Menstrual period health knowledge education

If a single menstrual volume exceeds 80ml (almost soaking two full 420mm nighttime sanitary napkins), dysmenorrhea cannot be relieved by taking conventional analgesics, non-pregnant women have stopped menstruating for more than 3 months, and any unfavorable folk remedies appear, they will be contacted directly by a gynecologist.

To be honest, I have been in the gynecology clinic for almost 8 years, and the most common misunderstanding I have seen is that "strict food intake must be avoided during menstruation", especially the question of whether ice can be eaten, which has caused a lot of quarrels on the Internet. At present, there is no evidence-based medical evidence in the Western medicine system to prove that raw and cold food can directly aggravate dysmenorrhea or cause irregular menstruation. However, traditional Chinese medicine believes that exposure to raw and cold food during menstruation can cause qi and blood stasis, induce uterine cold, and dysmenorrhea. In fact, there is no unified standard answer at all - I have a patient who is a girl born and raised in the Northeast. Her aunt eats frozen pear popsicles every day without any problems. Another girl has cold hands and feet. In summer, her stomach hurts even when she drinks normal temperature mineral water. She even breaks out in cold sweats when she touches a sip of iced milk tea during her menstrual period. To put it bluntly, your body's feelings come first. If you feel comfortable, eat it. If you don't feel comfortable, don't touch it. There is no need to bear the burden of "breaking taboos", and there is no need to doubt yourself when others say "eating ice means not caring about your body".

When it comes to the most annoying symptoms of menstruation, dysmenorrhea must definitely rank in the top three. Many little girls are so painful that their faces turn pale and they vomit bile. They still dare not take ibuprofen for fear of being "addicted" and "harming their health". It is really unnecessary. The over-the-counter ibuprofen currently commonly used in clinical practice will not cause dependence at all if you take 1-2 tablets every month. Most of the side effects are just mild stomach discomfort. It is much safer than if you are in pain and collapse and drink random "menstruation remedies" of unknown origin. Of course, if you are really against Western medicine, moxibustion on the lower abdomen, massage on Sanyinjiao, and hot compresses are clinical data that proves to be effective in about 60% of primary dysmenorrhea. You can choose the method that is comfortable for you. But remember one thing: if the dysmenorrhea becomes more severe or cannot be relieved by eating anything, you must check whether it is secondary dysmenorrhea caused by endometriosis or adenomyosis. Don't think that "dysmenorrhea is normal". If it is delayed for a long time, it may affect fertility.

Some patients have asked me before, do they have to lie down to rest and not even walk much? Not really. I ran a 3-kilometer run on the second day of my menstrual period last year. After the run, the pelvic distension was relieved a lot. Of course, I don’t have heavy menstrual flow and I don’t have dysmenorrhea problems. If you have heavy menstruation or the pain makes you unable to straighten your back, then no one will say anything to you if you lie down for a week ； If your condition is still good, light exercise such as walking and gentle yoga can promote blood circulation and reduce the discomfort of backache and swelling. The only thing to avoid is strenuous exercise that exerts force on the abdomen, such as crunches, weightlifting, and high-intensity interval training. This type of exercise may cause reflux of menstrual blood and increase the risk of endometriosis. Just don’t do it blindly.

There is another question that everyone is ashamed to ask: Can we have sex during menstruation? There is indeed no unified conclusion in the academic community. Western medicine believes that as long as both parties clean their private parts, have no acute inflammation of the reproductive system, and wear condoms throughout the process, it is not an absolute contraindication. ； However, most clinical gynecologists still recommend avoiding it as much as possible. After all, the cervix is ​​open during menstruation, and the risk of infection with pelvic inflammatory disease and endometritis is indeed higher than usual. This choice is completely left to you and your partner, but there is a bottom line to remember: menstruation is not a completely safe period, and abnormal ovulation may also occur. If you don’t want to get pregnant, you must wear a condom. I just got a 22-year-old girl last month. I just believed the saying that "you can’t get pregnant during menstruation." I thought the unexpected pregnancy was irregular menstruation, and I waited until almost 10 weeks to see a doctor. I suffered a lot.

Finally, I would like to say one more thing. Menstruation is a normal physiological cycle for women. There are not so many "musts" and "not allowed" at all. Don't be kidnapped by all kinds of messy health posts, and don't be too careless to ignore the abnormal signals sent by the body. If you really feel uncomfortable, go to a regular hospital to see a doctor. It will be more useful than reading 100 popular science posts.