My Period Vol.010 - A period that takes me straight to the nurse's office. Changing pills and exploring my relationship with my period.

RT 22 years old University student First period: 5th grade of elementary school (10 years old)
Current average menstrual period: 3 days Current average menstrual cycle: 28 days Current sanitary products used Small pads Low-dose pills


-What day is your period?

Days when you feel depressed and can't make important plans, days when you feel tense


-What image comes to mind when you hear the word "menstruation"?

Mental depression, irritability and pain


- From here on, I'd like to look back on half of my life, focusing on menstruation. When was your first period? How do you remember it?

I got my first period in fifth grade, and I remember frantically telling my parents at first, thinking it was some kind of illness. "This might be serious!" I told them, and they replied, "That's just menstruation," and they taught me about menstruation. They taught me things like, "This is how you should wear a sanitary napkin during your period," "How many days it usually lasts," and "It comes once a month," which was reassuring. I remember wondering at the time about the other girls around me and wondering if I was the only one who had periods. About two or three months later, when I started getting my period every month, I asked the girls around me if they were having their periods too, and most of them were, so I remember feeling a little relieved that everyone had their periods too.

Another thing I remember, which is funny when I think about it now, is that at first I didn't know that disposable sanitary napkins were supposed to be replaced when they got dirty, and I thought I had to use the same one all day. When I told my parents about this, I remember them saying, "It's okay to change them multiple times a day."

In elementary school, we had sex education classes in the fourth grade, but I don't think we were taught how menarche starts or what to do when you get your period. So my parents taught me everything.

After that, my periods gradually got heavier, and the pain became so severe that I couldn't even stand up. I thought, "What is this?" and asked my parents for advice. They told me, "It's period pain, so just take some painkillers." I was given some painkillers and it got a little better. However, with each period, the pain got worse, and I was unable to attend classes.
Ever since I was in elementary school, I've always had terrible period pains for the first two days or so, and I often went to the nurse's office. There were other girls around me who had severe period pains, so I thought it wasn't unusual. But in my case, it was so bad that I had to go straight to the nurse's office, so I felt like I was worse than the other girls. My teachers were understanding, and since I originally had irritable bowel syndrome and a weak stomach, they let me take time off right away, and I remember they would make me a hot water bottle every time I had my period.

My heavy periods continued until the latter half of junior high school. The amount of blood was also heavy, and for the first two or three days after my heavy periods started, I had to change my 40cm pads two or three times during the day.
I think my period lasted about seven days, including the days when the flow was light. Looking back, I think the amount of blood on the third day was enough that I didn't need to switch to the 40cm pad, but I was worried about not using the 40cm size, so I think I used it for at least three days.

In junior high school, I was in the soft tennis club. It was an activity that didn't allow me to take many days off, so I did take days off when I had severe period pains. Even back then, I went to the nurse's office every time as a matter of course, but I was very embarrassed when people around me knew I was on my period. I don't feel embarrassed at all now, but maybe it was because I was going through puberty then. I had friends who I could tell were on their period, but for me, it was a rare occurrence. Even in my class, there was an atmosphere where people didn't talk much about their periods, and the girls would sneakily lend each other sanitary napkins or say things like, "I'm having a bit of pain today," so I was too embarrassed to tell anyone.

The turning point came in the latter half of my junior high school years, when I went to an obstetrician-gynecologist for an examination and was prescribed low-dose birth control pills. Before taking the pill, I had really rough skin, but once I started, my skin cleared up all at once, my period pain got better, and there were no side effects, so I decided to give it a try for a while, and ended up staying on the pill for several years.


-How did you change when you became a high school student?

When I was a freshman in high school, I worked part-time at a fast food restaurant, but even though I had severe period symptoms, I was too embarrassed to tell anyone around me.
During busy periods, the store didn't have time to go to the bathroom, but I had to go to the bathroom often, so one of the employees pointed this out to me, probably because he thought I was slacking off. He said, "You go to the bathroom often even though your shift is short," so after that, I decided to hold it in, and made sure to hold it in for the few hours I was working.
However, one time I was working a shift on my period, and although I wanted to go and change my pads in the middle, I couldn't bring myself to ask, and the period pain was so bad I couldn't bear it, so I went to the bathroom just before leaving work, but even a 40cm pad had overflowed and leaked, which caused me to panic. Looking back, I think that the amount of blood and period pain I was experiencing were probably not a good match for the pill, even though I was taking it, and I should have switched to a different pill sooner, but it was still easier than when I wasn't taking the pill, so I continued with it at the time.

After that, towards the end of my high school years, my menstrual pain became severe, my menstrual flow became heavier, and most of all, my fatigue got worse and worse, so I decided to consult a doctor again.
The fatigue I felt at the time felt like my legs had just run a 100-meter dash. When I mentioned it to the hospital, I was switched to a different pill. Up until then, I had been going to the hospital every three months to get a prescription for the pill, and each time the doctor would ask me how I was feeling, but I thought it was fine because I was feeling better than before I started taking it, so I didn't mention the fatigue or heavy periods. When my fatigue got so bad that I told the doctor about it, he was surprised and said, "Really?!" and we decided I needed to change the type of pill, so he recommended the ultra-low dose pill and I started taking it.

I switched to a new prescription for ultra-low dose birth control pills and after just the first pack, I was much better. I still had some skin irritation, but my menstrual flow was lighter, my period was shorter, I no longer felt fatigued, and my period pain was significantly improved, which was a real surprise. I used to have to take painkillers in the morning, afternoon, and evening, but now I only need to take them in the afternoon or evening.


-How did things change when you became a university student?

Thanks to the pill, my period comes exactly every 28 days, so I had always had the habit of not scheduling events on my period, but when I became a university student, I could choose my classes and I didn't have to go to university five days a week, so I was able to adjust my schedule more easily than I did in high school. I managed to calculate it as 28 days and take the first and second days of my period off, so I did a good job.
That's how I lived my life, but gradually I started to think that maybe I could get by without taking time off work even during my period, and by the time I was in my second or third year of university, I was able to schedule part-time work and classes even during my period. I started to take painkillers without taking time off work.

By the way, I also had PMS symptoms and would get very irritable before my period, but after taking low-dose birth control pills, my irritability subsided a little, and since I switched to my current ultra-low-dose birth control pills, my emotional ups and downs have become even less severe.
Now, when I feel irritable or depressed for no reason, I check the calendar and it's usually before my period. Now that I'm 22, I've finally come to understand where my mental state comes from and I've come to believe that it's caused by hormonal imbalance.


-Looking back on your period, what do you think?

I've talked about how taking the pill has made my period easier, but I still wish I didn't have one. I recently studied abroad in Malaysia for six months, and during that time my period pain got really bad, which made me think that stress was affecting it. The other day, I got my first period since returning to Japan, and I was surprised at how light it was. It made me realize that whether or not you're stressed makes a huge difference in how much period pain you experience. When I think about the various stresses I'll be under once I enter the workforce, I feel a bit depressed at the thought of having to deal with my period for the rest of my life, even while taking the pill.

"My Period" aims to provide an opportunity to think about and talk about menstruation, an issue that is often hidden, by recording and sharing how people of various generations and backgrounds have dealt with it. It does not endorse any specific products, services, or methods of coping. The content posted is based on each person's personal experience, so if you have any symptoms that concern you, please consult a medical institution.