My Period Vol.024 - Menstruation is a sign of the body. It is reflected in exercise, diet, and work rhythms.

marin, 27 years old, freelance

Menarche: 2nd year of junior high school (age 14)

Current average period length: 6 days

Current average menstrual cycle: 28 days

Sanitary products currently used: Organic cotton napkins

-What day is your period?

Detox Day

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

Reset

- 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 when I was in the second year of junior high school, and I remember my family celebrating with red rice. At the time, I didn't really understand what menstruation was, but many of my friends had already had their periods, so I thought, "Oh, it's happening to me too." Also, when my parents congratulated me, I started to see menstruation as a good thing.

I don't remember anything else about my period at the time. I didn't have any period pain, the flow was light, my cycle was regular, and I was on the track and field team, but it never interfered with club activities, so I didn't think of it as something "painful."

Some of my friends had to miss club activities or PE classes because of their periods, and I also listened to stories of friends with heavy periods and helped them, so I was aware that I had light periods. When I helped my friends who were suffering from periods, I would say things like, "Periods are really painful, aren't they?", but I don't think I truly understood how painful it was.

-Have you noticed any changes since becoming a high school student?

When I entered high school, my menstrual cycle became significantly irregular. Sometimes it gradually became late, and sometimes it didn't come for two or three months. I continued to be a member of the track and field club as I had in middle school, but I think the hard training in high school had an effect. I was a sprinter, but many of the long-distance runners on the club also missed their periods, so I didn't think it was unusual that my period was late or didn't come at all. I was aware that my menstrual cycle was irregular, but it didn't cause me any problems, so I didn't do anything about it.

When I was a second-year high school student, I pushed myself hard to aim for the Inter-High School Championships, and I lost several kilograms in a week or two. After that, my menstrual cycle became significantly irregular.

At the time, I had two worries about my period, both of which were related to club activities. The first was the issue of sanitary products during competitions. The higher the competition, the less fabric the uniforms had, like bikinis. I didn't like the idea of ​​pads sticking out from under the uniform. For that reason, I would use tampons only during competitions.

The second problem was stuffiness in the summer. I sweat a lot, so I hated it when my pads got soaked with sweat and menstrual blood. I tried to change my pads during breaks, but it still wasn't enough and it was uncomfortable.

To begin with, I'm a lazy person, so I don't really like changing sanitary products frequently. So I used nighttime pads during the day to reduce the frequency of changing them. My mother noticed this and told me, "It's not hygienic, so you should change your pads more frequently."

Also, my older sister, who had moved to Tokyo and was living alone, had heavy periods and once collapsed at Shinjuku Station due to severe menstrual cramps. I remember thinking how different sisters can be.

-Have you changed since graduating from high school?

After graduating from high school, I went on to a local junior college. Perhaps because I stopped doing strenuous exercise, my menstrual cycle became regular.

After graduating from junior college, I moved to Tokyo to find work. I worked as an assistant director at a video production company. I was so busy that I don't remember anything about my period or my body.

After working for a year at the company I joined as a new graduate, I changed jobs to an event-related company. I was in charge of human resource management at the company, which planned, managed, and staffed events. I don't particularly remember my period at that time. I don't think it was painful or upsetting.

After I left my job at an event-related company, I gradually shifted to working as a freelancer. Around this time, my work style changed dramatically, and my menstrual cycle became more and more irregular. There was a time when I was constantly working without a break, and my workload was so high that I was constantly sleep-deprived, and I think that was starting to affect my body.

Also, when the COVID-19 pandemic caused more people to work from home, I went on a two-week strict diet that restricted my food intake, and my period was noticeably delayed. I lost about 8 kg, but as soon as I stopped the diet, my period returned to normal. After I lost the weight, my period was delayed, and once I gained it back, it settled into a regular cycle again, so I realized that weight does affect menstruation.

Another thing about my period is that I would get a nauseous feeling in my lower body during my period. It happened once every two months, and if I didn't walk or move, I would get restless and feel an indescribable nausea...I didn't go to the hospital so I don't know what caused it, but I think it happened when I had thick, clot-like menstrual blood. Before I knew it, this nausea went away.

I still work multiple jobs as a freelancer, but my menstrual cycle remains a regular 28 days. I also work in a store that sells organic and ethical items, so I've started incorporating those things into my lifestyle, and I've become more health-conscious than before, so I've started to take better care of my body.
For sanitary products, I have been using organic cotton napkins ever since.

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

I wish I had taken a broader perspective than just menstruation and taken better care of my physical condition, and I would like to do so from now on.

As I learned more about menstruation, I realized that it is connected to my entire mental and physical condition. Menstruation is an easy-to-understand indicator that occurs regularly every month, so I would like to face my body and menstruation from now on by properly picking up on it as a sign of my physical and mental health.

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.