My Period Vol.011 - Pills, Chinese medicine, placenta: trying various things to deal with menstrual problems

CS 41 years old Office worker First period: First year of junior high school (13 years old)
Current average menstrual cycle: 31 days Current menstrual products used: menstrual cup, tampons, disposable napkins


-What day is your period?

It's troublesome and difficult


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

depression, loneliness


- 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 don't remember much, but I had health and physical education classes before my first period, so I knew what menstruation was like. So I was like, "Oh, it's here." I told my mother about it, and I think we ended up eating red rice or something. My mother was still having her period at the time, so I think we used the same sanitary products she used, but I don't remember her teaching me anything about menstruation, like how to put on a sanitary napkin, how often to change it, or that it can cause stomach aches or make you feel depressed.

I got my first period in my first year of junior high school, and although I knew the other girls around me got theirs earlier, I didn't think much of it. Rather, I had a vague image of menstruation as bleeding, but no one ever told me the details of how it came or whether it continued, so I didn't really know what menstruation was like. So when I got my first period, I felt more like "it's finally here" than "it's finally here."

What I remember about my period around that time is that my menstrual blood leaked onto the chair. I think it was because I had a lot of blood and couldn't find the right time to change my pad. It stained my clothes and got on the chair, and even wiping it with water didn't come off easily, so I didn't know what to do. I was so embarrassed that I couldn't ask anyone for help, so I somehow managed to clean it up while crying (lol).

When I was in middle school, my period lasted longer than it does now, about a week. I was in kendo, but I wore a loose-fitting hakama, so I don't think I had any trouble with my period while wearing my kendo uniform. However, taking off and putting on hakama is a pain, so I tried to avoid changing my pads during club activities as much as possible. I would change into a new pad before club activities, and then change afterwards. Even so, if I felt like I was having a thick period during club activities, I would go to the bathroom to check... I wondered why it was so hard for girls (lol). I rarely talked about periods with my friends, and we never borrowed or shared pads. I handled it all on my own.


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

I studied abroad in Canada for a year starting in the summer of my second year of high school. During that time, I developed anorexia and my period stopped. However, I didn't feel any sense of crisis about it, and just thought, "Lucky me!" and left it at that. At the time, sanitary products overseas were really low quality compared to those in Japan. Even though they were thick, they didn't absorb my blood at all, so I'd leak within 30 minutes. So, my period really depressed me. My period stopped for a few months, but it was really a relief not to have to think about it. When I returned to Japan and told my mother about it, she got mad (lol), so she took me to a gynecologist for treatment. I think I got a hormone injection in my butt or thigh, and my period started again after just one injection. The symptoms of anorexia continued for a while after I returned to Japan, alternating between periods of eating a lot and not eating at all, which was really painful. But it naturally improved by the time I graduated from university and started working. I think it was because I stopped worrying so much about my body shape.


-How did things change after you became a university student and started working?

During my university days, I found it a pain to coordinate sleepovers with my boyfriend or trips with friends (lol). I had heavy periods, but neither menstrual cramps nor PMS were particularly bad, and I only felt sleepy during my period. Ah, but maybe around this time I started to be able to tell my female friends that I was having a hard time with my period. I remember being impressed when sanitary napkins were placed in the bathrooms of izakayas and other places, offering "please use these if you like."

My period pains got worse and worse after I gave birth in my 30s. In particular, I had a sharp pain when the uterine lining shed, headaches, and back pain. I also started to experience PMS symptoms such as depression, so I went to see my gynecologist and was prescribed low-dose birth control pills. However, the pills didn't suit me and I suffered from severe nausea, so I consulted my gynecologist again and we switched to Chinese herbal medicine. After taking the Chinese herbal medicine for a while, my symptoms improved, so I stopped taking it. It was expensive though... (laughs).

Also, about two years ago, I had really rough skin. I also had atopic dermatitis, so when I consulted my gynecologist about it, she recommended placenta injections. I tried it and it improved immediately. Not only did my skin condition improve, but I also felt much more energetic. However, I found the hospital visits and the cost a burden, so I stopped after about a year.

My condition is generally stable now, so I'm not taking any medication or going to the hospital. My period is shorter and I'm losing less blood, which is really comforting! My period is now about four days long, with the heaviest flow on about two days, and the rest of the time it's just a small amount.


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

It's better not to have a period (lol), but it's just a part of how our bodies work. So, I think the only thing we can do is think positively about how we deal with our monthly periods. I think there's clearly a lot more understanding about menstruation now than there was 30 years ago, but there's still a lot to be done. It's embarrassing to have blood coming out of your crotch. That's why people try to hide it, and I think others also vaguely see it as something they have to hide. But bleeding from your internal organs once a month is just too hard. It's sad to think that there are still so many girls out there who, upon their first period, don't know who to turn to for help, and have to deal with their period alone. Nowadays, we can choose menstrual products that fit our lifestyles, and I feel like there's an increasing number of media outlets where adults are sharing their experiences. I also hope that we can create a society where children can easily access information about menstruation, learn more about it, talk about their struggles, and be understood by those around them.

"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.