By Gabrielle Lichterman

Dread your period week because of menstrual-related aches and fatigue? Hey, it’s not all bad! The onset of your period signals significant hormone changes that can make you happier and healthier. Here are 4 reasons you can look forward to your flow:

1. Your period means the end of annoying PMS!

There’s no better antidote to annoying premenstrual syndrome—and the moodiness, irritability, sleeplessness and other discomforts that come along with it—than getting your period. That’s because the start of menstruation signals that estrogen is rising, reversing the cause of your premenstrual woes: plunging estrogen. Even better? This hormone continues to rise all throughout your menstrual week, improving your mood, outlook and energy as it climbs! (Hint: Eating foods high in iron—such as beans, fortified cereal, spinach and tofu—or taking a daily multivitamin that contains iron can help boost your mood and energy even faster by replacing iron lost during menstruation.)

2. During your period week, the bathroom scale numbers go down!

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By Dr. Michelle Lim

Do you find yourself eating a pint of Yogurtland with a hot pack over your belly, popping Midol, and watching re-runs of The Kardashians once a month?

For some of us, this scene is just part of the routine every couple of weeks.  Like clockwork, we are confined to stay in due to cramps, bloating, headaches, and fatigue.  We’ve come to accept pain as part of the normal protocol during our periods. Some women even plan around their cycles, claiming they can’t do things on a particular week because it’s “that time of the month.”  But, c’mon, ladies…Periods shouldn’t be THAT debilitating! After all, menstruating isn’t an illness, yet we’re conditioned to believe that our periods are associated with these symptoms.  Women have become immune to what’s really going on inside their bodies and it’s time to change that.  What women need to know is that a healthy cycle starts with a healthy body.  And when we have a highly functioning nervous system, periods should be nothing more than a slight discomfort.

According to the NWHIC (National Women’s Health Information Center), about 30-40% of women suffer some impairment of daily activity before their menstrual cycle begins, while 75% of menstruating women experience some kind of premenstrual syndrome symptoms.  Symptoms can include bloating, headaches, fatigue, breast tenderness, constipation, nausea, irritability, mood swings and cramps. These symptoms can occur before, during, or even after a cycle.  Conventional methods of treatment include prescription birth control and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (also known as NSAIDs) in attempt to ease menstrual discomfort.  These medicines provide temporary relief, but long-term use of them can have some dire consequences.  Prolonged use of NSAIDs can result in gastrointestinal problems such as bleeding, ulcerations or perforation of the stomach and intestines, which can be fatal.  Not to mention the risk of serious side effects oral contraceptives present that may lead to blood clots, heart attack and immune system suppression, just to name a few. read more…

By Marcela De Vivo

When I first read Are You There God, It’s Me Margaret by Judy Blume, I was still in my pre-teens—so the whole bra-wearing, period-having, growing up angst was something that I related to and wanted to know more about (except the angst part). I honestly believed that you could “increase your bust” with an odd rhyme and even odder exercise—and the fact that the girls were so desperate to get their period made me want mine too.

Boy, did they misrepresent the experience. When I finally got my period, it wasn’t a misty-eyed entrance into womanhood with moderate spotting and a proud mother. No, mine was a hormonal nightmare complete with acne flare-ups, inexplicable rages and tears, and cramping that I wouldn’t wish even on the mean girls who tormented me at school.

I didn’t quite get that they were all PMS symptoms for a while, since I wasn’t regular yet and hadn’t figured out when my period was coming. As I got older, I started making the connection between the awful symptoms and the impending monthly menses.

Once I understood the association, I started trying any number of remedies to relieve my PMS—for my sake and the sake of those around me. What I found was that yoga and meditation did a lot to help alleviate those issues.

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