My Period Vol.021 - I had a light period. The changes in my body and mind I noticed after using the pill and a menstrual cup.
Chihiro Ueda, 37 years old, company manager
Menarche: 1st year of junior high school (age 12)
Current average period length: 3 days
Current average menstrual cycle: 28 days
Sanitary products currently used: Menstrual cup (murmo), panty liners
-What day is your period?
A relaxing day
-What image comes to mind when you hear the word "menstruation"?
Good luck with your work!
- 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 think it was when I was in the first year of junior high school. Thinking back, I have almost no memories of my period at that time. Maybe it's because my period was short, only 3 or 4 days, the amount of blood was light, and I never experienced any menstrual pain or problems. In fact, I viewed the fact that I was getting my period as a positive thing, something to be happy about, as part of my physical growth as I became an adult. I also enjoyed talking about periods with other girls. Even back then, I was close enough with my female friends that we could easily talk about periods, and I often heard stories about girls who seemed to have a hard time with theirs, so I thought my periods were lighter than theirs.
I played tennis as part of my club activities, but I never had to take a day off during my period because it was too painful, so I don't have any painful memories.
-Have you noticed any changes since you became a high school student?
Even when I became a high school student, I felt the same as I did in middle school.
If I had to say, it would be that my period coincided with a summer training camp for the hard tennis I continued playing in high school, and I got so sweaty that my sanitary napkin got damp and I felt uncomfortable.
I first used tampons when I was in high school. A friend told me, "Using tampons is convenient." I loved super public baths and hot springs, so I thought it would be convenient to be able to use them while bathing during my period.
The first time I used a tampon, I had a really hard time. I was scared of inserting it deep inside, so my body stiffened and strained, making it difficult to get it in... After using it a few times, I gradually got used to it, but I never really liked it, so I never started using it on a regular basis. I only used tampons when going to super public baths or hot springs, or during tennis matches, so they were for emergencies.
-What happened after you graduated from high school?
I went on to university and was a member of the ballroom dance club for the four years I was there. It was a very serious group where we would practice for four to five hours every day. I'd been playing sports since elementary school, but university was the hardest time.
When I practiced, I used larger nighttime pads, but they would sometimes slip off while I was dancing. Ballroom dance practice clothes are basically tight black leggings, and I sometimes wear a flowy skirt over them. Because I always wear tight black leggings, the pads are held in place by the leggings and don't slip off, and even if I leaked and left a blood stain, it wouldn't be visible to others, so I felt more secure. I also sometimes used tampons during competitions. This was because I didn't want to feel my pad slipping off even a little, and I could concentrate on dancing.
Because it was a sport that required a lot of physical activity, some athletes' periods stopped, but that didn't happen to me and I had regular periods.
-What happened after you graduated from university?
After graduating from university, I got a job at a bank. It was only after I entered the workforce that the pill started to become a topic of conversation. I heard from people who were actually taking the pill that "my period comes on a fixed day and it's a lot easier," so I became interested, but I didn't really like taking medicine, and I didn't have painful periods, so I never took it.
In my second year of working life, I started a weekend business and worked two jobs. Then, at age 27, I got pregnant, quit my job at the bank, and focused solely on my own business. Then, at age 28, I gave birth. There were no particular changes in my period after giving birth.
I started taking low-dose birth control pills around the time I turned 31, three or four years after giving birth. My menstrual cycle had always been regular, but I was working a job that required a lot of travel, so I wanted to know for sure when my period would come.
Since I started taking the pill, my menstrual flow has decreased, my period has shortened from 3-4 days to 3 days, and my period has become even easier.
Another change has happened. Since I started taking the pill, I've become more sensitive to the fluctuations in my mind and body before and during my period. I think it's because my menstrual cycle is so regular, but I realized for the first time that I feel more sleepy and irritable during the day before my period. I've always had light periods and didn't suffer from PMS, so I never paid much attention to my physical and mental fluctuations. But since I started taking the pill, I've started to adjust my schedule, making adjustments like "I'll get more sleep on this day before my period" and sharing with others that "I tend to get irritable on this day." I've started to value the voice of my mind and body more than ever before. This has made my work and life easier, and I've also started to feel more secure knowing myself.
I'm still taking the pill, but since I started using the Murmo menstrual cup at the end of last year, my periods have become even easier. I didn't have a heavy flow to begin with, and I didn't think I felt stressed about my period, but using a menstrual cup has made me realize how much stress I actually do feel about my period. Maybe it's because my flow is light, but I've gotten to the point where I don't really have to worry about my period. Just to be on the safe side, I use it in combination with a panty liner. The cup has a measuring tape, so it was a first for me to be able to tell how much blood I'm losing. I think if I'd found it when I was a student, my periods would have been a lot easier.
-Looking back on your period, what do you think now?
It's great to be able to talk about periods and the body as part of girl talk, without feeling like it's something to hide. I think it's important to be able to have open conversations with people close to you, such as friends and daughters.
My daughter is now 9 years old and has not yet had her period, but when I am on my period I try to explain things about menstruation to her, such as that she is currently bleeding, that menstruation is necessary for making a baby, and that she will soon have her period.
If there is no environment in which people can talk to each other, they will only know about their own periods, so I hope that by talking about your own period in this way and listening to other people's stories, it will be an opportunity for you to face your own body and take care of it.
Note: "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.
