How can I practise menstrual self-care?

How can I practice menstrual self-care?

What is menstrual self-care?

There are different ways of applying self-care during your menstrual cycle and I've broken it down into physical care, emotional care and practical care, I hope for an easy listen.

So let's start with physical care.

Cramping is a common symptom, so using a hot water bottle and placing it over your tummy or your lower back can really help you to feel more comfortable.

You may wish to consider pain relief additionally if it's really bad, so anti-inflammatory pain relief can look like ibuprofen.

Taking the appropriate and advised dosage just before the pain peaks is more effective.

So although you may not feel like it, gentle exercise is proven to be really beneficial to reduce cramps, and maybe you can introduce this in by like gentle activities such as a short walk, yoga, or just body stretches where you are.

So remember to drink plenty of water, and this can really help with bloating and fatigue.

Making sure you replenish the iron, so eating iron-rich foods like leafy greens, lentils or red meat can help replenish what your body loses, especially if your flow is heavier.

Magnesium is also a good one because this can ease cramps and help with low mood.

So this can be found in dark chocolate excellent nuts and seeds.

So let's look at emotional care.

So fluctuating hormones will affect our mood, so do expect this.

Making the link with your cycle and feeling fragile and tearful is important.

Once you know what's going on for you, you can start to bring awareness to giving yourself some time and space if you can.

Don't take on too much at this time.

And use self-soothing activities to help you feel better such as nice warm baths, favourite films and a cozy environment.

If your menstrual cycle is irregular or emotions are particularly up and down, it can be helpful to write down these intense emotions you're feeling with a time and the date.

So maybe down the line you can see patterns forming so you can prepare in advance and give yourself some time, extra time and space.

Whether it's just an app or just a calendar, knowing roughly where you are in your cycle lets you anticipate any symptoms so you can plan around them and spot anything unusual early.

This can be extremely helpful as you move into the perimenopause, the menopause stage.

So just some basic practical hygiene.

I'm sure I don't need to tell you this, but changing towels or tampons every four to eight hours is standard.

But it will depend on how heavy your flow is.

So just when you're feeling uncomfortable, just keeping on top of that to avoid any infections.

So when to see a doctor, please do see a doctor if your periods are painful enough to disrupt your daily life.

If you're soaking through a pad or a tampon every hour, if your cycles are regularly shorter than 21 days or longer than 35, and you're not in perimenopause stage, or if mood changes around your periods, and these mood changes create really difficult situations, then these can be signs of conditions like endometriosis, fibroids, or PMDD.

And all of those are treatable.

So thank you for listening today, and please take good care of yourself.

Thank you.