okay, here we go... cramps suck really really bad and there are times
when i just would really rather die than be a women. isn't that sad?! but i
mean, hey, if i get to have kids that's cool - you know? my period is
definately an inconvenience, but you know how it goes....
All I know about my period is......hmm. Mostly it sucks. To me it
represents something so much larger. It is something that men will NEVER
understand. It is very similiar to the oppression that women have always
faced. It's a pain that is indescribable, and many men try to make light of
your pain by implying that you are somehow to weak to handle it. I got my
first period when I was 11 years old and my last one about 10 months ago.
It is an issue that I have srtuggled with at length. As you may know I have
battled with the menses a great deal. Spending nights that lasted eternity
lying on the bathroom floor, rocking back and forth until I didn't even have
the energy to do that anymore. It has been one of the most terrifying and
horrific things that I have ever experienced. I could write books on it. I
know all the symptoms, all the treaments...whatever. I think periods suck.
... I'm getting a D+/C- in Calc III right now. I'd rather get my
period for 36 days in a row (hey--that really did happen to me!!) than get
this grade in math. That's all I have to say.
my period is long and heavy! it's usually eight days long and i have bad
cramps the first two days. i knew it would be that way because my mother
had the exact same type of period. her period was so heavy that she became
anemic and had to take iron supplements until her doctors recommended that
she have a hysterectomy because she was not planning on having any more
children. so i fear that will be my fate as well. i'm tempted to go on birth
control to shorten the duration of my period and to get rid of cramps, but
i'm concerned about the side effects. i know with earlier birth control
there was the increased risk of heart and kidney problems as well as weight
gain. i understand that there are much more advanced forms now, and i may
ask my gyne to recommend one for me. anyway, i do not look forward to my
period at all, especially now that it has become regular (after 7 years) and
comes in the middle of every month. now hasn't this been a cheery letter?
i think i may have my husband have an artificial
uterus transplanted in his stomach and then have him give birth via
c-section.
Personally I think that periods are a pain, but I have to look at the big
picture. There is nothing more amazing than bringing a life into this world.
What a little inconvenience we women have to endure to be blessed with the
smiles and love of our children. Without pain we could never know true
happiness. Thus, I see periods as a necessary evil. However, it wouldn't
hurt if guys had something similiar. Is it too much to ask that they have
cramps too:)
i started out hating my period. i was, in part because i was overweight,
probably, the first girl to get hips, breasts and her period in rapid
succession. didn't tell my mom for the first three cycles, just stole her
pads and bought my own tampons at a local cvs.
I have never minded menstruating; as a matter of fact, I gladly accept the
fact that it's part of being able to bear children...! Of course, I have
never had a horrible time with my periods; only occasional, minor cramps and
sometimes heavy bleeding. If I had had a lifetime of pain or problems from
the process, I might look on it differently....
Okay, periods and menstruation....
I play 3 sports and absolutely hate having my period for games. I think it
definitely affects my performance. I get out of breath a lot quicker and
feel sluggish when I'm playing with it.
Hmmm. This is an interesting presentation topic. What kind of class is this
for? And I thought my group presentation on fuzzy sets was a little strange!
Anyway, I guess my period is not something that I spend great amounts of time
considering. Of course, it's not exactly my favorite part of life, but that's
just what it is- a part of life, a rather annoying event though it is. I
think that I would probably have a stronger opinion on it if mine was painful.
I mean, I know lots of people who get really sick and are always in pretty
serious pain. I almost never have to take any kind of painkillers for it.
It's just that it's a mess. And I never know when it's going to come 'cause
it's pretty irregular and often 8 weeks from one to the next.
i remember when i first got my period, i always dreaded it. it made me feel
so sick, uncomfortable, and just in an all-around bad mood. I couldn't
understand why I had to get it, when I was going to be having babies until a
good 10 years more. But after we began getting used to it, & we talked about
it with other people, I realized it's just something that all women deal with.
It makes us stronger & more tolerant, gives us a sense of pride, and
provides us with something that bonds us women. Also, my period is not too
bad-short, & light, but I know some people who it becomes such an ordeal for
every month. Besides, now there are so many things available to treat the
discomfort. Besides, I think when I finally do have a child, I will realize
what all these years of pain have been for.
okay. here's my response to the inquiry on menstrual cycles in general (and
it's not incredibly eloquent, i'm sorry to say):
I hate periods. They make me a complete b----_ (You know what goes in the
blank) and I don't like being that way. The only thing they are good for is
that eventually I want kids, and that is the only justification for them.
... My corridor refers to our period as Our Friend Matilda. This is great if
I am at the science center and for a certain reason have to come back to the
dorm before meeting them. All I have to do is say, Matilda is coming to visit.
But, another common saying in our
hallway is, I HATE Matilda! This is mostly because we all cycle with each
other which means that someone is always early. And I am never regular--ever.
If I was ever one of the last two women left on earth, no matter where she
was, I am sure I would cycle with her.
menstruation can be very annoying but gives women the edge over men because
we handle very much pain from it and loose so much blood every month that a
normal person would die. It makes us strong and gives us that bonding point.
About my period: I'm 49 and pretty tired of it. I bleed very heavily which
is inconveniently messy and causes anemia. I know that when it stops there
are likely to be other unpleasant effects, but, not feeling up to bearing and
raising any more children, I could happily do without it.
I think menstruation is a nasty thing that women have to endure for most of
their lives. It really sucks because it really inhibits you. There really
aren't that many choices out there for us and if the same amount of time and
money were put into developing newer and better alternatives to diapers, we
would ll be quite happy people, wouldn't we? I would prefer this to be
confidential...I think it's unfair that guys can have sex whenever they feel
like it. Women have to make sure they're not in their most fertile days of
the menstrual cycle and we have to keep track
of our calendars, otherwise we'll have huge messes to deal with. I was
pretty lucky because my boyfriend didn't find my period to be gross thing
and actually thought it was okay to have sex during my periods. Other girls
may not be as lucky (or even want to do that), but I think it was
great that I at least had the option of doing that, if I wanted to. I think
it has been made to be a gross, nasty thing by society, and that if a girl
was on her own without any outside influence on the matter, or if she was
only exposed to positive things about her period, people would have to
respect and accept the fact that maybe it just wasn't all that bad, you know?
i must admit feeling that my period is a hassle. not only do i physically
feel "different" during this time, but my emotions always get the best of me.
during my period, i always feel more conscious about my body which is
bothersome. i feel more sensitive about specific, touchy subjects such as
body image or weight. i think you know what i am referring to here. at the
same time, the regulation on my body cycle it intersting to think about. i
feel as if i am only a sidelined participant in this regulatory calendar. it
is strange to think how cycling in such a way offers rigid determination of
more than just one's menstrual flow. women's biology has explicit control
over choices, emotions, hormones, etc. obviously not much can be done to our
natural biology. what intrigues me about this is how involved society is
with this cycling. expexially as we have matured, the flux of media
attention to women's health and needs had been incredible. i think that i am
rambling on now. i hope this was somewhat helpful...
... my period....I hate it, but I know that one day, having a period will pay
off because it enables women to have children. Those unsightly times when my
period is so heavy that I need to change my tampon every hour on the hour,
they are just awful, and I really don't understand them. Another thing,
Midol doesn't help with cramps or bloating, so they shouldn't tell people
with pms that it does, cause it just makes us more angry at the world. That
is all I can say about my period. I hope I haven't jinxed myself, cause I'm
supposed to start on Tuesday....
...So I'm gonna give you a bit of insight into my childhood menstrual
experience. Alright.
So thanks to Are you there God it's Me Margaret, I guess i kind of wanted it.
Though
I didn't know much about it in practice (i remember clearly once pulling
a pad out of my mother's bag in the streets of Boston and announcing what's
this? she scuttled it away and didn't tell me) When I did get it, I didn't
tell my mom for about 15 hours, cuz I wanted to be sure, it was brown, i
didn't expect that. She was very proud if you will, stroked my face and made
some comment about me growing up. It was embarrassing and I begged her not to
tell my dad (yes shame would be theme here). My best friend on the other hand,
her mom made her announce it
to her whole family, and they had cake or something. They were always really
open about the whole thing and there house always had a lot of pads every
where it seemed to me, we hid it pretty much in my house. I'd wrap everything
really well so my brother wouldn't see, and burried empty boxes and stuff at
the bottom of the trash. I had another friend who never told her mom, ever.
She would steal her mom's tampons and them wrap things up and take them to
school to throw out. My best friend and I had a hand sign at school ,to get
eachother to check for us, to make sure we hadn't leaked on our clothes, and
to indicate that we'd go to the bathroom together before lunch. Then there
was the how do you hide your pad in your lunch bag and everything for that
trip between locker and bathroom. [My best friend] and I had a whole system
and culture around that whole period thing. Funny actually, we where very
close, like when we were at eachothers houses we couldn't stop talking when
the other one had to go to the
bathroom together before lunch. Then there was the how do you hide your pad
in your lunch bag and everything for that trip between locker and bathroom.
[My best friend] and I had a whole system and culture around that whole
period thing. Funny actually, we where very close, like when we were at
eachothers houses we couldn't stop talking when the other one had to go to
the bathrrom, so we'd just go in together, for years. Saw a lot of eachothers
blood. pretty weird eh. But hey, I knew a girl in high school who used to
still bring her dirty tampons in to show her roomate. [My best friend] and I
didn't quite like that though. Anyhoo. I definately remember it was a big
shame thing. People totally laughed at [a friend of ours] when she had blood
on her white skirt in 8th grade, it was the talk of the day. People are lame.
But yeah, I mean we joke around alot about how lame guys are about it, but I
think it's stupid. why are we brought up to be ashamed of this. I shouldn't
have to hide pads and tampons.
I've given up trying to make stuff up when i have cramps. I just tell people.
yup, and one more thing, allow me to share mom's home recipe for cramps - a
glass of sherry, which i have personally translated into a shot of anything
alcoholic - honest, when the advil fails me, a glass of kaluha, rum, anything,
(usully kaluha thiugh, once this summer, my cramps were so bad, I had Kaluha
for breakfast) but it works- all about muscle relaxants....
I actually really enjoy getting my period, not necesarily the sticky
actuality of it, but the idea of it. I love the fact that women have this
innate connection to natural cycles and to some kind of body magic so to
speak. I also remember the first time I got my period and how afraid and
upset I was at that rite of passage, the fact that my body had control that
my mind didn't have. I still feel that way about my period, its a reminder
that there are some things that are more powerful than me and my head. For
example, I get a sort of unique form of PMS. About 4 days before my period
I get really frustrated and kind of grouchy and then I'm fine until the first
day of my period. On the first day I seem to have less control over my
emotions, everything feels exagerrated. I went to a women's conference once
where a woman said that when she gets her period she gets in touch
with how she really feels about everything in a more extreme form. She says
its a really powerful time for her and she's learnt not to ignore what she
feels and says when the hormones kick in. I think that is really true, I say
things and do things I've wanted to say and do but have restrained
myself from doing because it wasn't right or wasn't nice,etc. So, my
hormones actually liberate me in a certain sense. Ancient tribes sent women
away from the village when they were menstruating because they were
considered powerful, imbued with magic. There is truth in this. Sometimes
when I am bleeding I can feel that power, the ancientness of the whole thing,
the ritual of cleansing and renewal and the body preparing itself and
continuing in a time-old rhythm. Sometimes, when removing a tampon or
changing a pad I smell the blood and have my instinctive yuck reaction and
then I realize, this is the smell of fecundity, this is the primordial
ooze, this is where it all begins.