3 Things You Didn't Know About Your Period

Number 1,
Period pain is NOT normal, but uterine contractions ARE!

During our period, our uterus contracts to help expel the lining. These contractions are therefore necessary and may be felt, but this does NOT mean that they should be painful. The level of menstrual pain can depend largely on the levels of inflammation in the body, with higher levels of inflammation causing more pain and discomfort.

Hormone-like compounds, called prostaglandins, are responsible for signaling these uterine contractions, though prostaglandins can also increase the sensitivity of pain receptors. For obvious reasons, our levels of prostaglandins are highest on the first day of our period, hence why the pain is usually worse the first few days.

The solution? When you improve your health overall through an anti-inflammatory diet, stress management, gut health, gentle exercise etc., as I teach in the Balance Your Hormones eBook, your hormones regulate, your levels of inflammation decrease and so too does your period pain. (Discount code below if you’re interested).

Number 2,
You CAN get pregnant on your period… kinda.

In a typical 28 day cycle we will ovulate on day 14. In fact, our luteal phase (the second half of our cycle) is always around 14 days, meaning that if you have a shorter 23-day cycle like some women, then actually you will be ovulating on day 9. Therefore, if you have sex towards the end of your period on day 4 or 5, AND sperm can survive for up to 5 days, then you most certainly can have live sperm ready and waiting to fertilise your next egg when ovulation comes around.

This is why the FAM method, aka tracking your hormones and knowing your cycle, is not only SUPER important for helping monitor your health, but is also VERY helpful in contraception (or conception)! (Yes I teach this in my ebook too).

P.s. sorry for the math (I should have warned you)

Number 3,
You don’t bleed as much as you think!

Most women when asked to estimate how much blood they lose during their period would say around ½ a cup or 150ml, however, the average amount of blood lost is actually around 35-50ml, which is only about 2-3 tablespoons!

In fact, if you lose more than 80ml or you find yourself changing your pad/ tampon hourly, then that’s considered heavy menstrual bleeding and could be a sign of an underlying condition to get checked.

Want to keep learning about your female body?

Download my free eBook here which will teach you how to balance your hormones & clear your symptoms

Learn anything new in this article?
Let me know in the comments & let's chat about it!

Mads x