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Menstruation has been a taboo in our society since time immemorial and that leaves us pretty uninformed about our own bodies. For most of us, these important lessons have been very conveniently skipped through in schools, and our mothers and motherly figures have been the primary source of information for what to do or what no to do during our periods.
Even then, there are quite a few things that might have gone unnoticed or ignored. Things that you must take care of during your periods, to ensure vaginal health and avoid attracting infections and diseases. So, let’s take a look at a few things you could be doing wrong during your periods.
1. Not tracking your periods
Tracking your period is very important. If you think that only the women who are trying to get pregnant are the ones that should be keeping an eye on their cycle, then you are wrong. By keeping a track of your dates, the heaviness of your flow, and the symptoms surrounding it, you can identify and put a check on irregularities as and when they occur.
There are a lot of mobile phone apps that provide you with a period calendar to track your dates and also make day-wise notes. This practice will help you plan your weeks and trips in advance and in case you trying to get pregnant, then it will help you figure out your ovulating period as well.
2. Taking pain killers for your cramps
Doctors suggest that it’s less effective to take painkillers after the cramps have kicked in. So, here’s another benefit of tracking your period cycle, you can take your painkillers a day before your PMS hits, and just like that, avoid your cramps altogether.
3. Forgetting to check the colour of the blood
Colour and texture of menstrual blood have a certain significance. It’s a good sign if your blood is bright red in colour. If you spot a darker colour and clotting, its probably just old blood that took a while to come out. However, if you find heavy clotting more often then we suggest you check with your doctor about it. Also, if you spot an orangish shade, it could mean there are fluids from the cervix mixed in there and it could be an infection, in which case you must contact your OBGYN.
4. Freaking out if you are early or late
It takes several years to fall into a consistent menstrual cycle and minor irregularities are pretty natural to have. However, if you are consistently irregular, you might be suffering from a condition like PCOS which could cause trouble for you if you are trying to get pregnant.
5. Not washing your hands enough
You come into contact with your vagina pretty often during your periods and washing your hands only while inserting your tampon, menstrual cup or changing pads might not be enough. You must lather up much more often to protect our vagina from the germs that it is constantly surrounded by. Make sure you wash your hands every time you come in touch with your vagina.
6. Making up for the iron loss in the body
We tend to be low on iron during our periods and while that’s natural, you need to make sure you are doing enough to replenish your reserves. A good amount of meat intake, or beans and spinach if you are a vegetarian, should do you good. If you still feel wiped out, check with your doctor to make sure that you are not anaemic.
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