Your Period Can Tell You A Lot

Apologies if any of this is TMI!

I am the kind of person that doesn't want to talk about periods and never have.  I've always been embarrassed, which I think is ridiculous.  It is a normal part of being a woman and we should not find it embarrassing or disgusting or feel like it should be kept quiet.  I envy those who are able to be open about it and feel comfortable and confident in talking about it. 

However, what I learnt earlier this year is that it is even more important to be open and learn as much as you can.  Earlier this year I noticed my period was different (generally they are on time and exactly the same each month - one of the others reasons I never expected anything wrong with me).  But this particular month it was early by 3 days, this was very unusual to me.  Again not wanting to really discuss it, I went to google.  According to what I read it could be a sign of changes in hormones.  This made me wonder if the changes I had made to my diet etc was having a positive effect on balancing my hormones. 

Another thing I noticed was that my period seemed more red red (usually it's a darker red) and more runny (usually its more clumpy with clots).  I went back to google and was so surprised to see that this was actually considered a normal period!  It said you should get clots but only pea sized.   It said if you have bigger clots and the blood is a darker red then this could be a sign of endometriosis or a sign of a previous cyst on an ovary.  If only I had been more open to discussing my period and not been so embarrassed, perhaps I could have been diagnosed a lot sooner.  I was really excited to be having a normal period but that didn't last because the next month it was heavy and painful again, I still can't figure out what I did differently!!

So I really recommend learning about periods and really tracking them.  Get to know your period, keep a period diary if you want, that way it will be easier to track changes.  This way if you notice anything different then you can go to the doctor and perhaps deal with a problem before it becomes worse.  Don't be like me and live with heavy, painful periods thinking that is just normal and everyone deals with it.  If I do manage to get pregnant and I do have a daughter, I will definitely encourage her to not be embarrassed about periods when the time comes and to be comfortable to talk to me or someone she feels safe with about it.