My Period Vol.015 - Periods change with life, getting heavier during puberty and lighter after childbirth
MH 47 years old Creator First period: 5th grade of elementary school (10 years old)
Current average number of menstrual days: 5-7 days Current average menstrual cycle: 25-28 days Current sanitary product used: Disposable napkins
-What day is your period?
Tired day
-What image comes to mind when you hear the word "menstruation"?
Days when you can't have sex
- 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 had my first period when I was 10 years old, in the fifth grade of elementary school. I was raised by my grandparents, and I was embarrassed to tell my grandmother that I had blood on my underwear, so for the first two or three months I hid my bloody underwear in the closet. Later, she found out, and red rice was cooked for me, which I remember being very embarrassed about.
What I remember about my period in elementary school is that I was really bad at using sanitary napkins and leaked a lot in my underwear. It's a really bad memory. I also took swimming lessons, and I remember not being able to go into the pool if my period overlapped with my regular classes. I also had period cramps and suffered from heavy, throbbing pain, but I never did anything about it.
-What was your period like in middle school?
When I got to junior high school, I got a boyfriend and had my first sexual experience in my second year. After that, I had the impression that my period was a time when I couldn't have sex with my boyfriend. Whenever we were in the mood to have sex, it would be awkward if I was on my period. Also, after I started having sex, I felt like my period pains got worse than before. It was the same as when I was in elementary school, but I didn't do anything about it.
-How did you change when you became a high school student?
Even after I entered high school, I still had a boyfriend, so my image of menstruation was that I couldn't have sex, and my periods were heavy, just like in middle school.I also started to have larger blood clots, and I always thought that menstruation was a real pain.
After that, my periods got heavier and heavier. My poor diet and fondness for sweet and fatty foods may have also had an effect. I would buy and eat eight sweet buns from the cafeteria, and I gained about 10kg during puberty. I realized this was bad, so I went on a drastic diet and lost all the weight. Perhaps as a result, my body lost its balance, and I developed anorexia...or rather, bulimia. I would eat sweets and bread alone in the toilets of a school building that was hardly used, and then throw up. Then, My period hadn't stopped for a month, so I went to the gynecologist. They couldn't find a diagnosis, but they decided to stop my period for the time being, and prescribed me one course of birth control pills. After that, my period returned and became regular.
I had been to the gynecologist several times before because I had contracted a sexually transmitted disease and had menstrual clots. I had no hesitation about going to the gynecologist. I didn't talk to my family about it, and there was no internet back then, so I think I just looked up a gynecologist in the phone book and went for an appointment. Gynecologists were relatively close to me.
-What has happened since you graduated from high school?
I recovered from my eating disorder in high school, and after graduating I went to a vocational school. My periods were still heavy, just like they were in high school. When I was 20, I got pregnant once and had an abortion. At the time, I thought I wouldn't be able to get married, so I aborted of my own volition, but after that, my periods got easier, like I'd been reset. My period pain became less severe, and I no longer had thick menstrual flow. I dated the person I was dating at the time for about three years and got pregnant again, but I didn't want to have another abortion, so I got married and gave birth to my first child at the age of 24. My periods started again about six months after giving birth, but I think they got even easier. It felt like my uterus was reset after giving birth.
I gave birth to my second child two years after giving birth to my first.
Then, before my period had even started again after giving birth to my second child, I was totally surprised when I got pregnant with my third child. The age difference between my two children was only one year and one month. I was around 27 years old when I gave birth to my third child, so I was very busy raising them. Three years later, when I was around 30, I got divorced.
-How was your period in your 30s?
Regarding menstruation, when I was in my 30s the amount of blood increased and sometimes leaked and got on my clothes, but it wasn't that bad.
I didn't have any severe PMS symptoms, just breast tenderness and increased appetite before my period. I would crave sweets and chocolate. This would let me know my period was coming. This period lasted about a week, and my period itself was regular, about every 28 or 30 days.
In my case, I didn't experience any particular mental issues, such as feeling depressed or irritable. This may be because I'm a person who is insensitive and doesn't notice mood swings very often.
-Have you noticed any changes since you turned 40?
I gave birth to my fourth child at the age of 42. It was with a man I had been dating for a long time after my divorce, and although I had normal periods and wanted children, I didn't try to conceive, so I got pregnant naturally.
Pregnancy and childbirth in my 40s was completely different from my three pregnancies and births in my 20s. My physical strength declines in my 40s, so childbirth itself was difficult, and pregnancy itself was also quite difficult. I was told to be careful not to get preeclampsia because I was giving birth at an advanced age, and I followed those instructions carefully, but I still ended up with high blood pressure, so we had to switch to a planned delivery.
My period returned to normal a while after giving birth, but now, a few years later, I'm starting to think the countdown to menopause may have begun. I thought my menstrual flow was decreasing overall, but then suddenly, a huge amount of blood came out all at once, and then it seemed to decrease again, and now I'm back to a period of light flow. I've had periods twice a month, and when I went to the gynecologist, she told me, "That's just irregular bleeding." I thought my female hormones might be decreasing and I'm going through menopause, so I consulted my doctor and had a blood test, and she recently told me, "Your female hormone levels are still high, so you're not going through menopause yet."
I still want to be in a position where I can give birth if I ever want to have a child with this person's DNA, and be in a position where I can pass on that DNA to the world. I think I probably have a very primitive sense of it.
-Looking back on your period, what do you think?
I was always wondering how much blood I was going to lose, so I'm really curious as to how she managed to produce that much menstrual blood.
Also, it was only after hearing my story like this that I remembered having had that experience, and it made me realize how far I've come.
"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.
