I think like a lot of people, I really confronted my periods in my mid 30s. Up until then it was literally a pain in the uterus. Usually, it’s around having a baby or not that brings our periods and hormones into our awareness. I knew I didn’t want to have children, and as it turned out, I was grateful to feel that way.
I had a long history of rubbish periods; by that I mean painful, heavy, and irregular. I was put on the pill to combat this, which it sort of did until it didn’t.
The pain and heaviness never really went and if anything, things began to get worse. After years of trips to the GP and A&E I was eventually diagnosed with cantaloupe sized cyst hanging off my left ovary. My consultant told me I would need surgery to remove the melon which I had named Persephone.
They were going to just chop my ovary off, because I didn’t want children. I advocated for that ovary, saying I would absolutely like to keep it. During the removal of Persephone, it was found I had endometriosis and fibroids; the rubbish periods were suddenly starting to make sense.
During the follow up it was unclear if my ovary had been removed or not, so I asked for a scan to clarify. My ovary was there, but so was adenomyosis – it was the hattrick no one wants.
Endometriosis and adenomyosis are similar conditions. Adenomyosis is where the lining of the uterus grows into the muscle wall of the uterus. Endometriosis is where tissue similar of that of the lining if the uterus grows outside of the uterus.
My consultant told me to start back on hormones which was something I didn’t want to do but also was unable to due to being a migraine sufferer. I was told I was very sensitive, advised to have a hysterectomy which I also refused. I left that appointment with my consultant saying I would be back in 10 years begging for a hysterectomy.
I have a 15-year nursing career behind me and I have worked in holistic health for over 20 years, yet navigating 3 chronic health conditions in a more natural way felt a bit daunting at first.
I don’t believe it is any one thing that relieves symptoms, rather than a multi-facetted approach. I do know that there are many things that affect our health – from what we eat to our stress levels, and this is what I cover with my clients to help them have more knowledge and also to advocate for themselves.
Here are my top 5 things that I wish everyone understood about their menstrual cycle.
Periods aren’t meant to be painful
We are deeply conditioned to think that periods are meant to hurt, like it is a rite of passage. The simple truth is pain isn’t something that should be present in your body, and if you are needing to medicate your periods each month this isn’t normal. Pain has been normalised around periods, a dangerous narrative that hinders people being believed and getting diagnosed with conditions like Endometriosis or adenomyosis, which can take on average 10 years to get a diagnosis. Please know that living with pain is exhausting on every level. It is not simply because you have a period, there will be an underlying issue. If you aren’t happy with the advice your health practitioner is giving, please do seek a second opinion.
Charting your period unlocks secrets of your overall health
Charting (and I don’t mean just the dates of your period) your whole cycle is illuminating. There is so much information to be had at your fingertips if you start to take notice of it. Trust me, if you don’t write it down then you won’t remember.
Charting is an easy way to see if there are changes – good or bad - that will give you clues to not just your period health but your overall health. Our periods aren’t just there for the hell of it, they need to have a healthy body to have healthy periods. Our hormonal system isn’t just oestrogen and progesterone; it is our cortisol, insulin and thyroxine to name just three out of the many, many hormones we have. All of these speak to each other, and it is an intimate dance they have each month. For example if you get hangry, this is telling you that your blood sugars are unstable. This can affect your period, making it irregular and in some cases not always ovulating.
Rest before your body makes you rest
The phrase anything you can do I can do bleeding needs to get in the bin. Bleeding is a big deal. It takes a lot of energy out of the body. Couple that with having pain in the mix too and it is downright exhausting.
This phrase suggests that you must push through and it’s the worst thing to do during your period. Sure, some might still be able to get up and cartwheel across the office, but I bet more of you really want to stay in your PJs and sleep for 10 hours. That is ok, it’s an entirely appropriate response to a period. It doesn’t make you weak, it means you are listening to your body, its boundaries and giving it time to recoup its energy. You have to rest, and more so when you are losing the very life force that keeps you going.
Changing your period products can have a reduction on pain
Do yourself and the planet a favour by swopping out to either organic cotton or reusable period products. I realise this is a privilege, so if you can please donate to charities that help those in period poverty either through donations or gifting products. 28% of 14–21-year-olds are struggling to buy period products in the UK.
Your period isn’t just about fertility
Growing humanity is a marvellous thing it can do but it is by no means the whole point to your body. It is hugely reductive to our bodies to think solely in these terms. For example, because I didn’t want children my consultant thought my ovary not worth saving. Regardless of whether I want children, my ovaries help me make progesterone and will support me going through the menopause. If I don’t have both of them then that will be impacted; I will be more likely to go through it earlier than I would with both. We need our hormones for many different reasons. Our oestrogen and progesterone along with all the other hormones in our body are there to help maintain our overall health including heart, bone, digestion and brain for our entire lives.
Gemma Barry is a holistic menstrual coach, founder of The Well Woman Project, and author of Periods Aren’t Meant To Bloody Hurt.