Menstrual period health education and publicity

There are no uniform taboos that apply to everyone. All judgment criteria are based on your own comfort. Just avoid the clear risks that have been proven by medicine. There is no need to be kidnapped by the various "rules that must be followed during menstruation" on the Internet.

I don’t say this casually. I have been in a gynecological clinic for almost 6 years and I have seen too many young girls who are made anxious by various strange taboos. The most exaggerated one is a girl who dared not turn on the air conditioner when she got her period in the 38-degree summer. She wrapped herself in a thick coat and covered herself with prickly heat. When I asked her if she felt uncomfortable, she said she didn’t feel any pain. She was just afraid that “cold would cause the disease.”

Take for example the most controversial question "Can you touch ice during menstruation?" Traditional Chinese medicine theory believes that during menstruation, Qi and blood leak out and the body's resistance decreases. The intrusion of cold and cold can easily lead to Qi and blood stasis, causing dysmenorrhea and reduced menstrual flow. This statement is supported by a complete theoretical system, and it is indeed in line with the actual feelings of many girls with weak constitutions and usually cold hands and feet.； But from the perspective of modern evidence-based medicine, after eating ice food, it is heated by the digestive tract and has already returned to body temperature by the time it reaches the pelvic cavity. As long as you don’t have abdominal pain or diarrhea after eating ice, you can eat it. I have seen a girl from Hunan show off her period for three consecutive days with iced milk tea and iced watermelon. Nothing happened. ； I have also seen a girl who is usually cold, take a mouthful of ice yogurt and squat on the ground in cold sweat in pain. What you choose depends on your own body reaction. You don't have to follow other people's habits.

After talking about food, the biggest headache for everyone is definitely dysmenorrhea. Don't listen to what your elders say, "Just get married and have children." There is no scientific basis for this. Whether it can relieve it all depends on what type of dysmenorrhea you have. More than 90% of primary dysmenorrhea is caused by no organic disease in the reproductive organs. To put it bluntly, it is caused by excessive secretion of prostaglandins that stimulates uterine contraction. Ibuprofen is specifically designed to inhibit the synthesis of prostaglandins. It is very symptomatic. If you take it for 2 or 3 days a month, it will have no side effects at all after being metabolized. It is much better than carrying the pain to the point of vomiting and diarrhea. I have met too many little girls who are so painful that they dare not take painkillers because they are afraid of being "addicted" and "affecting future pregnancies." If the pain becomes more and more severe and cannot be suppressed by taking painkillers, then don’t delay and go for a B-ultrasound as soon as possible to see if it is secondary dysmenorrhea caused by endometriosis or adenomyosis. This kind of pain requires targeted treatment and cannot be solved by giving birth.

There are also many elders who say that you can’t take a bath or wash your hair during menstruation. This is really old history. In the past, there were no showers at home, only bathtubs. When taking a bath, sewage could easily enter the vagina and cause infection. Nowadays, every household has a shower. As long as the water temperature is suitable and the hair is dried promptly after washing, there is no problem. On the contrary, during menstruation, the private parts are always covered with sanitary napkins, which makes it moist and hot. It is also necessary to flush the vulva with warm water every day. Do not use various lotions to wash the inside of the vagina randomly, which will destroy the bacterial flora and easily lead to vaginitis. By the way, don’t wait until the sanitary napkin is full before changing it. Even if the amount is small, you should change it at most every 4 hours. Otherwise, you will suffer from vulvitis, folliculitis and itching caused by stuffiness.

As for whether tampons and moon cups can be used, which everyone is currently confused about, I can only say that as long as you operate them properly, there is no problem at all. A little girl from high school came over and asked if she could use tampons if she didn't have sex, for fear of damaging her hymen. In fact, the hymen itself has holes, which can accommodate a finger. If you choose an ordinary tampon with the smallest flow, you can't touch it. If you really mind, don't force it. It's fine to use ordinary sanitary napkins or mini napkins. Your comfort is the most important.

Oh, by the way, there are also emotional issues that many people ignore. Many girls start to be irritable a week before their period. They dislike everyone, want to cry at the slightest thing, and even experience edema and breast swelling and pain. Don't think that you are "pretentious" or have a bad temper. This is premenstrual syndrome caused by hormone fluctuations. If it is mild, eat your favorite food, take a walk, and don't force yourself to maintain "emotional stability." Before my period last month, I sat on a bench in the community and cried for ten minutes because I missed a sausage in the takeaway. If the symptoms are particularly severe and have affected your ability to go to school and go to work, then go to a gynecologist or a psychiatrist and take some medicine to adjust them.

Finally, let’s talk about a topic that everyone is embarrassed to ask: Can I have sex during my period? There is really no unified conclusion on this. The traditional view is that the cervix opens during menstruation, and bacteria can easily be brought into the same room to cause pelvic inflammatory disease. It may also cause reflux of menstrual blood and increase the risk of endometriosis, so it is not recommended. ； However, some studies believe that if both parties are well cleaned, there will be no gynecological inflammation and no discomfort, and it is not an absolute contraindication. To put it bluntly, it's still the same sentence. You have the final say about your own body. If you don't want to, just refuse it. Don't be fooled by the other party's lies. If you are willing, do a good job of cleaning and protecting yourself. If you feel uncomfortable, just go to the hospital as soon as possible.

In fact, menstruation has never been an "unlucky" thing. It is just a normal physiological phenomenon for women. It does not need to be hidden or bound by various rules. You have been getting along with your body for more than ten years, and you know best whether it is comfortable or not. Don't listen to what others say "it must be like this" or "can't be like that". Do whatever makes you feel comfortable. If you really feel uncomfortable, go to a doctor from a regular hospital, which is more reliable than anything else.