Period and Pelvic Floor
Welcome to a new episode of our “Pelvic Floor and Where To Find It” Series! This episode is fully dedicated to period and especially period pain.
Index:
Period pain myths
Why then do we think period pain is normal?
Do you know your uterus and vagina move during periods?
Giving birth is the only “natural” pain. Why?
Do you know how much blood you lose during your period?
How often should we have our period?
From brow-ish to vivid red blood. Is it possible?
Any tips on period products related to the pelvic floor?
Period pain and cramps are not normal. When we experience pain we should consider it as a signal our body is sending to raise our attention. Pain is an alarm we shouldn't switch off with a pain-killer.
This is not to say you should lay there with cramps and just suffer. This is to rebuild the way our society and most womxn perceive period pain.
Period pain myths
Since the majority of womxn experience period cramps, we think it’s normal. Since the beginning of time we have heard and learned that period brings PMS and pain; our mother, sister, auntie, best friend, grandma had period pain so, clearly, we should experience it. We expect to have period pain. If in our circle there is a womxn with no cramps during those days, she is the luckiest womxn on earth.
The reality is that common doesn’t mean normal. And your lucky friend isn’t so - she is just fine.
Why then do we think period pain is normal?
Our society has built a culture where our period is a taboo; menstrual blood should not be seen (we all have blue liquids once a month, right? And better to show violence coming from GoT rather than normalising menstrual blood); womxn are “impure” (the craziest social construct ever made since menstruation is the sign we are fertile) when on their period and excluded from social life. We “know” womxn are the “weaker sex” always complaining so, culturally, we are pushed to ignore womxn’s pain (in any area rather than when giving birth - which, hironically, is the only normal pain) and womxn do it as well.
Still in 2020 we heard of several cases and an evident bias among doctors when it comes to womxn’s pain, even though studies have recognized that period pain is a fundamental symptom to diagnose several issues, from pelvic floor hypertone to serious and chronic disease like endometriosis; instead, we learned to relax, to breathe and it’ll pass, to take a painkiller and go on.
Maybe that’s one of the main reasons why it takes an average of 10 years to get an endometriosis diagnosis.
Do you know your uterus and vagina move during periods?
They do. Our uterus and vagina have to push out the endometrium so they move to make it happen. I didn’t know that. Anna explained to me if we were more aware of our body and educated on menstrual cycle, we would know this happens and we probably will expect to feel those movements during period.
The difference between perception and pain is very personal - but our mind tends to perceive discomfort as anything new or unexpected, bringing us into a sort of alert phase where we expect to feel pain. This tension is reflected into our muscles and we might end up feeling more discomfort than we should.
If, for example, we have a hypertonic pelvic floor, our uterus and vagina will need more efforts to move and this might generate period cramps.
Depending on the level of discomfort - is it painful or just the fact we are feeling something moving down there? - it is always important to see an expert (and demand to be heard) and check your pelvic floor, hormones, uterus and all the organs around it to figure out what is causing this pain and get rid of it (if possible).
When we talk about periods we should always evaluate them in relation to our pelvic floor and vice versa; hormones changing during the menstrual cycle have an impact on our muscles as well as an imbalance on our pelvic floor muscles might cause period pain.
Giving birth is the only “natural” pain. Why?
By natural we mean physiological; pain experienced during childbirth has an important role. It helps the mother to move and position herself in a way that facilitates the birthing process. Said that, no one should suffer in silence or not be given anesthesia at some point during childbirth just because it’s a physiological pain.
Do you know how much blood you lose during your period?
This is a difficult question; the perception people have on how much blood they lose during a period is quite distorted and it’s usually “a lot”. It’s a difficult question to answer because the most used metric to have an idea on this has been tampons or pads. Those products tend to give us the idea we lose a lot of blood so that we change them more often and, as a result, we buy more products. A person with a normal period loses a cup of espresso coffee (single) in blood (in the entire period!). Not much, right?
Of course each period is different and we might lose even less (if we are on the pill) or more if we have quite heavy flows. If you use menstrual cups or period-proof underwear you might have noticed that you don’t bleed out during periods.
How often should we have our period?
Periods are part of menstrual cycles so what matters is that they are recurrent within the same timeframe. The average cycle length (when not on the pill or any hormonal contraceptive) is 28-30 days but if you regularly have your period every 26 days it’s fine. The intensity of our flow is what matters the most. Spotting (the little bloody discharges we have before the actual period) do counts within your period. If you have more than three days of spotting (brown-ish) every period it might be the sign that something is wrong.
From brow-ish to vivid red blood. Is it possible?
Yes, it’s possible. When our blood is brown-ish (especially at the beginning or end of your period) it simply means that it has been in contact with the oxygen - by remaining more into the vaginal canal rather than being expelled immediately.
Our blood can be darker and also a few blood clots (especially if you tend to have a heavy flow); if your menstrual blood is pink-ish it might be the sign of some imbalance so it’s better to keep an eye on it and see if it changes or not.
Any tips on period products related to the pelvic floor?
Today most people have the privilege of choosing within a big range of different products for periods; from the “traditional” pads/tampons to menstrual cups, period proof underwear or reusable pads, sponges or even free bleeding.
Tip one: always check materials. Unfortunately many period products are full of plastic, phthalates, pvc or other chemicals that can create damages to your vaginal flora. Avoid those products; you can turn to organic cotton and fabrics, medical grade silicone, medical TPE.
Tip two: if you feel discomfort when using any product (from pain to rush) stop using that product.
Tip three: menstrual cups. In order to avoid damaging your pelvic floor, always choose soft menstrual cups and the correct shape based on your own body. Plus, always clean your hands when using the cup!
Tip four: if you are dealing with a vaginosis or any vaginal infection, it’s better to avoid using any internal support for your period to let your vaginal flora to “breathe” and heal more quickly.
Tip five: IUD and tampons/cups. You can keep using your tampons or menstrual cup even if you are using an IUD but you have to be a bit more careful when inserting/extracting them not to grab your IUD thread.