Fear, depression, anxiety, anger, PMS - some are almost not affected by their menstruation at all and they hardly notice that time of the month. Life goes on and the body is just doing its thing. But for some, the menstrual cycle can affect a great part of their lives.
Life goes on and the body is just doing its thing. But for some, the menstrual cycle can greatly affect their lives.
Your body needs extra energy to have a period. Your blood count kan sink a bit during mentruation and make you feel faint- If you experience cramps, that is also going to steal energy from you, even if it's mild. Simply walking around with constant pain can be enough to affect your mental state.
When your menstrual cycle is a rollercoaster
Is your mood jumping around all over the place every month? Are you shifting quickly between feeling strong, happy, sad or angry? It could be related to the menstrual cycle. The menstrual cycle is controlled by hormones and some people are more sensitive to changes in hormone levels.
For some it's like living in a different world during their menstruation cycle. One day you are feeling just fine, strong and resilient, the next one you are falling down into a rabbit hole of darkness where you may feel angry, sad, annoyed or stressed. Many describe a feeling of not being enough, not good enough. For some, the symptoms can take over their lives completely and create big problems.
The days after ovulation are usually the most difficult if you are having mood problems during your menstrual cycle. When the bleeding starts it may be a relief, finally! But that is only true if only the mood changes are the problem, if you are also experiencing issues with the bleeding itself the menstruation will not be a relief at all. Maybe that's when the problems start?
What is PMS and PMDD?
PMS, premenstrual syndrome, is caused by hormonal changes in your body during the menstrual cycle. To have PMS doesn't mean that you have more hormones than others, but that you are more sensitive to the changes during the menstrual cycle. If you feel very blue, almost like a depression, then it can be the more severe form of PMS called PMDD; premenstrual dysphoric disorder.
When your period is causing relationship issues
Common conditions during the menstrual cycle is to feel tired and without energy. Your body may change, and you might experience a swollen stomach, tender breasts and more perspiration than normal. Some feel depressed and experience anxiety, anger or lose their sexual lust. This may lead to a feeling of not being good enough, a worry that others may think that you are not your usual self. Maybe you will withdraw from friends and family or your partner. You may feel alone and misunderstood.
Shame, fear and worry
For some, bleedings are related to shame, fear and worry. The blood and the hygiene products are things that need to be hidden in order to not be perceived as disgusting or unclean. The thread of the tampon hanging down when wearing swimwear or a pad that is visible when wearing trousers, what if someone can see it? Bloodstains on the sheets that are hidden away so that nobody will notice. As a trans guy maybe the bleeding is an unwelcome reminder that the body is not behaving as you want it to.