8 Myths about period every woman has to face

Hey! Aren’t you on your period? Then how can you…? Yes! We’ve all heard a lot of these from our parents, relatives and friends. Periods, the name itself has a lot of taboos and myths about your periodsurrounding it. Let’s take it from the start, periods are a very natural phenomenon that most of us are very hesitant to talk about. Many of us don’t openly talk about periods and that is exactly where the problem lies. We believe the myths about your periodsurrounding them which aren’t even true and keep passing them on to the generations down the line. So, let us bust a few myths about your periodfor you today:

• Periods is only a woman’s thing:

Menstruation is mostly considered as something that only a woman goes through, but here is something that we all don’t know. Menstruation doesn’t only happen to women; transgender and intersex individuals also experience periods. This is something that not many people know including women themselves, so the next time we’re talking about periods it’s not only a woman’s thing.

• Having sex during periods prevents pregnancy:

Most of us think that having sex while we’re on our periods reduces the risk of becoming pregnant. NO! This is a huge myth; it depends on the menstrual cycle of each woman. Sometimes women are least fertile when they are on their period but sometimes it can be the opposite and they could be ovulating at the same time of their period. This mostly depends on the length of the menstrual cycle which varies from individual to individual because each woman is unique in her own way Hence, the next time you want to have sex, it is best to use protection and not your period.

• Having a bath causes problem in your bleeding:

Who doesn’t love having a hot shower or a long bath in the tub? but having bath while you’re on your periods is bad because the hot water stimulates the blood flow and has ill effects on your health? Who-ever came up with this has no idea how relieving it is to have a hot water bath especially when you are on your periods and just need to relax yourself. There is no such thing that a hot water bath can cause, it is completely fine to have bath during periods, having mild fragrances and essences also help lighten the mood and obviously release your stress.

• Syncing periods:

Hey, you guys live together right? So, does that mean you both get your periods at the same time? In what world does living together mean getting periods at the same time? The concept of period synchrony- “synching of woman’s periods” first appeared as a scientific idea and was written in an article that women who live together or spend more time together tend have their periods synchronized. Initially they believed this happened because the woman who lived together exchanged Pheromones over time which led to this phenomenon, but later, studies were conducted again and this time the scientist failed to gather evidence for period synchrony and hence this became a myth.

• Exercising during periods:

How can you exercise when you are on your period? Doesn’t it increase the blood flow? Yes ladies! Periods can make us as hyper as a kid and can also make us a couch potato. Exercising while you’re on your periods have a lot of health benefits, it not only makes our body active but also helps in relieving the menstrual cramps and stress. We all assume that exercising on our periods can cause more cramps, but mild exercises and certain kinds of exercises helps to reduce the cramps. Exercising is good, but not straining your body through exercises because that might have a direct impact on your health. So, the next time you’re on your period make sure to exercise and most importantly relieve your cramps.

• Tampon causes loss of virginity:

Tampons definitely have a lot of myths surrounding it and one of the first and biggest one being that tampons will lose your virginity. The breaking of your hymen marks “loss of virginity”, and many people assume that by inserting a tampon can break the hymen. If that was the case, then we wouldn’t be menstruating in the first place because the hymen would block the blood from flowing, many of us don’t know that hymen is actually a thin membrane between the opening lines of the vagina. Tampons in anyway do not affect the hymen as it is very small and something that can be easily put inside for which you needn’t lose your virginity. To, All the ladies out there worrying about losing your virginity, ditch your pads and go for it.

• You can’t swim during your periods:

Going swimming during your period? Have you lost it? We all girls think about how awkward it is to go swimming because of the blood flow and release of bodily fluids in the water. Here is a thing that not many of us know, when we enter the pool or water it is likely to bleed especially because of the pressure in the water which acts as a barrier and stops the menstrual flow. Other than that, tampons and menstrual cups are preferred while entering the pool because it is also designed in such a way and it is also very comfortable. On the other hand, entering with a sanitary pad is something that you might want to re-consider. The next time someone questions you entering the pool while you’re on your period, Just Dive In!

• PMS isn’t a real thing:

For all you men or women out there who think PMS isn’t a real thing, you really haven’t been stabbed internally by your uterus every month! The pain is definitely real and we know how that feels girls. PMS, mostly known as the Pre-Menstrual Syndrome that happens to women before their periods and one of their common symptoms is bloating of the stomach and cramps. The cramps usually make women very cranky and moody throughout the day. Craving for an ooey gooey chocolate cake and in the next minute craving for a spicy biryani, we can be as happy as a little kid jumping around out of joy and within minutes feel like stabbing every next person we see. The cravings, the mood swings, the cramps are all PMS and VERY REAL. So, to everyone who think PMS is not real, No Uterus- No opinion!

Most of us would have heard or read about these things somewhere or the other, but the important factor lies in the part where you stop believing these myths. Periods are natural, it is a way a woman’s body functions and most importantly is a journey from a girl to a woman. So, the next time you hear anyone say things like this, try busting these myths from our side and enjoy their reactions to these myths as much as we enjoyed yours. Do write your reactions and any other myths that we’ve missed out which you want share with us right here in the comment section below.

Let’s keep it Glo-ing !