Come period day, ladies all know that they can go from feeling pretty to feeling really lousy in mere minutes. From feelings of bloatedness, to acne to mood swings, is it really possible to feel and look great while girls reluctantly welcome their periods? Listed below are some of the most common menstrual bummers out there that women tend to experience.
1. Period Acne
Period acne is one of the worst things that happen during period days. One day you’re having fine skin and the next you are already breaking out.
Why it happens: Blame it into hormone overdrive—they begin to change in the middle of the menstrual cycle. Ovaries become hyperactive, producing excessive levels of testosterone leading to puberty-esque breakout due to the production of too much oil which only gets worse as women stress over it.
How you can cope: Take it back 7th-grade style and invest in a few OTC acne medications. If you get your period regularly, mark down the dates on your calendar when you anticipate your acne to flare up so you can do something preventive about it. Wash your face with a cleanser that has salicylic acid in it and make sure that you DON’T pick your zits. With oil production on a major overdrive, a simple breakout can easily lead to a massive one once provoked.
2. Heavy flow/bleeding
Enter the numerous bathroom breaks. At this rate, no girl can feel good when she has to worry about changing pads every hour to avoid getting back leaks every time.
Why it happens: When your period starts, the lining of your uterus is shed, resulting to a day (or several days) of heavy bleeding for some women. This usually happens at the beginning of each cycle but it canhappen towards the middle for some.
How you can cope: Carrying a backup supply of tampons or pads is a must for women suffering from heavy flow. There are some tricks though that can help you survive your heavy bleeding days. Wearing of dark-colored pants or skirts is a good way to go
to avoid unwanted visible back leaks—especially for women whose jobs or classes require long periods of sitting down. Keeping it clean down there by showering frequently and wiping it with a wet cloth can help keep unwanted odors at bay. Finally, munch on foods that contain complex carbs and try to eat small frequent meals during the entire day as opposed to having three large meals a day. This move can help regulate your body’s sugar levels—a very important factor when dealing with blood loss.
3. Pain and Bloating
There’s nothing great about bloating and having menstrual cramps. And while the degree of pain may vary from one to another, it is agreed though by lots of women that having cramps is one of the least pleasant things that they look forward to each month.
Why it happens: Fluid retention at the abdomen flares up when girls undergo menstruation, no thanks to those pesky hormones doing their usual thing during this time of the month. This results to a bigger belly and that nasty bloated feeling which can sometimes last for days. Similarly, as the uterus lining is being shed during menstrual periods, the shift in the hormone levels will cause the walls of the uterus to contract in order to push the old lining out of the body. All this can result to a painful mess that girls really dread each month.
How you can cope: Drinking lots of water! Not only will this help ward off period acne, it also triggers your body to release more fluids which can cut down that bloated feeling. Some women even reported that having a full bladder can minimize abdominal cramping. Eating foods with less amounts of salt canalso ward off your bloating blues. If cramps prove to be too hard to handle, OTC pain relievers like Ibuprofen or Aleve can be of much help.
4. Mood swings
PMS mood swings have given menstrual periods such a bad rep, but really, it’s the feeling that we tend to internalize too much that can put a serious damper on our menstrual cycles.
Why it happens: Again, hormones are the main culprit. Changes in hormone levels can trigger emotional responses of varying degrees.
How you can cope: Pampering yourselves especially on a period day is a great way to shift your mood. It’s all but normal to not feel pretty especially at times like this, so a little R&R won’t really hurt.
