Menstruation: 12 Facts You May Not Know About Your Period

As a teen or adult female, your period is an experience you have to cope with every month. For some, it can be excruciating; for others, it's downright embarrassing. Some lucky people don't get to face any of such scenarios, and their menstrual flow is nothing but a few days of bleeding.

However, there's so much to know about your period. The truth is, many adult women don't even know those things. Even when some facts are mere information, learning about your body and its natural processes can help you love yourself more.

So, let's find out some interesting facts about your period you may not already know.

1. Your period isn't just an egg cell

You may have read that you get your period when there's an unfertilized matured egg that needs to be discarded.

It's true. But you may ask, "If it's just an egg cell, why is there so much blood?

During your menstrual cycle, your uterine lining thickens in preparation to receive and hold a fertilized egg. It's just as if your body is always prepared to get pregnant. But when there's no pregnancy, your uterus no longer needs the lining. Therefore, it sheds the tissue, which then flows out with the egg and a considerable amount of blood. It takes a few days, roughly 3-7, for the body to completely expel the materials.

2. You can get pregnant during your period

Your period means you didn't get pregnant during the last month. But that doesn't mean you can't get pregnant while at it.

Some women, not all, can get pregnant while seeing their monthly flow. If you have a short menstrual cycle of about 24 days, you will tend to ovulate around the 12th day. Since sperm can remain alive in the uterus for up to 5 days, having sex on the sixth day of your flow can be risky. And sometimes, ovulation can come quicker than usual.

3. Your period is not the only time you bleed

Some women experience slight bleeding when they ovulate. That's around halfway into their cycle. It's rare, but it happens. Ovulation is when you're most fertile, so do not mistake that light bleeding for your period. If you have sex during that time, you can easily get pregnant.

4. You can do something about the pain

Most girls are told that the pain is a normal part of their period and there's nothing they can do about it. They're told to avoid painkillers.

It's wise to stay off morphine as it can get addictive, but when the pain becomes excruciating, it doesn't hurt to kill the pain once in a while. Better still, you can use healthier alternatives like chamomile tea. One of the benefits of chamomile tea is that it helps in reducing menstrual pain. It also promotes relaxation and helps you fall asleep. That's desirable when the pain becomes unbearable.

5. You can bleed even while on the pill

You'll bleed during the week of taking the pills. But don't fret; that's only withdrawal bleeding. It isn't an actual period.

Birth control pills prevent ovulation (releasing a mature egg) but do not stop your uterus from developing a lining all month. So when the cycle is complete, and there's no fertilized egg to hold, the lining sheds. The period would be an egg-less one, hence not an actual menstrual flow.

6. Your period changes throughout your life

As you grow older, you'd notice the duration and pain intensity of your period changes. Don't fret; such changes are mostly normal.

Your first cycles will typically be longer and irregular from adolescence, ranging between 21 to 45 days.  They get shorter and become more predictable as you grow older.

As you approach menopause, there'd be changes in your hormones as your body starts making less estrogen. The length of your cycle will start to vary once more and may get shorter or even longer. The bleeding will also get lighter and sometimes heavier.

This premenopausal phase can last up to 10 years before your cycles stop completely.

7. Periods can worsen asthma symptoms

A survey found that 19-40% of women living with asthma experience an increased allergic reaction and lower lung capacity in the week before their periods. The researchers attribute the experience to the hormonal changes during those times.

8. Sleeping with the lights on can help regulate your periods

Scientists have found that women with long and irregular periods who slept with the light on had their cycles shortened by 12 days on average. The explanation is that light exposure affects the secretion of the sleep hormone melatonin, which regulates the release of the hormones that control the menstrual cycle.

However, if you want to use this technique, only sleep with the light on in the last two weeks leading to your period. Sleeping with the light on every day will make your period even more irregular.

9. Every woman would have roughly the same number of periods

This is surely an amazing period fact: according to research, the average woman would have about 450 periods in her lifetime. Typically, you'll likely get over 400 visits from your red-skinned friend.

10. Orgasms can help your period

When you get an orgasm, the uterine contractions promote the release of "feel-good" hormones such as oxytocin and endorphins. During your period, these hormones serve as pain-fighting neurotransmitters to ease the pain. 

11. Cold can worsen your periods

One amazing period fact every woman needs to know is that their periods can get worse in colder months.

Period duration and pain intensity are usually higher in colder climates than in warmer ones.

Also, a chilly winter can even affect your mood, coupled with the hormones. Perhaps, it could be the lack of sunshine. Without enough of it, you don't produce as much vitamin D and dopamine which is a mood booster.

12. You lose a lot less blood than you think

During your period, you'd feel as if it's a gallon of blood coming out. But it's actually a lot less. An average woman would typically lose only about three tablespoons of blood during a normal period.

However, if you feel you're losing more than normal, see a doctor.

These are just some amazing facts about periods every woman should know. But there are even so many more that are not in this article. Indeed, the human body is packed with so many surprises.

This is a collaborative post. I’m so grateful for everyone who contributes to Glitz and Glam By Tiff.

Cover Photo Credit: Photo by Erol Ahmed on Unsplash