Menstrual health education

There are no "standard menstrual periods" and "absolute taboos" that apply to everyone. As long as it conforms to your own long-term patterns and does not cause intolerable abnormal discomfort, there is no need to be overly anxious. Most of the rumors about "menstrual harm to the body" spread online are not universal. If you are unsure, please consult a gynecologist in a regular hospital first, which is far better than folk remedies and popular science popularized by Internet celebrities.

I have been doing science popularization at the maternal and child care post in the community for almost 6 years, and I have seen too much unnecessary anxiety: a 16-year-old high school girl came to the free clinic clutching the corners of her wrinkled school uniform and said that her menstruation was delayed by 3 days this time, and her classmates were all on the 28th day. Was she seriously ill?； A 27-year-old Internet girl was chased and scolded by her mother because she bought an iced Americano when visiting her aunt. Her mother insisted that she would be infertile due to uterine cold. However, she has been drinking iced drinks for five or six years and has never had dysmenorrhea. Her physical examination was also normal.

When it comes to "standards", what many people think of as "a 28-day cycle, ending in 3-5 days, and a medium amount of bleeding" is actually just a statistical median, not a passing line at all. I have seen a girl with a fixed cycle of 40 days, all six hormones and B-ultrasound were normal, and she got pregnant in the first month of trying to get pregnant. ； I have also seen the cycle change from 30 days to 25 days after giving birth. The doctor said that as long as the interval between each time does not exceed 7 days, regular fluctuations are completely fine.

As for the debate over whether ice can be eaten during menstruation, which has been debated for decades, different medical systems have different opinions: the logic of Western medicine is that after ice food enters the digestive tract, it will be warmed to body temperature and will not directly stimulate the uterus. As long as there is no abdominal pain or diarrhea after eating, it is completely fine.； Traditional Chinese medicine believes that for people with weak and cold constitutions who are prone to cold hands and feet and dysmenorrhea, eating ice may aggravate qi and blood stasis, so it is recommended to eat less. There is clinical evidence for both sides. There is no need to argue about right or wrong. What you feel after eating is the most important. Among the girls I have met, some are so painful that they ask for leave every time they eat ice cream. There are also some who come to their aunts to eat ice cream in the middle of the winter and nothing happens. To insist on a unified rule on whether they can eat it is contrary to human nature.

When it comes to dysmenorrhea, there is another misunderstanding that many people make: they think that taking painkillers is addictive and has side effects, and they refuse to take them even though they insist on it. In fact, commonly used non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs such as ibuprofen inhibit the synthesis of prostaglandins and fundamentally reduce excessive uterine contractions. As long as you take them according to the dosage instructions, two or three days a month, you will not be addicted at all. The most side effects are mild stomach discomfort, which is much more comfortable than rolling in pain, breaking out in cold sweats, vomiting and diarrhea. Of course, if you still have unbearable pain after taking painkillers, or the dysmenorrhea suddenly becomes severe, don’t delay, go get it checked quickly. I met a girl last year who had been in pain for five or six years. She had to drink brown sugar water and keep her baby warm every time. In the end, it was found that it was a chocolate cyst on the ovary, which had grown to 5 cm in size.

Daily care is not that particular. Don’t listen to the marketing claims that “menstrual cups are standard for independent women” and “tampons are more hygienic than sanitary napkins.” The one that suits you is the best. If you care about the integrity of your hymen, choose sanitary napkins honestly. If you feel bored in summer, try tampons. Just change them frequently - once every two or three hours when the amount is large, but not more than 4 hours when the amount is small. Otherwise, the hot and humid environment is most likely to breed bacteria, which can easily induce vaginitis. Oh, by the way, don’t just use any private parts wash to wash the inside of the vagina. Your immunity is already low during menstruation, and random washing will destroy the balance of vaginal flora. Washing the vulva with warm water is enough.

Last month I went to a suburban junior high school to do science popularization, and I met a little girl in the second grade. During class, her aunt leaked on her pants, and the boy in the back seat laughed at her. She cried for the whole class. She didn't dare to take out the sanitary napkins hidden in her schoolbag. If the class teacher hadn't found out, she planned to sit for two hours without even daring to move until school was over. In fact, it is quite sad. Now that everyone's material conditions have improved, many girls have known to use the most expensive and antibacterial sanitary napkins since they were young, but their understanding of menstruation is still a "secret that cannot be told." Even if they take a sanitary napkin in public, they have to hide it in their sleeves for fear of being seen. This is actually the most misunderstanding that needs to be corrected - menstruation is a normal physiological phenomenon, no different from sweating and tears, and it is neither dirty nor bad luck.

In fact, after doing science popularization for so many years, my biggest feeling is that many people’s anxiety about menstruation is essentially hijacked by various external “standards”. When others say you can't eat ice, you don't dare to eat it. When others say it's normal to have a cycle of 28 days, you're so worried that you can't sleep because it's only 35 days. Why bother? You know your body best, and comfort is always the first priority. You really can’t be sure. It costs more than ten yuan to get a gynecological account, which is much more useful than worrying about watching short videos all night.