What Happens During Your Period?
So you’ve started your period, now what? You may be thinking to yourself, what EXACTLY is going on inside my body right now? Why is this happening? WHAT IS HAPPENING?! Well sit back, relax, and let us explain everything.
What Is A Period?
No, it's not just a way to end a sentence. It's something that happens to your body every month! But what actually goes on inside your body when you are having your period. Well, the actual reason for your period is simple. In the last post, we talked about how an egg from your ovary will begin its journey to the uterus. During this time the lining in your uterus will thicken to prepare for fertilization. If the egg does NOT get fertilized, the lining will start to shed, which is what we call a period! Everyone’s period is different. Some periods last for 3 days, some can last up to 8 days (yeah we’re sorry). But some of you out there might be like “Yeah I knew that, tell me something I don't know!” Well, here we go!
Why Does A Period Happen?
So we told you the reason for the period, but we didn't get down to the actual why. How does all this happen? What is going on inside my body that makes all of this possible? Believe it or not, this answer is simple too, and the answer is hormones! That's right! Your hormones are to blame for all this. Typical. In the days before your period, your body is going to start producing more estrogen, which is what contributes to the thickening of your uterine wall, which as we know, sheds later on giving you your period.
How Do You Feel?
During the first few days of your period you’re gonna feel some symptoms similar to PMS (Premenstrual Syndrome), but just know these symptoms that you might experience are not actual PMS symptoms as PMS happens BEFORE your period. You’ll still (unfortunately) feel some cramps during the first day or two of your period. This is caused by your uterus contracting, forcing out the lining that has been building up. Crazy right? A few other symptoms you might experience this week is fatigue (because you are losing iron), mood swings (cause your hormones are raging), or even bloating (because you are retaining more fluid). But don't you worry, because there are a few things you can do to combat all these symptoms.
Fix Me
Well lucky for you there are a few quick fixes to these symptoms that you could try at home! For cramps, you have actually a few options! You can go the traditional route and take period-specific ibuprofen (if you are young ask your parents first) OR you can try some cool natural remedies! A fool-proof way of combating cramps is a heating pad on your abdomen. The heat helps to calm down the muscular contractions that cause the cramps. You can also take a warm bath with some lavender oils to relax while also being surrounded by warmth. The lavender can also help in stabilizing some mood swings you may be having. Lavender has calming effects so if you’re feeling not like yourself, why not give it a try!? For upping your iron we would suggest trying to eat foods with lots of iron in them, like kale or spinach. This is a great natural, healthy way of getting some iron into your body! For the bloating, there isn't MUCH you can do about this other than preventing it from getting worse. You can do this by cutting out carbonated beverages and even caffeine. These types of drinks will make you bloat even more than usual, so steer clear!
#periods #PMS #hormones #Cramps #moodswings
