Whatever Inspires Your Goddamn Fire

rootfauna

I knew the basics before I got it, but I had no clue…

* The blood wouldn’t necessarily be red. When I first got my period, I spent a few min looking at my underwear wondering how I shit myself. I didn’t know the blood could look brown, or be thick.

* That tampons weren’t a good idea yet. I was 10 or 11 when I got my first period and physically smaller than an adult woman. My first attempt at inserting a tampon was very painful and unsuccessful. I wouldn’t use them until I was around 14 or so.

* That when you use pads the blood can get on your bottom and I’d have to occasionally clean off the toilet seat after using it.

* That getting your first period DOES NOT mean you’re fully developed and fully able to bear children. I could have technically gotten pregnant at that age, but I was still a child and pregnancy would have put my life in danger because I was still physically immature.

* That it wouldn’t be regular for another few years.

* That very painful cramping is NOT NORMAL once you reach your 20s and is cause for concern.

* That the blood and tissue you pass can look chunky or stringy and not like blood from a cut.

* That stress can halt your period for months BUT

* That doesn’t mean you can’t get pregnant

Feel free to add your own

mskiarafan1

Relatable

angelsaxis

-passing blood clots is completely normal

-that your period may straight up skip a month when you first get it

-and then it’ll happen twice in the same month

-getting your period does NOT automatically make you a woman

martee-bee

Painful cramping isn’t normal in your 20’s? That’s a little concerning, mine have been getting exponentially worse

phinarei

It is NOT normal.

I can 100% guarantee you have endometriosis, PCOS, or another hormone problem. If your doctor says it’s normal, DEMAND a second opinion.

Thinking that it’s normal is how people end up infertile or dead. It’s why so many women under 40 these days are having an almost impossible time either conceiving or preventing conception. Because no one teaches anyone that it’s the sign of trouble that can very seriously hurt you.

Anyone who has severe cramps, heavy bleeding, or irregular periods after about 19 years old should seek medical advice. None of those are normal.

If you have skin tags, a hard time losing weight, migraines related to your period, depression that is amplified when menstruating, severe mood swings, sleep disturbances that get worse with menstruation, or any other significant health problem that started with puberty and is worse when hormones are fluctuating you need to be checked.

None of the things that people relate to women on their periods is actually an example of a healthy woman. It’s an example of people who need one form of treatment or another.

colt-kun

Do NOT go to a general doctor. Find a women’s health center. Obgyn doctors. ASK SPECIFICALLY FOR A FEMALE DOCTOR. (Also helps with creating a demand for female doctors, win-win)

And if the doctor you do see tried to write you off as “nothing” or “its normal”? Politely insist for another doctor. People forget: you are paying them for a service. If you believe the doctor is not taking you or your problems seriously, ASK FOR ANOTHER DOCTOR. Specifically, “Do you have another doctor on staff who is more experienced with female health”. It is WELL within your right to change doctors as you see fit - you owe no loyalty to one specific doctor if they aren’t meeting your needs.

master-yen-sid

Reblogging for all my followers with vaginas. I have so many sisters and friends with vaginas and I didn’t know most of this. I turn 30 soon. You’d think I’d have pick up these bits of information over the years in conversation.

luckystarchild

Hey!! Hey everybody with periods!!! If you have a period you should read this, because it’s helpful, and people with periods really aren’t taught enough about their own bodies.

daddys-chaton-noir

even if u personally don’t get a period, someone u know/care abt prob does & u should pass this along

women’s health is health & we should all know these things, i feel

jujubiest

Umm what the fuck I am on depo provera specifically because I consistently have 8-9 day periods that are accompanied by the kind of heavy bleeding and cramping that literally puts me in bed for the first 3-4 days, and I could not take it anymore. But it’s always been like that since I got my period at age 12, so I thought it was just normal and I was really unlucky. I’m 29. Guess my ass is going to an OB-GYN first chance I get.

thingamawhatsit-blog

Just a note - if you have abnormal period stuff and went on birth control as a teen to help with this it can sometimes prolong something (experienced without birth control) you otherwise would have grown out of as your body figured out what the fuck it was doing.

mmemento

yea not everyone is meant to be on birthcontrol. if you have birthcontrol side effects pass the 3 month marker, you should probably see a gyno or a endocrinologist (an internal doctor).

if you have PCOS, be sure to get your thyroid levels checked because thyroid issues (like hyperthyroid) get misdiagnosed for PCOS

alleiradayne

- That you can both get your period and still be pregnant

- There is about a 7-day window every month where you can get pregnant. And 7 days is DAMN generous, it’s more like two or three.

- If you’re not trying to get pregnant, you absolutely 1000% do NOT need to get your period. If your periods are so damn debilitating, talk to your OBGYN about skipping your period with birth control pills. Saved my got damn life.