.

Some fetuses turn stillborn.

For others, it worsens their mental health.

For some, they do not want children, or cannot have them.

Birth control helps all these people.

I know I'm probably forgetting shit on this, and people with credible info that's science based can add on.

But simply put: birth control isnt bad. It's not abortion. It doesnt kill children, and quite frankly isnt yours to choose if people take it, its none of your business why they take it, and it's not your right to take it away from us.

And again: people with uteruses are not yours to impregnate. We are not yours to be baby making machines. We are people who deserve happiness and a chance at a happy life without your desire to see us pregnant

it's our choice, not yours.

[jonsnowisthesexiestbastard]

  So yesterday marked my first year without my monthlies. Last year the doctor found out that I had endometriosis, so they decided to stop my menstrual cycle. Those 12 months without blood, pain and vomiting were a blessing.

I decided to explain my experience and maybe help other girls suffer from this disease without knowing. Also English isn’t my first language so if you dont fully understand what I’m saying don’t hesitate to tell me.

I’m 21. My periods started when I was 10 years old. At the beginning, the pain was “normal”, which means that it was bearable. My mom had warn me that it would be painfulso I wasn’t worried.

If I remember correctly, it was around 12-13 that I realized that something was off. My girlfriends around me had painful periods, but it was nothing compared to what I was going through. The pain was so intolerable that during the first 4 days I couldn’t even go to school. I was vomiting, crying, praying that it would stop.I felt like a fire was destroying me and no meds was strong enough to calm me. 

During TEN YEARS, I’ve been through hell every month. No doctor could explain me why meds couldn’t work on me, and they said that my pain was normal. So I’ve suffer in silence, because I though that maybe my pain was the same as everyone else and that I was just too weak to deal with it.

It wasn’t until 2016 that my doctor’s replacement told me that maybe the pain was caused by endometriosis. He mae me do a radiography of my uterus, then an IRM and finally they realized that not only I had endometriosis, but also that  the disease was well installed inside of my genital. 

 So if you think that the pain you’re feeling isn’t normal, if drugs doesnt help you, plaese, please go see your doctor and ask him about endometriosis. 

[siicp-bengaluru-hospital]

Sitz bath is a warm, shallow bath that cleanses the perineum, which is the space between the rectum and the vulva or scrotum. It helps in treating and providing relief from hemorrhoids, fistulas, fissures, piles and other perineal conditions or recovery after post-delivery. Learn here how to take sitz bath: http://bit.ly/2H3PQgx #SitzBath #HealthTips #SmilesBangalore

[nasiknews]

Pune health matters: City startup's recycling menstual pads wins awards, Smile Train announces first CLC in India

Pune health matters: City startup’s recycling menstual pads wins awards, Smile Train announces first CLC in India

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[generosityglobal]

Taking care of yourself is must to get the healthy body. Its our duty to maintain the menstrual health management to bring hygiene and sanitation during periods. We at generosity global helps and guide the young girls and women