Period Symptoms Revealed

Period symptoms are something that most women have to deal with for about half of their entire lifetime. They range from cramping (which is the most common one that ladies report) to headaches to backaches and heavy bleeding. Some women have such heavy bleeding they cannot get out of bed for the first day of their menstrual cycle. Imagine not being able to go to work one day out of every month. That would eat up all of your vacation time!

When you think about the amount of money a women spends each year on their period symptoms it is ridiculous. We have to buy sanitary napkins, pantyliners, tampons, PMS meds such as Advil or Tylenol, heating pads to ease our cramps and backaches, the list goes on and on. Some women like to douche after their period is over to help them feel clean, even though most doctors do not recommend doing it. Another thing that causes women to spend money during her period is when the pads and/or tampons she uses leak and she has to buy new underwear. No wonder Victoria’s Secret does such great business – women are always buying new panties!

If you are a female then you know that sometimes your period symptoms are preceded by strong food cravings for salty or sweet foods. Many of my friends end up eating chocolate before and even during their monthly period because they are just drawn to it then. But my sister always told me that she would reach for chips and salty pretzels when her cycle was about to start. No matter which you crave, it is a good thing to give into those desires because your body is telling you it needs the nourishment. You can always work it off at the gym after your time passes.

Having your “Aunt Flow” visit every month makes it difficult to do things such as go swimming at the beach or be intimate with your boyfriend, so it is definitely a downer. The good thing is that it usually doesn’t last more than six or seven days so it is not the end of the world. When I was in high school I used to curl up with my favorite warm blanket and lay on the couch watching old movies if I had my period. It made those days just a little more bearable. Plus, my mom’s brownies helped a lot too.