It is paradoxical: Menstruation is one of the very few topics that should interest ALL : women, because they are directly affected, and most men – because they are somehow affected by it.
It is all the more astonishing that we talk about it rarely and certainly not openly. What’s more, we do not even know or suspect much about the period.
SURVEY
And how is it with menstruation? Do you talk about it publicly or rather not?
- Yes, that’s not a problem.
- No, that’s too intimate for me, I’m not talking about it, with anyone.
- With my best friend already.
- I’m a man.
We want to change that. We’ll just write everything about what there is to say. If we have forgotten something: Please in the comments with it!
Nevertheless, you should only do this list if you have reasonably strong nerves – or if you are a woman. But if you feel sick, if you hear the word “blood” or see it – leave it! It’s about blood …
It’s not just blood that comes out there
“Menstrual blood” is a mixture of blood , various other fluidsand tissue parts .
60 to 80 milliliters
On average, the woman loses between 60 and 80 milliliters of blood during the period . That’s about as much as half a cup or half a glass. On the first two days of the period, three quarters of the total blood volume is eliminated. The bleeding usually reaches the maximum on the second day. The older women become, the more violent and shorter the bleeding becomes.
It is a myth that women can not get pregnant during their period
It is unlikely, but not impossible. In the days before and around ovulation, the woman is fertile. If your cycle is short, ovulation may also take place immediately after the period. This can lead to pregnancy due to the lifetime of the sperm. So woman is fertile at an early stage of the cycle when menstruation is not complete.
Perhaps the loveliest Walt Disney movie is about: Menstruation!
Already in 1946, Disney published “The History of Menstruation” as an educational tool for sex education in the United States. It is rumored that the film was the first to contain the word “vagina”.
Funny names
But there are really many funny names for menstruation. A few examples?
- Red wave
- Red Zora
- Visit from Aunt Rosa
- the Russians are Coming
- Pink week
- strawberry week
- …
But it is also clear that the less openly spoken about a topic, the more names are invented for it. Do you know any more? Then nothing like purely in the comments with it!
Sex during the period?
Progesterone – the hormone that potentially lowers libido – is at its lowest during the period. This means that it may well be that women are particularly keen on having sex during their days. There are just as many reasons for having sex during the period as against it.
Where does the pain come from?
The female body undergoes significant hormonal changes and copes with considerable blood loss during menstruation. The cramps occur because the uterus contracts to repel the mucous membrane that is not needed for the implantation of an egg. Prostaglandins are responsible for contracting the uterus. In addition to muscle contraction, these endogenous substances also trigger pain.
How strong is the pain?
Can menstrual pain be compared to a heart attack? When Professor John Guillebaud of University College London made this comparison, his statement was hotly debated.
One thing is certain: Guillebaud stood in a wasp nest, because he believes that because of the tabooing of menstruation, the effects of menstrual pain in medicine are completely underrepresented. But it is also certain that women are accustomed to a certain level of pain due to the intensity of menstrual pain (and also due to childbirth).
Does the period make women unfriendly?
That is possible. About every third woman of child-bearing age suffers month after month from complaints that are summarized as premenstrual syndrome (PMS). These include sensitive breasts, hot flashes, tiredness, nausea, abdominal cramps, headache and backache, irritability, mood swings, feeling of fullness … The symptoms can start one to two weeks before the bleeding and worsen as the menstrual period approaches.
Women between the ages of 30 and 40 are most likely to suffer from PMS. The cause of PMS is increased levels of prolactin (a hormone that promotes mammary gland growth and milk production) and the imbalance of female sex hormones in general.
More than 10 percent of women …
… suffer so much from their periods that they can not go about their education or their job at this time. About three-quarters of women have mild to moderate symptoms of their menstrual period.
