10 Facts You Didn’t Know About Your Period
They’ve been around for quite some years, so I know you’re used to having them. Despite this, we’re constantly on the lookout for ways to make them less of a nuisance. Between friends, period talk is commonplace. Yet it is often shushed by society (boo the patriarchy) so it’s not surprising that we don’t know all that much about them. Here are 10 weird and interesting facts in case you missed the memo.
You bleed a lot less than you think
If you were estimating the amount of blood lost each month, what would you guess? 150ml? 1 cup? In actual fact, it’s a LOT less than this - we tend to overestimate the amount of blood lost. The average woman loses just over 50ml each period – that’s only about 2-3 tablespoons!
Women syncing cycles is a MYTH
It’s commonly accepted that women who live in the same home or spend a lot of their time with one another sync their menstrual cycles. However, a 2005 study that examined 186 women living in the same dorm for over a year concluded that the women's periods didn't sync up with one another after all. Another study by the University of Oxford concluded that the menstrual cycles of the 273 pairs of women living together did not align either. So where did this myth come from? It can be traced back to a 1971 study that found women release pheromones that influence each others’ cycles, but the study has since been discarded for using inaccurate statistical methods. Still, the idea of syncing cycles with women around you seems to prevail and the myth lives on.
The days before your period imitate pregnancy
In the days leading up to your period, your body is preparing itself for pregnancy, so it secretes more progesterone which causes similar symptoms, such as fluid retention, bloating, sore breasts, and skin irritation.
It’s not just blood you’re losing
Each 28 days or so a layer of your uterus is shed, so this, alongside your blood vessels, is released in your period each month. This is a contributing factor to why some people’s periods can be messy.
Your periods add up to years of your life
On average, women in the West have about 450 periods throughout their life. Whilst this may not seem like TOO much time considering it’s spread out over so many years, the average woman typically bleeds for 4-5 days, so this ends up meaning that women spend the equivalent of 5-6 years menstruating! That is a bloody long time!
You could consume up to 15,000 menstrual products throughout your life
During those 450 periods that women have, the average woman will use between 12,000 and 15,000 pads, tampons, and liners, as per a report conducted by the Rochester Institute of Technology. That’s a hell of a lot of wastage and plastic packaging leaching into our landfills. Thankfully, this is an easy place where we can reduce our impact – using a menstrual cup will save you over $700 AND lasts for up to 10 years.
There are over 5,000 euphemisms for periods around the world
A study by Clue, a period-tracking app, surveyed over 190 countries and discovered over 5,000 euphemisms for the word ‘period’. These includeErdbeerwoche which means ‘strawberry week’ in German, C'est une scène de crime dans ma culotte which in French means ‘It's a crime scene in my panty’ and Descongelar el Bistec – ‘defrosting the steak’ in Spanish!
You can help regulate your cycle by sleeping with a nightlight
Light exposure impacts the production of melatonin, a hormone which, alongside assisting our sleep, helps regulate the release of the female reproductive hormones that control the start and end of your cycle. In fact, in a study published by the journal Psychiatry Research, women with long or irregular periods who slept next to a 100-watt light for several days throughout the last 2 weeks of their cycles reduced their cycles by an average of 12 days, meaning this approach could help regulate your menstrual cycle.
Orgasms can help reduce the pain from your cramps
When you have an orgasm, you experience uterine contractions. These contractions release pain-fighting neurotransmitters, like endorphins and oxytocin. So when you orgasm during your period, it helps relieve the pain from your cramps. Period sex FTW! If you’re looking to experience stronger orgasms, or to strengthen your pelvic floor, check out these incredible yoni eggs I’ve been loving!
Having your period can exacerbate asthma symptoms
According to a study published in the journal Multidisciplinary Respiratory Medicine, in the week before your period women experience a heightened sensitivity to allergens as well as reduced lung capacity. This causes between 19-40% of women with asthma to experience premenstrual asthma.