Women have to deal with menstruation in large part of
their lives. Consciously or unconsciously menstruations’ scope, pace and timing
plays incredibly important role in hormonal changes. The start of menstruation
gives a feeling of excitement to some women while others feel depressed and sad
because they didn’t manage to become pregnant. During this period a lot of
women begin introspection. This is a period when a woman spends more time for
herself and her body.
Medically speaking, menstruation represents a cyclical
peeling of the uterine mucosa in cases when pregnancy didn’t occur. In these
cases the menstrual blood doesn’t appear clotted and the blood is a little bit
darker than the blood that can be seen from some other wounds on our body. What
exactly is a normal cycle? That is a cycle that is stable and a cycle in which
the menstrual bleeding occurs every 21 to 35 days and lasts up to seven days.
The stability of the cycle is affected by many factors such as age, everyday
living rhythm, lifestyle, level of stress and the amount of body fat. Did you
know that an average woman bleeds around 2000 days during her life? That is
around 400 menstrual cycles or around six years. Women’s menstrual rhythm is
often aligned with the lunar rhythm. In these cases her ovulation starts during
full moon and the bleeding starts with the new moon rhythm. Because of the
hormone secretion (salivary glands, sweat) women that live in the same
household usually have synced menstrual cycles.
Women, who accept menstruation as a natural process,
will soon realize that they are not physically sick and non-reproductive during
that period. Sexuality does not disappear during the menstrual cycle; on the
contrary, sexuality exists if we strip away all the cultural barriers about the
“dirt” of menstrual blood. Self awareness and awareness of the partner about
bodily fluids, their color, appearance and smell will allow normal sexual intercourse. Of course we must be aware of the fact that the sexual intercourse
can’t be the same during the menstrual cycle but that doesn’t have to stop us
from having sex. Some women even have increased libido during this period and
avoiding sexual intercourses can be very frustrating especially if we know that
there is no reason to avoid them.
If you are planning to have sex during your period with
a relatively unknown man, you should know that the possibility of getting
infections and STDs during menstruation is significantly higher. This comes as
a result of the bleeding that is happening in the vagina and the blood is a
perfect place for microorganisms to procreate. That’s why it is very important
to check your partner and use protection.
Also, remember to keep your hygiene on a high level during this period.
Regularly change your tampons every six hours. You should also take baths and
showers in order to avoid possible complications especially after a sexual
intercourse. Use underwear made of cotton and change it regularly.
