My Period Vol.044 - From suffering from heavy periods and PMS to achieving menstrual well-being
Yuka, 21 years old, Representative of Toyo-MeW Project
Menarche: 5th grade (10-11 years old)
Current average period length: 4-7 days (on low-dose birth control pill)
Current average menstrual cycle: 120 days (on low-dose birth control pill)
Sanitary products currently used: disposable napkins, panty liners
-What day is your period?
pain
-What image comes to mind when you hear the word "menstruation"?
red
- I'd like to look back on 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 fifth grade of elementary school. I think it happened at home. My older sister had already had her period, and my mother and sister had told me in advance that "menstruation is about to start" and "you'll need to use sanitary napkins," so I wasn't too surprised when I saw bright red blood in the toilet. I just accepted it naturally, thinking, "Oh, so this is what our mothers were talking about."
I called my mother right then and there and told her that I had my period, and she said, "Then try doing as I taught you," so I put on a sanitary napkin myself, and it all began as a normal part of my daily life.
-What did menstruation mean to you when you were in elementary school?
From the first time I got my period, my periods were very heavy. The amount of blood was so heavy that my pads filled up quickly and I often leaked. It was common for me to soil my futon.
The period pain was also extremely severe, to the point that I couldn't move and would just curl up and cry. I took over-the-counter painkillers, which helped a little, but the pain was still there. It happened every time.
Not only was the amount of menstrual blood heavy, but the bleeding sometimes continued for over a week. Sometimes it would stop, then start again.
It was very painful, but I accepted it and just endured it.
However, my periods were clearly heavier and more irregular than my mother and sister's, so my mother, worried about me, urged me to go to the hospital, and I decided to go to a gynaecologist. My mother found a gynaecology clinic with a female doctor, and accompanied me to the clinic.
A medical interview and ultrasound examination revealed no abnormalities in the uterus or ovaries.
The doctor recommended Chinese herbal medicine, but I have never really liked medicine, and I especially couldn't stand the smell and taste of Chinese herbal medicine, so I refused to take it and went home.
Even after going to the hospital, they couldn't find a clear cause, so I didn't continue with any treatment.I continued to have painful periods every month, enduring the pain and worrying about leaking.
At that time, I never considered missing school because of my period, so I went to school despite the pain.
- Is there anything that happened in elementary school that made an impression on you?
When the students reached sixth grade, the number of female students visiting the pool increased dramatically. One day, the male homeroom teacher came over to the girls and asked, "Is it hard?"
The teacher may have meant it as consideration, but I felt a strong sense of discomfort with his words. "Why do I have to be told that?" "I don't want to be told that." The atmosphere at the time, along with the situation itself, remains a strong, unpleasant memory.
I have a father and a younger brother, and neither of them were the type to express their kindness directly, but rather showed it through their actions. That's why it was the first time a man had ever brought up the topic of menstruation, and I think I felt quite resistant.
Even now, when a man directly talks to me about menstruation, I still unconsciously feel defensive.
Currently, I am the representative of the Toyo-MeW Project, a Toyo University organization that considers well-being related to menstruation, and as part of our menstrual-related initiatives, I sometimes have to talk about periods with male members. Intellectually, I understand that it's important to think about it together, and in actual conversations, I've often found relief in the other person's attitude. However, somewhere in my heart, the experience from my elementary school days remains, and when someone speaks to me directly, I can't shake the sudden feeling that my body stiffens.
- Did your period situation change when you entered junior high school?
When I entered junior high school, my menstrual cycle gradually became more regular, lasting about seven days. However, my symptoms worsened. The pain became even stronger, and the amount of menstrual flow became much heavier.
My summer uniform was a light blue skirt, so even the slightest leak was noticeable. I often had to hide it with a tracksuit. Even though I tried various protective measures, such as wearing spats, the fear of leaking never went away. There were days when my period pain was so severe I couldn't stand up, and I even had to miss school.
My club activity was the brass band. Since I spent a lot of time sitting, it was easier than being in a sports club, but I would get uncomfortable with my pads getting damp after sitting for a long time, and sometimes I would feel a sudden gush of menstrual blood the moment I put effort into making a sound. It was really tough when I had my period on the same day as practice.
At the time, I didn't even know tampons existed, and my family preferred pads, so pads were my only option.
- When you became a high school student, how did your physical condition and the way you dealt with your period change?
When I entered high school, the over-the-counter painkillers that had worked for me stopped working. In addition to period pain, I also started experiencing PMS symptoms. Before my period, I would experience uncontrollable irritability and a swelling sensation all over my body. It was hell.
At the time, I didn't even know the term PMS, and all I knew was that "being irritable was a sign of menstruation." I sometimes took it out on my family, but gradually they came to understand the situation and gently kept their distance during PMS, which I was grateful for.
When the painkillers stopped working, I talked to my mother about it. She bought me some medicine specifically for menstrual pain that she found at a drugstore. Thanks to that, the pain eased a little. However, the medicine was expensive, and I felt bad that she had to buy such an expensive medicine just for me, even though I use it every month. I'm grateful to my mother for providing the medicine and telling me not to worry.
In high school, I was a member of the volunteer club, but due to the COVID-19 pandemic, there were fewer activities, so the physical strain was not as great as it was in middle school. My period never coincided with any major events like school trips.
- Going to university and living alone. Has your relationship with menstruation changed?
After graduating from high school, I moved to Tokyo and started living alone. I started choosing my own sanitary napkins, and the feel on my skin became the most important thing. I started trying out a variety of pads, focusing on ones that were gentle and long enough for nighttime use.
Compared to Okinawa, where I was born and raised, Tokyo has lower humidity, so the discomfort caused by stuffiness has been significantly reduced. When I was in Okinawa, I needed to use anti-itch ointments for my sensitive areas, but now I feel much better.
I entered the Faculty of International Studies at university, where I chose to study because I was interested in supporting developing countries and volunteering. However, as I specialized in my studies, I realized the gap between my ideals and reality, which made me stop and think. After that, I joined the Toyo-MeW Project, a research project at university, and became involved in activities that consider menstrual well-being, such as distributing sanitary products free of charge.
What drew me to the Toyo-MeW Project was my experience as a volunteer in high school. An initiative to provide sanitary products in school toilets began in Okinawa Prefecture, and I was involved in the volunteer club, installing them and creating posters. However, I graduated in the middle of the project, and I was left with a feeling that I hadn't completed it.
When I entered university and saw napkins and tampons in the restrooms, I intuitively felt that "this is where I found my next chapter." One of the reasons I decided to participate in the Toyo-MeW project was that it felt like a place where I could continue the work I had left unfinished in high school.
- It seems that your body underwent another major change during the summer of your first year of college.
During the summer of my freshman year of college, my period became irregular again, possibly due to the change in my environment and living alone. I would miss a few days, then the bleeding would start again, and this continued for about three months, which made me increasingly anxious.
Rather than feeling any pain, I was more concerned with the fact that something was wrong with my condition, so I went to a women's clinic and had a consultation. The results of the examination confirmed that my hormone balance was abnormal.
I was not good at Chinese medicine, so I requested to take a low-dose pill and started taking it. At first, I tried the one-month type to see how it went, but I continued taking it as I did not experience any side effects or problems with thrombosis.
Furthermore, I wanted to reduce the number of periods I had, so I switched to a low-dose pill that can control my cycle to once every four months.
- How has your life changed since you started taking the pill?
Taking the pill has surprisingly reduced my menstrual flow, menstrual pain, and PMS. Before, I suffered from abdominal pain, back pain, headaches, nausea, and other problems that made it difficult for me to carry out my daily life. In my third year of high school, I also developed a hernia, and the pain was so severe that I couldn't even get changed.
The quality of my daily life has changed so much that I can no longer remember the pain I felt at the time.
On the other hand, new concerns have arisen: "What if I can no longer take the pill?"
-Looking back on your period, what do you think now?
Looking back, most of my memories are of how tough it was. Heavy bleeding, intense pain, and the pain that made me cry every time. I don't want to go back to those days, and I'm not confident I can.
Now that I have gained knowledge and have found the right choice for me, I feel a lot better, but I still feel that those difficult times are still building up inside me.
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.
