17/06/2020
Period talk. ⠀⠀
⠀⠀
The brain 🧠 and the reproductive center are constantly chatting 💬 with one another. So when the brain is consumed with overwhelming emotions - like stress, depression, anxiety, fear- periods can go missing, cycles can become longer or shorter, you may start to spot or even skip ovulation 😳⠀⠀
⠀⠀
I know period talk still holds a certain amount of social stigma☝🏻, so in order to help break that down while ALSO sharing useful information, let me share a few tips of what YOU can do right now: ⠀⠀
⠀⠀
1️⃣ 📝 take specific notes. Log data in a journal or an app so you can find patterns & notice trends. It’s important to have this info to show your health care provider. ⠀⠀
⠀⠀
2️⃣👯♀️talk to someone. A revolution is happening before our eyes in this world and some people’s bodies are responding more sensitively than others. Get your feelings out there and talk to a friend or a professional. ⠀
⠀⠀
3️⃣🍽eat real food. Activate happy and relaxing hormones by eating more 🥑, 🥬 , 🍓or 🍫 . ⠀⠀
⠀⠀
4️⃣🧘🏼♀️slow down. To reduce this “fight or flight” mode that may be switched on in the brain, find ways to relax - take more deep breaths, go to bed earlier, learn to love essential oils, or get off your📱at night. ⠀
⠀⠀
5️⃣🗣advocate for yourself. no one knows your body more than YOU🙏🏻. I recently learned that black women are 3x more likely to experience uterine fibroids compared to white women, causing major period pain, heavy and long periods and negatively impacting fertility. This disparity may be attributed to doctor mistrust, delays in diagnosis, greater employment related concerns, inadequate fibroid information and period stigmas. Even more reason why we should be talking more openly about periods. ⠀⠀
⠀⠀
6️⃣🥼make an appointment! Beyond stress, period irregularity could also be indicative of underlying medical issues (like PCOS, fibroids, endometriosis, or thyroid issues) so it’s best to get individualized advice from your OB-GYN who knows your medical history best. ⠀
⠀⠀
Remember, you and your irregular period are not alone! Take comfort in knowing that many women are going through this too. Sending ❤️& support always.