So there was a lot of misinformation, and just a huge lack of the nitty gritty stuff, when I was in school and I see a lot of young kids on forums asking if something is normal or worrying about stuff and adults who have wondered their whole lives if other people feel the same on their periods.
Here’s some stuff about periods people might not talk about;
It can smell. But using scented pads isn’t a great idea, the chemicals in the perfume cause irritation. But here’s the thing; vaginas smell. All of them. All the time. Right now. YOU notice the smell because it’s literally part of you, but other people don’t. If it’s a foul smell and very strong you should speak with a gynecologist, but the average day-to-day odor is normal and doesn’t mean you’re dirty.
Diarrhea all day every day.
Or, alternately, constipation all day every day.
ALSO alternatively, a healthy mix of both sprinkled randomly across the days of your period like too much nutmeg where no one asked nutmeg to be.
Your first period might not look like a period at first. It might look, well, brown, and lead you to other conclusions about what’s going on in your skivvies. Then it might not come again the next month and show up on a totally different week when it does. Mine came like A LOT. It was very heavy and I bled through a pair of jeans in the middle of school it was so heavy. I didn’t know what it was and thought I was bleeding from my butt because my liar teacher said a period would only be a ‘tablespoon’. Tablespoon of lies.
At some point your probably going to stain the back of the toilet seat with blood. That doesn’t mean your bleeding too much, or that your dirty, but it’s a tid bit of information I wish I knew as a kid so I could have known to look for it when using public restrooms or at friend’s houses.
Period farts.
Having sex on your period isn’t gross or dirty or wrong. Put an old towel down on the bed and have at it.
The feelings you have on your period are entirely valid and not imagined or unimportant because of your period. Whether or not your feelings are heightened by PMS they are still your feelings and should be respected.
The ‘average’ period is anywhere from 3-10 days with any variation in flow. You shouldn’t be concerned because your period isn’t the same as your friends is, only if it changes from what’s average for you. There isn’t such a thing as a ‘normal period’ you need to fit into.
If you wear a disposable pad there will be a point where it’s going to unstick at some corner and when you pull it off it’s going to pull some of your pubic hair with it. This is going to suck. I am very sorry.
If you wear a tampon there is going to be a point you will squeeze it out of yourself when you use the bathroom. Just change your tampon each time you go. Please listen to me on this.
Swamp butt.
You will get blood stained thighs at some point. It’s going to cake onto your skin and make a mess just everywhere.
The cashier doesn’t care about you buying pads/tampons/etc, they just had a guy buy 4 pounds of carrots, a box of Xtra Large ribbed condoms and cherry scented lube. Your pads are not on their radar of things to care about.
Washing Your Junk:
When you shower (if you want a bath i’d shower before hand or dont wash in the bath itself and shower after to get clean) remember you are not actually washing inside of your vagina, you’re washing the skin around it (labia, clitoris, all those good bits). Using a soft wash cloth with either very mild unscented soap or just warm water. Seriously, stop putting washing products inside yourself; You do not need to wash the inside of your vagina and doing so can cause infections. Unless given products by your doctor there is no need to douche or use creams or wipes or other stuff like that. They’re lies sold to you to make you think you smell bad.
You know how your parents said ‘wipe front to back’?Same with washing, you don’t want to drag butt germs all over your vagina. Don’t do it.
Some people find that trimming, or shaving, their pubic hair helps them control odor, or makes wearing sanitary products more comfortable, but it isn’t required and is personal preference with different individuals. There is no health benefit to shaving or trimming your pubic hair and it will not make you cleaner than if you didn’t shave.
Wearing light breathable cotton undies during your period will help eliminate odor and not give you swamp butt. Especially in the summer.
Washing after sex is a great idea and not just because it’s romantic. If you’ve ever had period sex before you will k n o w but if you have not I am going to just ask you to take my word for it and plan a shower afterwards.
Feel free to tack on other stuff if you want. Tell me all your period secrets.
Also: keep in mind that what’s coming out isn’t just blood. It’s also uterine lining. It’s not going to smell like blood and it’s common, especially when it’s heavy, that there will be clots and chunks. These are normal.
You should NOT be experiencing debilitating pain. Cramping, bloating, and general discomfort are expected but shouldn’t be severe. If your period is causing you nausea or vomiting, dizziness, fainting spells, blacking out, or any other severe symptoms that interfere with your day to day life PLEASE reach out to a doctor.
I think @rattlecat made an awesome post about Always infinity pads being way better than regular pads for anyone that suffers heavy flows or prefers pads to other period methods
Pads have the curse of feeling like you are wearing a diaper so this may help people that cannot use anything but pads
(I’m on mobile or I’d find it and link directly. Sorry!)
I am a fan of ‘U by Kotex’ and the ever famous Always Infinity, both of which are often on the cheaper end of the price range and frequently on sale. I have never had an issue bleeding through either and even during times I’ve been unable to change them for way too long (dont judge me it was a road trip) the pad stayed in place the whole time.
On a side note, you can find free samples from just about any pad/tampon company website. I got a pad, tampon, and panty liner trial pack (all in one pack!) from Kotex that I keep in the glove box.
If you’re one of the people that needs to reach out to a doctor, be warned that they may not believe you, especially if you’re under 20. (The number of times I’ve been told I’m overreacting or that it’s normal for things to be “weird” in the first few years of periods or that I’m making stuff up is alarmingly high – I still don’t know what’s going on because of it, and I’ve been trying for years.) Be prepared to fight for it. Find a gynecologist if your default doctor won’t listen to you. Just find out what’s going on and do what you need to to help improve things.
I want to put it out there for young people who may not be used to making their own doctor appointments; you do not need to be referred by your primary physician to make an appointment with a specialist like a gynecologist. You don’t need to do anything other than make the appointment, your primary doesn’t have to be part of that process if you don’t trust them or they aren’t helping you.
Also if you flow heavy you will have those days when you go to change your pad/tampon/whatever and blood will run down your leg.
Remain calm.
Clean your vag area and any trickles that happen. It’s normal.
Idk if it was mentioned but gas and farting will occur; how much depends on the individual.
Also if you can afford it I HIGHLY recommend getting the Diva Cup or a similar product. It may be pricey at first but I have saved so much money and that’s important to me, since my household makes less than 32k/year.
It’s important to keep toxic shock syndrome in mind for one of OPs bullet points - to change your tampon every time you go to the bathroom.
I’m not certain that’s the best advice; if your tampon is too dry, when you pull it out, as the dry cotton drags against the lining of your vagina it could be leaving behind bits of dried cotton. Those left behind bits are what puts you at risk of contracting TSS.
Just stay mindful, if you have to tug to get it out you should probably leave it and wait until your next bathroom trip. It should always easily slide out, you should never have to feel like you need to exert any kind of energy when you pull the string.
Stay safe lovies ❤️
If your period is causing you nausea or vomiting, dizziness, fainting spells, blacking out, or any other severe symptoms that interfere with your day to day life PLEASE reach out to a doctor.
Seriously guys, you should definitely see a doctor if you experience these symptoms. Some of those can be symptoms of anemia.
i don’t understand why people don’t instantly respond to “what would your dream superpower be” with the ability to manipulate probability. think about it. what’s the chance someone will drop 1mil in front of me? 0%? let’s make that 100%. what’s the probability i’ll wake up tomorrow and be X gender? 100%. what’s the probability my bathtub is filled with mac and cheese? 100%.
as a casino employee I can confirm this would be terrifying as fuck
I still like teleport, no error, whether I’ve ever been there or not.
The superpower of
probability
is terrifying for other reasons.
what’s the probability my bathtub is filled with mac and cheese? 100%.
Consider all the unlikely things that must occur in just the proper sequence for this to happen. It’s not just wishing 50 gallons of mac & cheese into existence – that’d be a different superpower.
No, we’re talking about some serious reality bending here.
Like maybe: an 18-wheeler hauling a load of instant Kraft macaroni & cheese collides with a tanker truck filled with water outside your home. Both vehicles erupt into flame, which cooks the combined noodles & cheese mixture within a small non-nuclear mushroom cloud of an explosion.
The cooked mixture of mac & cheese (and burning fuel!) rises into the air on thermals a hundred feet above your house, exactly above your bathroom.
At just the right moment, as the starchy cloud of cheesy noodles reaches the apex of its hideous arc, a freak storm causes a lightning bolt to crash down out of the blue, blasting a hole in your roof above the bathtub.
Shingles and plywood explode away from the roof and are diverted to the side by sudden 50 mph crosswinds… which, because of freak weather conditions, are perfectly timed to whisk away the roof debris but stop just as suddenly before the descending cloud of mac & cheese can be blown aside.
Four seconds later there is a moist mighty THLUPPPPnoise as ~50 gallons of half-cooked, badly mixed mac & cheese & diesel fuel land in a soggy mess within your bathtub.
Ding! Your bathtub full of mac & cheese? Probability 100%.
Also: two dead truck drivers, untold collateral damage from the explosion, a wrecked roof, dangerous storms trashing the neighborhood, and a disgusting inedible mess in your bathroom.
Oh wait, you wanted it perfectly cooked, ready to eat? Too bad… you didn’t specify that. And if you had, imagine the FURTHER ridiculous unlikely events required to make that happen.
Because you’re not just wishing shit into existence. You’re shifting realities.
Which, if you’re selecting for a very improbable circumstance means moving a LOT of existing reality out of the way – which takes energy. Because reality has inertia & momentum just like a river does, and does not want to be diverted.
This might be the most terrifying super power ever, just from its side effects.
Imma stick with shapeshifting
I’ve always just wanted to read,write,speak,and understand every language that is currently used at any given time by at least 2k people. or to have a true bag of holding.
