Growing Up 101

Lesson #1

Let's talk about the menstrual cycle!

Do you know what is menstruation?

Menstruation is the disintegration of the endometrium on the uterine wall accompanied by bleeding.

Bleeding is a need, to discard the blood tissue, plasma and dead ovum which is supposed to undergo fertilisation if sperm ever appears.

Fortunately for now, sperm is not present. So menstruation will happen!

The menstrual cycle is not as complicated as you think. Menstruation marks the end of your menstrual cycle every 28 days. Therefore, the first day until the day before menstruation of the next month is 1 menstrual cycle. To track your menstrual cycle, you can either mark your calendar or download Period Tracker on the app store on your device.

They are really convenient to check whether your menstrual cycle is normal or not. It is normal for it to seem messy for a few months or years when you start to hit puberty. Your hormones are still unbalance, just like mine! You would get mood swings and period cramps which are completely normal.

Everyone experiences it. Every women does, so no need to fear. Do you know one of the symptoms of menstruation is being hungry all the time? When you're on your period week, you just can't resist food. They can be chocolates, hot soup or even spicy food according to some people's references as their period comfort food. To me, anything can be my comfort food as long as I eat.

This is because our energy is much used up when the blood discard from our body. It's totally up to you on how to manage your diet during your menstruation.

True food can be comforting, and being comfortable is very much important.  On the contrary, hygiene is every women's priority.

Always;

1. Change sanitary pads
2. Use deodorant or perfume to eliminate unwanted scent
3. Wear layers of pants or proper undergarment

Note to everyone : Bring sanitary pads everywhere!

If you're having trouble with your period cramps, you should;

Use heat pads
(If you don't have one, soak a towel in warm water or fill a bottle with warm water and press them onto the affected area)

These methods will totally reduce the pain you're experiencing. Puan Syidah does not recommend us eating menstrual pills unless you're in a hurry or it's urgent, the pills will be your last resort to solve this problem.

Also, it's mostly important to clean the used up pad before throwing it into the sanitary bin. The scent may be a bit stinky and smells iron-like but you'll have to bear with it for a moment.

Hygiene is like our number 1 in taking care of our health. If we don't clean ourselves properly and stay hygienic, bacterias and harmful viruses might spread and affect our health and safety.

That's it for today's lesson!