Showing all posts tagged womens health

In Health and Exercise, Women's Interest

Your Period: What’s Normal

Author Nicki CawoodPosted on
Your Period: What’s Normal

Your period – the one week (if you are lucky) of the month than most women dread. I’ve never met anyone who looks forward to their period and all that comes with it, i.e the pain, the cramps, the hormone swings. For some, it’s accompanied by headaches and nausea, too. We haven’t suffered enough, right? 

For some women, the pain of their period is more than what a couple of paracetamol can fix. It’s more than just a day or two of bad hormones and eating all the chocolate. It’s a chronic pain condition, with no seeming end to the pain for two weeks a month. The worst thing about it is that chronic pain is often a symptom of a larger issue, so what some women think are just bad periods is actually something bigger. PCOS, something I have is one example. Endometriosis, another, is a condition where the cells that are usually found in the lining of the womb decide to toddle off to other parts of the body where they are not welcome. They’ll bleed no matter where they are in the body, which means that those with endometriosis are in severe and chronic pain.

So, how do you tell what’s normal (bearing in mind all women are different) and what’s not? How do you know what you’re feeling is just your period and not endometriosis? 

  1. If the pain is getting in the way of your daily routine, you need to think about whether this is something that you can manage or not. Pain happens with a period, and sometimes that pain takes your breath away. However, if you’re fainting, throwing up or unable to move from the foetal position, then you need a doctor to see what’s going on.
  2. Your cramping is supposed to be in your stomach, lower back and possibly the tops of your legs when you have your period. Exercise, painkillers and sleep should help. With endometriosis? The pain can also be in the liver, the lungs and other areas of the abdomen that don’t involve the pelvic organs.
  3. Period pain is cyclical, so the week leading up to/during/after your period is usually filled with hormones, but the actual cramping is usually going to occur on the days you are physically bleeding. With endometriosis, you’re dealing with possible scar tissue which can cause pain whenever it wants to. 
  4. Pain after sex should always be reported to a doctor, and if you have pain after regular sex, you need investigation. Endometriosis can cause this, and it may not flare just on your period but the rest of the month, too.
  5. Lastly, if you experience pain while you’re on the toilet, you need to speak to the doc. It may not be endometriosis-related, and it may not be period related, either. Speak to the doctor and you’ll know whether the pain you feel during your bowel movements while on your period are normal or not.

Don’t be dismissive when it comes to your period if things don’t seem right or you are experiencing more pain than expected. 

 

In General, Self-Care, Women's Interest

Lady Garden… Smear Test Edition

Author Nicki CawoodPosted on 2 Comments
Lady Garden… Smear Test Edition

Those who enjoyed my Lady Garden post might find this edition interesting.

Yesterday was my smear test. For me having the actual test doesn’t cause me any concern. After having two children despite struggling with fertility issues I’m not convinced that there isn’t a health provider left in North Yorkshire that hasn’t seen my lady parts. No, for me the smear test provides a different concern…. what to do about the winter growler?

Now, obviously, I had to do something as I couldn’t turn up un-trimmed. Really there should be an option to go and have a “Smear Test Tidy” the same way that you can go for a Brazilian wax or similar. That way there would be no confusion over what is the best style to go for. After agonising over the dilemma I went for “clean and tidy”. Going for a respectable style is the best way I feel when it comes to these things. Who knew that a simple but essential medical test could cause such topiary tension?

My advice is that the best style of front garden fashioning for appointments such a these has to be a style you are comfortable with. Do not, however, do what I did. I spent so much time making sure my lady bits were presentable and my pedicure up to spec that I forgot to shave my legs. Yeti doesn’t come close… oh the shame! I’m concerned that I will have to turn up fully vajazzled next time to make up for this faux pas!

The Smear Test: On a More Serious Note

Hopefully, this will make you laugh but also remind you that joking aside, cervical testing is important. I wrote this post purely to grab people’s attention so that I could remind them to call their health centre and get booked in. Find out more here and if you are due, make that appointment. My last smear test, as they’re known, took minutes and to be honest was over before I knew it had begun. Those few minutes are well worth the peace of mind of knowing I was all clear, just as they would have been if something had been found so that treatment could be arranged.

Oh, and just to add, medical staff will tell you that if they’ve seen one, they’ve seen them all so seriously, don’t go getting yourself buffed for the smear test appointment. The chances are they won’t even notice. The practical part of your appointment is over in minutes at most. You’ll spend more of your time folding your jeans and pants up carefully. 

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