What can go wrong with your period

Periods generally work the same way. However, lots of things can go wrong with your period. Here's a few of them, as well as some common symptoms and cures.

• Heavy Flow; your period is consistently very heavy and you go through a lot of menstrual products (e. g. pads, tampons) per day.

• You could have a tumor in your uterus. These tumors become more common as you age.
• To get rid of a tumor, you'd probably have to get surgery.
• Tumors in your uterus also tend to shrink or disappear after menopause, because there's not as much estrogen to feed them. However, waiting until menopause could be a long time.
• You could also have a blood clotting problem.
• You should probably see a doctor for this.

• Light/Non-existent flow; your flow is very light or non-existent.

• Your period could still be regulating itself. Your menstrual cycle generally acts a bit wonky for the year after your period begins.
• No cure for this, just got to wait it out.
• Your hymen or uterus could be malformed.
• Talk to a doctor about corrective surgery.
• You could be pregnant.
• Take a pregnancy test to check for pregnancy. If you are pregnant, there's nothing to be done for your menstrual cycle except have the baby.
• If you're taking birth control pills, they could be messing up your flow.
• Try not taking any birth control pills for a while and see if your period goes back to normal. If they do, you should probably stay off birth control pills. There are better methods of preventing pregnancy, anyway.

• Cramps; you're having really bad cramps.
• Cramps are a normal part of periods, and most people who experience periods get at least mild cramps.
• Try taking some ibuprofen or aspirin for mild cramps. Heatbags and chocolate can also be effective.
• If you're having really, really bad cramps that keep you from moving and such, you might have endometrosis, which means that tissue grows outside of your uterus during the menstrual cycle. When you have your flow, this tissue has nowhere to go, and it causes inflammation which can produce horrible cramps.
• You might need hormonal treatments or surgery to fix endometrosis. Talk to your doctor for help.

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Positive Thinking About Your Flow

By Paige


So, this topic is pretty strange for me, because I am not optimistic. About anything.
Also, periods being the bane of people worldwide, it's no wonder thinking positively about a thing like this is next to impossible.
However, it's not impossible. There are a few points that can be good, like in Naomi' s post, "The Benefits of Keeping Your Period."


Reason One: It means you're healthy.
It means you're eating he right amount, not exercising too much, and everything works. Yay.
Reason Two: You're not pregnant.
Getting your period is basically about getting rid of the things needed to have a child. Though many people will never need this knowledge, those who do will find it useful.
Reason Three: You have an excuse to eat chocolate.
Almost everyone loves chocolate. And a little chocolate now and then is good for you. So that's a plus.
Reason Four: People Sympathize.
Though the experience of having a period is pretty bloody awful, (pun totally intended) people worldwide can sympathize. Most people won't want to embarrass you if you drop a tampon or something. They've probably been through the same or known someone who has.
Reason Five: You live in the Twenty-first century.
At least you live in the era of disposable pads and tampons and not in the era in which people had to use rags and other alternative methods.
Reason Six: It's like that joke...
Why do you hit yourself 50 times with a hammer?
Because it feels so good when you stop! When your flow is over you'll appreciated how great it feels to be without cramps.
Reason Seven: You're not Fictional.
You don't have to destroy Lord Voldemort or become the Mockingjay or fight Daleks on your flow. Most likely. But if you're at Hogwarts I don't know why you'd be reading this.
Reason Eight: Last but not least...
As soon as it's over, you have three entire weeks until the next one!


I realize these are pretty awful excuses, but with an experience like periods, there's a lot of challenge in making cramping and bleeding sound good.
Anyways, chin up and make try thinking positively.

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The Benefits Of Keeping Your Period

If you ask the average person what a period does, they'll probably say something along the lines of "It's part of the menstrual cycle," or "It's part of getting ready to possibly become pregnant," or "Why are you asking me this?" Well, let's ignore the last one and just look at the first two.

Yes, getting ready for possibly being pregnant is all well and good. But unless you get your period really late, you're going to be way too young to be pregnant when your period starts. And what if you're asexual, like me, or you're just not interested in having a child? You might be tempted to think (and I'm guilty of this too) "I don't need a period! I don't want to get pregnant right now (or ever), so what's the point? Why shouldn't I just take birth control pills and stop my period from happening?"

Well, besides being part of getting ready to possibly become pregnant, periods are also a sign that your body is working right. If you're pregnant, stressed, exercising too much, eating too little, or having hormonal issues, your period might stop to let you know that something is wrong. If you stop your period by taking birth control pills, then you might not know it if something is wrong.

Also, birth control pills work by flooding your body with artificial hormones. Honestly, that's not very good for you, and it might mess up your hormone levels even more than your period normally would.

In addition, the risks for breast cancer, cervical cancer and liver tumors are slightly increased if you take birth control pills. They can also increase the risk of cardiovascular disease and brittle bones.

So, as much as you may hate your period (and I sure do), putting up with it is better than possibly missing an important sign from your body, or getting cancer, right?

Sources:

• http://www.beinggirl.co.uk/article/period-menstrual-cycle-menstruation-facts/
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Menstrual_cycle
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hormonal_contraception
• http://www.webmd.com/sex/birth-control/features/no-more-periods
• Personal experience
• My mom

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