#Survival Guide: PMT, Hormones and Periods - Aspergers Girls Worse Enemy!
It's no secret that we all have Periods, apparently it's the 'most natural thing in the world' a girl can experience and is a symbol of finally becoming a woman!
What they don't tell you in your handy health class is that your boobs feel like the size of bowling balls and are sensitive or tender, your stomach feels like it's in a vice and your back constantly aches, Bloating and feeling Fatter than normal and if all that wasn't bad enough prepare yourself for crying at any given time, feeling depressed and moody and just generally craving anything sweet, deep fried or covered in loads of chocolate.
Periods are somewhat a taboo subject even now in the 21st century, it's something to do with the fact that people really don't want to understand or even acknowledge that blood comes from the intimate area of your body every single month with or without warning.
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| The best representation of what a period can do to you! |
They arrive with the warning signs above and as a 24 year old woman who has had over 200 periods in her lifetime already (I started at the tender age of 10 years old- the average age to begin a period is between 11&14 years old but you can start as young as 9 years old) I have gone through many phases of getting my period with little to no success of predicting or even knowing that Mother Nature has bestowed this horrid gift upon me for no other reason than I haven't fertilised my eggs this month!
Periods are apart of every woman's life and they are awful but there are ways to deal with them so they don't become another dominating factor of you life once a month! And learning how to deal with the emotional aspects of Periods and dealing with them effectively so that they don't become an issue with handy tips and tricks added in!
We all produce Oestrogen and Progesterone as well as Testosterone (Male Hormone) in our bodies, the dominate Female hormones our lovely friends Oestrogen & Progesterone as well their male counterpart Testosterone are the common causes of what our periods are going to be like in the coming month. If we have an imbalance or depending on the fluctuation of these hormones not only will that determine how heavy or light or periods will be but also how it will affect us emotionally.
Yep, thats my confession - Emotionally PMT (Pre Menstrual Tension) is the worse bit of the whole experience of periods. They can turn me into a meltdown prone, sometimes vile, depressed and somewhat hungry Aspergers girl without the common curtsey of telling me it's going to happen due to the fact that my hormones are all over the place.
I'm trying not to make it sound like a horror movie but in all honesty it can be a nightmare to deal with and as a terrified 10 year old when I first started my teenage years were dominated by meltdowns every month, cramps and heavy periods that came twice a month in the beginning and boys making fun because I was on my period and they knew because it affected me so severely on a emotional level that I would become angry or a crying mess for no reason other than hormones.
"I have learn't to deal with them in my older teens and twenties and actually don't feel any real pain anymore or realise when my emotional triggers are setting off so I can deal with them effectively which comes with practice and time."
Periods don't have to dominate your life and neither should they dominate your normal everyday life for a week at a time, but what should happen is planning and putting in place some form of coping strategies, understanding emotional triggers like you do for meltdowns and knowing how to deal with the pain if it's beginning to overly effect your day to day life.
1) Towels, Tampons or Menstrual cups?
This is a personal things and recently you might have seen a lot of hype about something called a menstrual cup which goes into the cervix and sits there and catches all the blood whilst you're on your period.
I haven't tried one but for when you're just starting out I would say go for Towels rather than tampons, it's just easier to change a pad rather than fiddling with a tampon and also they can hurt a bit and if you don't know how to use you can be at risk of toxic shock syndrome.
There are loads of period products on the market (which ladies we are charged for as a luxury item no less paying 5% on top of the RRP for the pleasure of bleeding every month) and if you want something comfortable and somewhat safe then I'd recommend towels, my personal favourite even now as you can just stick one on in your knickers and go without fiddling around with a tampon or a cup! It can feel like you're wearing a nappy but depending on the type you have (fancy ones have gel lock technology that makes sure you don't leak and leakage is a problem) you'll be safe until you need to change again and make sure you have ones for the day and night.
If I want to wear tampons I usually wear them when I'm on a lighter flow as there is less risk of leaking and always wear a panty liner in my knickers just in case! Again there are loads of different tampon brands with or without an applicator (again personal preference) and for different flow rates.
2) Contraception, Contraception, Contraception
There are loads of Contraception choices that are used in many different ways and not just for birth control or for sexual activity.
It's worth having a chat with your GP if you feel you want to go down any contraceptive route as depending on your hormones, period regularity and also whether or not you are sexually active there will be a perfect choice for you.
With personal experience as a woman with Aspergers, I have been on the contraceptive pill before for regulation of periods as I used to have two a month that were extremely painful and so that was the best choice for me.
However there are side effects to look out for that might not be beneficial in everyday life and mental health has to be taken into consideration. I found I was more depressed and anxious on the pill and also found that I suffered with extreme fatigue and illness due to it which is why I recommend having a chat with the GP before you go ahead.
My friends have tried all different forms including the implant (small plastic device that goes into your arm that delivers a dose of hormones over the course of 3 years) and the Injection ( dose of hormones that are injected into you every 6 months and stops periods for that time period).
There is also the UDI or vaginal ring option which is a device that is inserted into the cervix to prevent pregnancy or the contraceptive patch that again delivers a dose of hormones like a nicotine patch would to aid in stopping smoking but this is for periods and preventing pregnancy.
3) The emotional stages of Periods
There are so many stages of emotions that you go through when you are on your period it can seem like a never ending cycle of depression, anxiety, hunger, frustration, anger and crying for no reason whats so ever!
There is also a very high chance of Meltdowns due to the over active frustration that you can feel when on your period.
It's often joked about (by men especially) that when a woman has a period that they change into a shouting, crying mess that we can not control and is completely socially unacceptable.
Well I can tell you now if you feel like you want to eat a full cake if you want, while crying over something so small that in your normal daily non period life would not bother you then by all means do express it in a safe and controlled way.
Periods can make you worse than normal, it is literally like a different person coming out to play for however long your period lasts. PMT is normal and can be distressing if you don't know what it is, so coping strategies are really important throughout (I have loads of posts on different coping strategies on the blog in other survival guides) that are tailored to you and only you.
Knowing your emotions and the way they change depending on the time of the month is a really good tool to find out if it's due to your period or not so maybe making a personal Period diary noting down the emotional changes and when you are on your period will help you in the future.
4) Pain relief and management
Period Pain STINKS!!!!
It's unbelievable, I have kinda covered it already where your boobs feel like they are huge and really sensitive, it's like a constant kicking sensation in you back and your uterus is cramping so much that it thinks it's fun to keep you rolling around in agony, your skin is spotty or flakey and you feel bloated and disgusting.
It's awful, I know and I completely understand if you want to scream.. I don't want to be a woman anymore it completely and utterly sucks because the pain is bad. It's all bad but there are ways to combat it trust me.
Heat is your best friend as it soothes the cramping muscles in your uterus and calms them down from the constant tantrum they seem to be having throughout the 3-7 days of the month so a hot water bottle or a warm soothing bath with lavender oil might be a brilliant way not only to combat the aches and pains of a period but also the emotional distress it causes as well which effectively sorts out two problems in one.
Paracetamol is usually enough to stop the pain and you can buy that from any supermarket or pharmacy near you. There are other pain killers that are designed for period pain that are a combination of drugs to aid with the cramping and pain associated with Periods.
Other methods to stop the pain is to exercise which sounds silly but exercise does relieve the pain and relaxes the body and mind.
Science Bit:
We all produce Oestrogen and Progesterone as well as Testosterone (Male Hormone) in our bodies, the dominate Female hormones our lovely friends Oestrogen & Progesterone as well their male counterpart Testosterone are the common causes of what our periods are going to be like in the coming month. If we have an imbalance or depending on the fluctuation of these hormones not only will that determine how heavy or light or periods will be but also how it will affect us emotionally. Honestly, on a serious note... I can deal with the pain, I can deal with the blood but I can't deal with the emotions that spew out every single month although I deal with the effectively like everything else!
 |
| We all go through that emotional stage where it's all become to much! |
Yep, thats my confession - Emotionally PMT (Pre Menstrual Tension) is the worse bit of the whole experience of periods. They can turn me into a meltdown prone, sometimes vile, depressed and somewhat hungry Aspergers girl without the common curtsey of telling me it's going to happen due to the fact that my hormones are all over the place.
The emotional stages of a period can be completely different depending on who you are as an autistic person:
It can be a battle field of grouchiness, depressive, Meltdown-y, sweaty, nauseous, hungry, anxious, basically a complete emotional mess that all comes together in a neat little package at whatever time your body has scheduled you to have a period (if you're lucky enough to be regular) over 3 to 7 days where sanity leaves and the period brain takes over every aspect of you life.
I'm trying not to make it sound like a horror movie but in all honesty it can be a nightmare to deal with and as a terrified 10 year old when I first started my teenage years were dominated by meltdowns every month, cramps and heavy periods that came twice a month in the beginning and boys making fun because I was on my period and they knew because it affected me so severely on a emotional level that I would become angry or a crying mess for no reason other than hormones. "I have learn't to deal with them in my older teens and twenties and actually don't feel any real pain anymore or realise when my emotional triggers are setting off so I can deal with them effectively which comes with practice and time."
Periods don't have to dominate your life and neither should they dominate your normal everyday life for a week at a time, but what should happen is planning and putting in place some form of coping strategies, understanding emotional triggers like you do for meltdowns and knowing how to deal with the pain if it's beginning to overly effect your day to day life.
1) Towels, Tampons or Menstrual cups? This is a personal things and recently you might have seen a lot of hype about something called a menstrual cup which goes into the cervix and sits there and catches all the blood whilst you're on your period.
I haven't tried one but for when you're just starting out I would say go for Towels rather than tampons, it's just easier to change a pad rather than fiddling with a tampon and also they can hurt a bit and if you don't know how to use you can be at risk of toxic shock syndrome.
There are loads of period products on the market (which ladies we are charged for as a luxury item no less paying 5% on top of the RRP for the pleasure of bleeding every month) and if you want something comfortable and somewhat safe then I'd recommend towels, my personal favourite even now as you can just stick one on in your knickers and go without fiddling around with a tampon or a cup! It can feel like you're wearing a nappy but depending on the type you have (fancy ones have gel lock technology that makes sure you don't leak and leakage is a problem) you'll be safe until you need to change again and make sure you have ones for the day and night.
If I want to wear tampons I usually wear them when I'm on a lighter flow as there is less risk of leaking and always wear a panty liner in my knickers just in case! Again there are loads of different tampon brands with or without an applicator (again personal preference) and for different flow rates.
2) Contraception, Contraception, Contraception
There are loads of Contraception choices that are used in many different ways and not just for birth control or for sexual activity.
It's worth having a chat with your GP if you feel you want to go down any contraceptive route as depending on your hormones, period regularity and also whether or not you are sexually active there will be a perfect choice for you.
With personal experience as a woman with Aspergers, I have been on the contraceptive pill before for regulation of periods as I used to have two a month that were extremely painful and so that was the best choice for me.
However there are side effects to look out for that might not be beneficial in everyday life and mental health has to be taken into consideration. I found I was more depressed and anxious on the pill and also found that I suffered with extreme fatigue and illness due to it which is why I recommend having a chat with the GP before you go ahead.
My friends have tried all different forms including the implant (small plastic device that goes into your arm that delivers a dose of hormones over the course of 3 years) and the Injection ( dose of hormones that are injected into you every 6 months and stops periods for that time period).
There is also the UDI or vaginal ring option which is a device that is inserted into the cervix to prevent pregnancy or the contraceptive patch that again delivers a dose of hormones like a nicotine patch would to aid in stopping smoking but this is for periods and preventing pregnancy.
3) The emotional stages of Periods
There are so many stages of emotions that you go through when you are on your period it can seem like a never ending cycle of depression, anxiety, hunger, frustration, anger and crying for no reason whats so ever!
There is also a very high chance of Meltdowns due to the over active frustration that you can feel when on your period.
It's often joked about (by men especially) that when a woman has a period that they change into a shouting, crying mess that we can not control and is completely socially unacceptable.
Well I can tell you now if you feel like you want to eat a full cake if you want, while crying over something so small that in your normal daily non period life would not bother you then by all means do express it in a safe and controlled way.
Periods can make you worse than normal, it is literally like a different person coming out to play for however long your period lasts. PMT is normal and can be distressing if you don't know what it is, so coping strategies are really important throughout (I have loads of posts on different coping strategies on the blog in other survival guides) that are tailored to you and only you.
Knowing your emotions and the way they change depending on the time of the month is a really good tool to find out if it's due to your period or not so maybe making a personal Period diary noting down the emotional changes and when you are on your period will help you in the future.
4) Pain relief and management
It's unbelievable, I have kinda covered it already where your boobs feel like they are huge and really sensitive, it's like a constant kicking sensation in you back and your uterus is cramping so much that it thinks it's fun to keep you rolling around in agony, your skin is spotty or flakey and you feel bloated and disgusting.
It's awful, I know and I completely understand if you want to scream.. I don't want to be a woman anymore it completely and utterly sucks because the pain is bad. It's all bad but there are ways to combat it trust me.
Heat is your best friend as it soothes the cramping muscles in your uterus and calms them down from the constant tantrum they seem to be having throughout the 3-7 days of the month so a hot water bottle or a warm soothing bath with lavender oil might be a brilliant way not only to combat the aches and pains of a period but also the emotional distress it causes as well which effectively sorts out two problems in one.
Paracetamol is usually enough to stop the pain and you can buy that from any supermarket or pharmacy near you. There are other pain killers that are designed for period pain that are a combination of drugs to aid with the cramping and pain associated with Periods.
Other methods to stop the pain is to exercise which sounds silly but exercise does relieve the pain and relaxes the body and mind.
Periods are not the best things to deal with on top of being Aspergers but unfortunately they are apart of being a woman and managing them can be sometimes to much to bare with everything else in our daily life.
Periods do get easier to deal with over time as you grow older you learn to understand your body and the little subtle signals it sends you depending of what time of the month it is.
If you are worried about anything or any changes in your cycle then go and speak to your doctor about anything concerning you.
Further Information and advice:
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